NCERT Environmental Studies (EVS) important notes Part 10 for AEES, KVS, NVS, DSSSB, UPTET, REET, CTET, BTET, MPTET, HTET and All other Teaching Exams
NCERT
Environmental Studies
Important Notes
Part 10
The major seasons recognised in India are:
• Cold Weather Season (Winter) December to February
• Hot Weather Season (Summer) March to May
• Southwest Monsoon Season (Rainy) June to September
• Season of Retreating Monsoon (Autumn) October and November
COLD WEATHER SEASON OR WINTER
During the winter season, cool, dry winds blow from north to the south. The sun rays do not fall directly in the region as a result, the temperatures are quite low in northern India.
HOT WEATHER SEASON OR SUMMER
In the hot weather season sun rays more or less directly fall in this region. Temperature becomes very high. Hot and dry winds called loo, blow during the day.
SOUTH WEST MONSOON SEASON OR RAINY SEASON
This season is marked by the onset and advance of monsoon. The winds blow from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal towards the land. They carry moisture with them. When these winds strike the mountain barriers, rainfall occurs.
SEASON OF RETREATING MONSOONS OR AUTUMN
Winds move back from the mainland to the Bay of Bengal. This is the season of the retreating monsoons. The southern parts of India, particularly Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh receive rainfall in this season. However, the climate is about the average weather condition, which have been measured over many years.
The climate of India has broadly been described as Monsoon type. Monsoon is taken from the Arabic word ‘mausim’, which means seasons. Due to India’s location in the tropical region, most of the rain is brought by monsoon winds. Agriculture in India is dependent on rains. Good monsoons mean adequate rain and a bountiful crop.
The climate of a place is affected by its location, altitude, distance from the sea, and relief. Therefore, we experience regional differences in the climate of India.
Jaisalmer and Bikaner in the desert of Rajasthan are very hot, while Drass and Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir are freezing cold. Coastal places like Mumbai and Kolkata experience moderate climate. They are neither too hot nor too cold. Being on the coast, these places are very humid. Mawsynram in Meghalaya receives the world’s highest rainfall, while in a particular year it might not rain at all in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.
NATURAL VEGETATION
We see a variety of plant life in our surroundings. How nice it is to play in a field with green grasses. There are also small plants called bushes and shrubs like cactus and flowering plants etc. Besides there are many tall trees some with many branches and leaves like neem, mango or some which stand with few leaves such as palm. The grasses, shrubs and trees, which grow on their own without interference or help from human beings are called natural vegetation.
Do you wonder how these differ from each other. Different types of natural vegetation are dependent on different climatic conditions, among which the amount of rainfall is very important. Due to varied climatic conditions, India has a wide range of natural vegetation. Vegetation of India can be divided into five types – Tropical evergreen forest, Tropical deciduous forest, Thorny bushes, Mountain vegetation and Mangrove forests.
TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
Tropical Rain Forests occur in the areas which receive heavy rainfall. They are so dense that sunlight doesn’t reach the ground. Many species of trees are found in these forests, which shed their leaves at different times of the year. As a result, they always appear green and are called evergreen forest.
Important trees found in these forests are mahogany, ebony and rosewood. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, parts of North-Eastern states and a narrow strip of the Western slope of the Western Ghats are home of these forests.
TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FORESTS
In a large part of our country we have this type of forest. These forests are also called monsoon forests. They are less dense. They shed their leaves at a particular time of the year.
Important trees of these forests are sal, teak, peepal, neem and shisham. They are found in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and in parts of Maharashtra.
THORNY BUSHES
This type of vegetation is found in dry areas of the country. The leaves are in the form of spines to reduce the loss of water.
Cactus, khair, babool, keekar are important and are found in the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Eastern slopes of Western Ghats and Gujarat.
MOUNTAIN VEGETATION
A wide range of species is found in the mountains according to the variation in height. With increase in height, the temperature falls. At a height between 1500 metres and 2500 metres most of the trees are conical in shape. These trees are called coniferous trees. Chir, Pine and Deodar are important trees of these forests.
MANGROVE FORESTS
These forests can survive in saline water. They are found mainly in Sunderbans in West Bengal and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Sundari is a well-known species of trees in mangrove forests after which Sunderbans have been named.
Sundari is a well-known species of trees in mangrove forests after which Sunderbans have been named.
WHY ARE FORESTS NECESSARY?
Forests are very useful for us. They perform various functions. Plants release oxygen that we breathe and absorb carbon dioxide. The roots of the plants bind the soil; thus, they control soil erosion. Forests provide us with timber for furniture, fuel wood, fodder, medicinal plants and herbs, lac, honey, gum, etc. Forests are the natural habitat of wild life. Natural vegetation has been destroyed to a large extent because of the reckless cutting of trees.
We should plant more trees and protect the existing ones and make people aware of the importance of trees. We can have special programmes like Van Mahotsav to involve more people in making our earth green.
WILD LIFE
- The tiger is our national animal. It is found in various parts of the country. Gir forest in Gujarat is the home of Asiatic lions.
- Elephants and one-horned rhinoceroses roam in the forests of Assam. Elephants are also found in Kerala and Karnataka.
- Camels and wild asses are found in the the Great Indian desert and the Rann of Kuchchh.
- Wild goats, snow leopards, bears, etc. are found in the Himalayan region.
- Besides these, many other animals are found in our country such as monkey, wolf, jackal, nilgai, cheetal, etc.
- India is equally rich in bird life. The peacock is our national bird.
- Other common birds are parrots, pigeons, mynah, geese, bulbul and ducks. There are several bird sanctuaries which have been created to give birds their natural habitat. These provide the birds protection from hunters.
- There are several hundreds of species of snakes found in India. Cobras and kraits are important among them.
- Due to cutting of forests and hunting, several species of wildlife of India are declining rapidly. Many species have already become extinct.
- In order to protect them many national parks, sanctuaries and biosphere reserves have been set up.
- The Government has also started Project Tiger and Project Elephant to protect these animals.
- Every year we observe wildlife week in the first week of October, to create awareness of conserving the habitats of the animal kingdom.
Migratory Birds
Some birds migrate to our country in the winter season every year such as Pelican, Siberian Crane, Stork, Flamingo, Pintail Duck, Curlew.
Siberian Cranes migrate from Siberia; they arrive in December and stay till early march.
Questions and Answers
Ques 1 The world’s highest rainfall occurs in
(i) Mumbai
(ii) Asansol
(iii) Mawsynram
Ans- (iii) Mawsynram
Ques 2 Mangrove forests can thrive in
(i) saline water
(ii) fresh water
(iii) polluted water
Ans- (i) saline water
Ques 3 Mahogany and rosewood trees are found in
(i) mangrove forests
(ii) tropical deciduous forests
(iii) tropical evergreen forests
Ans- (iii) tropical evergreen forests
Ques 4 Wild goat and snow leopards are found in
(i) Himalayan region
(ii) Peninsular region
(iii) Gir forests
Ans- (i) Himalayan region
Ques 5 During the south west monsoon period, the moisture laden winds
blow from
blow from
(i) land to sea
(ii) sea to land
(iii) plateau to plains
Ans- (ii) sea to land
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#NCERT Environmental Studies (EVS) important notes Part 10 for AEES, KVS, NVS, DSSSB, UPTET, REET, CTET, BTET, MPTET, HTET and All other Teaching Exams