INDIA : CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE

1 88 INDIA : CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND WILDLIFEYou read in newspapers daily and watch on orhear others talking about weather. You must knowthat weather is about day to day changes in theatmosphere. It includes changes in temperature,rainfall and sunshine etc. For example, as such it maybe hot or cold; sunny or cloudy; windy or calm. Youmust have noticed that when it is hot continuously forseveral days you don t need any warm clothing. Youalso like to eat or drink cold things. In contrast thereare days together, you feel cold without woollen clotheswhen it is very windy and chilly, you would like tohave something hot to , the major seasons recognised in INDIA are: Cold Weather Season (Winter) December toFebruary Hot Weather Season (Summer) March to May Southwest Monsoon Season (Rainy)June to September Season of Retreating Monsoon (Autumn) Octoberand NovemberCOLD WEATHER SEASON OR WINTERD uring the winter season, the sun rays do not falldirectly in the region.

2 As a result the temperatures arequite low in northern WEATHER SEASON OR SUMMERIn the hot weather season sun rays more or less directlyfall in this region. Temperature becomes very and dry winds called loo, blow during the 2257 INDIA : CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND WILDLIFELet s have fun in all parts of our country drink deliciouscool drinks called Sharbat made from fruitsavailable in their regions. They are excellentthirst-quenchers and protect our bodies from theill-effect of the harsh loo . Have you tried Sharbat , made from raw mango, bel, lemon,tamarind, kokum, phalsa, watermelon andbuttermilk made from curds; for examplechhaachh, mattha, mori, chash, etc? Many makebanana and mango milkshakes a hot summer, the first rains bring muchjoy. All our languages have melodious songs on rains.

3 They sound happy and bring cheer. Learntwo songs on rains and sing them or collect five poems on your friends, neighbours and familymembers for names for rains and other seasonsin different languages. For instance,Varsha HindiPous MarathiBarish UrduBorsha BengaliSOUTH WEST MONSOON SEASON OR RAINY SEASONThis season is marked by the onset and advance ofmonsoon. The winds blow from Arabian Sea and Bayof Bengal towards the land. They carry moisture withthem. When these winds strike the mountain barriers,rainfall OF RETREATING MONSOONS OR AUTUMNW inds move back from the mainland to the Bay ofBengal. This is the season of the retreating southern parts of INDIA , particularly Tamil Naduand Andhra Pradesh receive rainfall in this , the climate is about the average weathercondition, which have been measured over many climate of INDIA has broadly been described asMonsoon type.

4 Monsoon is taken from the Arabic word mausim , which means seasons. Due to INDIA s locationin the tropical region, most of the rain is brought bymonsoon winds. Agriculture in INDIA is dependent onrains. Good monsoons mean adequate rain and abountiful would happen ifmonsoons were weak, or evenworse, failed to occur one year?Tick ( ) the correct answer. Crops will be-affected/not affected The level of the water in awell will-come-up/go-down Summer will be-longer/shorter2021 2258 THE EARTH : OUR HABITATThe climate of a place is affected by its location,altitude, distance from the sea, and relief. Therefore,we experience regional differences in the climate ofIndia. Jaisalmer and Bikaner in the desert of Rajasthanare very hot, while Drass and Kargil in Ladakh arefreezing cold. Coastal places like Mumbai and Kolkataexperience moderate climate.

5 They are neither too hotnor too cold. Being on the coast, theseplaces are very humid. Mawsynram inMeghalaya receives the world s highestrainfall, while in a particular year it mightnot rain at all in Jaisalmer in VEGETATIONWe see a variety of plant life in oursurroundings. How nice it is to play in afield with green grasses. There are alsosmall plants called bushes and shrubs likecactus and flowering plants etc. Besidesthere are many tall trees some with manybranches and leaves like neem, mango orsome which stand with few leaves suchas palm. The grasses, shrubs and trees,which grow on their own withoutinterference or help from human beingsare called natural VEGETATION . Do youwonder how these differ from each types of natural VEGETATION aredependent on different climaticconditions, among which the amount ofrainfall is very to varied climatic conditions, Indiahas a wide range of natural ARE FORESTS NECESSARY?

6 Forests are very useful for us. Theyperform various functions. Plants releaseoxygen that we breathe and absorb carbondioxide. The roots of the plants bind thesoil; thus, they control soil provide us with timber forfurniture, fuel wood, fodder, medicinal plants andherbs, lac, honey, gum, s DoOn a map ofIndia, locatethe placesmentioned in : Tropical Rain Forests2021 2259 INDIA : CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND WILDLIFEF orests are the natural habitat ofwild VEGETATION has beendestroyed to a large extent because ofthe reckless cutting of trees. We shouldplant more trees and protect the existingones and make people aware of theimportance of trees. We can have specialprogrammes like Van Mahotsav toinvolve more people in making our s parents planted a sapling of neem to celebrate her birth.

7 On eachbirthday, a different sapling wasplanted. It was watered regularly andprotected from severe heat, cold andanimals. Children took care not to harmit. When Leela was 20, twenty-onebeautiful trees, stood in and around herhouse. Birds built their nests on them,flowers bloomed, butterflies flutteredaround them, children enjoyed theirfruits, swung on their branches andplayed in their : What we get from forestsWILD LIFEF orests are home to a variety of wild life. There arethousands of species of animals and a large variety ofreptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, insects andworms which dwell in the 2260 THE EARTH : OUR HABITATThe tiger is our national animal. It is found in variousparts of the country. Gir forest in Gujarat is the home ofAsiatic lions. Elephants and one-horned rhinoceroses roamin the forests of Assam.

8 Elephants are also found in Keralaand Karnataka. Camels and wild asses are found in theGreat Indian desert and the Rann of Kuchchh goats, snow leopards, bears, etc. are found in theHimalayan region. Besides these, many other animals arefound in our country such as monkey, wolf, jackal, nilgai,cheetal, is equally rich in bird life. The peacock is ournational bird. Other common birds are parrots, pigeons,mynah, geese, bulbul and ducks. There are several birdsanctuaries which have been created to give birds theirnatural habitat. These provide the birds protection fromhunters. Can you name five birds that are commonly foundin your area?There are several hundreds of species of snakes found inIndia. Cobras and kraits are important among to cutting of forests and hunting, several species ofwildlife of INDIA are declining rapidly.

9 Many species havealready become order to protect them many national parks, sanctuariesand biosphere reserves have been set up. The GovernmentFigure : Wildlife2021 2261 INDIA : CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND WILDLIFEhas also started Project Tiger and Project Elephant to protect these animals. Canyou name some WILDLIFE sanctuaries of INDIA and locate them on a map?You can also contribute in conserving WILDLIFE . You can refuse to buy thingsmade from parts of the bodies of animals such as their bones, horns, fur, skins,and feathers. Every year we observe WILDLIFE week in the first week of October, tocreate awareness of conserving the habitats of the animal kingdom. Why do poachers kill tigers? What will happen if tigers vanish from our forests? Have you ever visited any tiger reserves or a zoo wheretigers are kept???Figure BirdsSome birds such as Pintail Duck, Curlews, Flamingo, Osprey and Little Stint migrateto our country in winter season every year.

10 Smallest migratory bird Little Stint weighingas low as 15 gram, from Arctic region travel over 8000 km to reach 2262 THE EARTH : OUR the following questions briefly.(a)Which winds bring rainfall in INDIA ? Why is it so important?(b)Name the different seasons in INDIA .(c)What is natural VEGETATION ? the correct answers.(a)The world s highest rainfall occurs in(i) Mumbai(ii) Asansol(iii) Mawsynram(b)Wild goats and snow leopards are found in(i)Himalayan region(ii)Peninsular region(iii)Gir forests(c)During the south west monsoon period, the moisture laden windsblow from(i) land to sea(ii) sea to land(iii) plateau to in the blanks.(a)Hot and dry winds known as _____ blow during the day in thesummers.(b)The states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu receive a great amount ofrainfall during the season of_____.(c)_____ forest in Gujarat is the home of a list of trees in your neighbourhood and collect pictures of plants,animals and birds and paste them in your a sapling near your home and nurture it and write down the changesyou observe for a few any migratory bird come in your locality?