Small notes on Climate, Soil, Vegetation and Wildlife of India

Small notes on Climate, Soil, Vegetation and Wildlife of India

The south-west monsoon winds bring rains to greater part of India. Kerala, because of its proximity to the Indian Ocean is the first state to get monsoon winds. These winds then travel across almost all parts of India during June and September bringing along rainy season in India. Arabian Sea branch of the monsoon winds strike against the Western Ghats and brings copious rains in the west coastal plains. A section of this branch then crosses over the Vindhya and Satpura ranges. These winds strike against the Rajmahal hills and cause heavy to very heavy rains in the Chotanagpur regions. The Aravalli hills that lie parallel to the direction of the winds, help these winds to reach the foothills of the Siwalik ranges. The moisture laden Bay of Bengal branch, on its way to the north, strikes against the Kasi and Jaintia Hills. A section of the winds move towards the west and give rains to the Gangetic Plains. The winds then move further westwards and cause rainfall in places such as Punjab and Haryana. The two branches of the south-west monsoon winds meet at the Siwaliks. These rains make Indian soil wet and ready for cultivation of various crops through out the year. Agricultural activities also depend on the type of soil available in the region. Alluvial soil, which is rich in potash, phosphoric acid and lime, is found the Northern Great Plains, and deltaic regions of the rivers deltas. Black soil, rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash lime and iron, and is found in western India. Red soil, rich in iron content and ferromanganese compounds is found in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and south-eastern Maharashtra. These three types of soil are mainly responsible for continuous growth of various types of crops cultivated in these regions. The type of natural vegetation of a region mainly depends on the distribution of rainfall in the region. Evergreen forests are found in . the western slopes of the Western Ghats, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The deciduous forests found in large areas of Peninsular India and some parts of northern India. Thorn and Scrub forests are found in the parts of Deccan regions and some parts of north-western India. Mangrove forests are found in the deltaic regions in West Bengal and in some parts of Tamil Nadu. Alpine forests are found in the Himalayan regions. The rhinoceros and hippopotamus freely move in the swampy and marshy regions of mangrove forests. The four-horned antelope is found in north-western parts of India. Snow leopard and lion tailed monkeys are also found in the Himalayan forests.