The total area of India is 32, 87,263 sq km. The mainland extends between 80° 4′ and 37° 6′ North’s Latitudes and between 68° T and 91° 25′ East Longitudes. The distance between north’s to south is nearly 3,214 km and that between east and west is nearly 2,933 km.
The length of the land frontier is nearly 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of her mainland. Lakshadweep islands and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are 7,516.6 km. The country lies entirely in the northern hemrajbere.
1. Mountains:
The great mountain zone is located in the northern part of the country. The Himalayas extend from the north to the north-east and have three almost parallel ranges. These ranges are interspersed with large valleys namely, Kashmir, Udampur, Kotli, Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Doon, Kullu and Chumbi.
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a. Greater Himalayas:
Greater Himalayas have an average height of 6,000 m above the MSL; these have a breadth ranging from 120 Am to 190 km. Important peaks in this region are-Hidden Peak (8,068 m), etc. Mount K2 (“Godwin Austin) has a height of 8,611 m.
It is located in Pak-occupied Kashmir. Other peaks of this region are Kamet (7,756 m), Bandar Poonchh (6,315 m), mana (7,273 m), Chaukhamba (7,138 m), Trishul (7,120 m), Dunagiri (7,066m), Pancha Chuli (6,904m), Nanda Kot (6,861 m), and Badri Nath (7,138 m).
Rainy season remains in force in this region from June to September. Rainfall varies from 100 cm to 200 cm. Trees are found only up to a height of 10,000 ft. The major trees found here are-sal, pine, sagaun, fir, sir, etc.
b. Middle Himalayas:
The middle Himalayas has an average height of 3,500 m to 5,000 m above the MSL. These extend in the south to the Shivalik range. These include Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal Mountain ranges. Important hill stations of the middle Himalayas are Darjeeling. Almora, Nainital, Shimla and Mussourie. Snowfall is witnessed in these areas from December to February.
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These are one of the best-known tourist spots of the world. Train services are available from Kalka to Shimla. Darjeeling is also connected by rail. During summers, the temperature remains between 18° C to 20°C. Rainy season in July brings rainfall up to 150 can.
c. Outer Himalayas:
Outer Himalayas have an average height of 1,000 to 1,500 m above the MSL. The region is a chain of low-lying hills formed through fluvial deposits like sand, clay and pebbles.
Rainfall varies 150 cm to 220 cm. It comprises Dehradun valley, Udhampur valley and Kotli valley. The Shivalik range is included in outer Himalayas.
2. Coastal Planes:
Those planes are narrower on the western coast than on the eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Many deltas are found on the eastern coast because; the ingredient is less steep on the eastern side I of the Indian peninsular landmass. The western coastal plains stretch from the Rann of Kutch to Kanya Kumai; their total length is nearly 1,500 km.
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The Gujarat plane has been formed by Sabarmati, Mahi and other river systems. The Karnataka coast extends up to south of Goa for nearly 525 km; Shravasti is an important river of this area. This region has many rocky cliffs. The Kerala planet extends from south of Cannonade to Cape Comorin (Kanya Kumari; TN) for nearly 500 km.
The eastern coastal planes start from the mouth of Subarnarekha and go up to Kanya Kumari their length is nearly 1,100 km. and average width is 120 km. Krishna and Godavari rivers formal large delta in this region. The Utkal plains include the Mahanadi delta.
3. Islands:
India has 247 islands out of which, 204 lie in the Bay of Bengal and the remaining lie in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Mannar. Andaman and Nicobar islands have their major island groups in the Bay of Bengal.
The Nicobar group has 19 islands. The Lakshadweep islands have an area of 32 sq km; it is located in the Arabian Sea. The Minicoy Island has an area of 4.5 sq km. These two islands, along with the islands of Rameshwaram on the eastern coast, are famous for their coral reefs.
5. Water Bodies:
1. Lakes:
Six major types of lakes are found in India. These are as follows:
(a) Tectonic Lakes: Wular lake and the lakes of Kumaon.
(b) Lakes Formed due to Volcanic/Activities’. Lunar lake (Maharashtra).
(c) Lagoon Lakes: Chilika (Orissa), Pulicat (TN), Kolleru (AP).
(d) Glacial Lakes: Khurpatal, Samtal, Punatal, Malwa Tal, Nainital, Rakas Tal, Saat Tal, Bhim Tal and Naukuchia Tal (all in the Kumaon region of Uttaranchal).
(e) Lakes Formed due to the Aeolean Process: Sambhar (Rajasthan), Panchbhadra, Lunakransar and Didwana (Rajasthan).
(f) Other Lakes: Dal lake (Kashmir), Udaisagar (Rajasthan), Pichhola (Rajasthan), Rajsamand (Rajasthan), Jaisamand (Rajasthan), Annasagar (Rajasthan) Loktak (Manipur), Vembanad (Kerala), Hussain Sagar (AP), Sukhna (Chandigarh, UT), Guru Gobind Singh Reservoir (Bhakra Nangal; Punjab) and Hirakud Dam’, Lake (Orissa).
2. Wet Lands:
Sixteen wetlands have been identified in India. These are as follows:-
3. Rivers:
The Rivers of India can be divided into 4 broad categories, as follows:
(a) Himalayan rivers
(b) Peninsular rivers
(c) Coastal rivers
(d) Rivers of the inland drainage system.
6. Biotic Resources:
Biosphere reserves fauna and flora are the resources that fall under this category. Let us discuss these briefly in this section. India is a rich nation from the viewpoint of biodiversity. The total number of types of living organisms found in this country is 75,000. Farther, 45,000 types of plants and trees are found in this vast country.
Flora:
In terms of plant diversity, India is at the tenth position in the world and at the fourth position in Asia. The Botanical Survey of India has surveyed 70 per cent of the land area of the country and identified 47,000 species of plants.
The vascular flora, which form the conspicuous vegetation cover comprise 15,000 species of flora. Out of these, more than 35 per cent are endemic and not reported to exist anywhere in the world. The forest cover of India is nearly 63.73 million hectares (19.39 per cent of the nation’s area).
It should be 33 per cent, if land area of the country is prime consideration. More than 800 ethno botanical plants have been collected and identified by different centres of the Botanical Survey of India.
Nearby 1,336 plant species of plants are deemed endangered. Nearly 20 species of higher plants have been declared as possibly extinct; these have not been found in India during the last 6-10 decades.
Less forest cover and dwindling number of fauna species are posing serious environmental challenges to India. Landslides (in hilly areas), floods, deforestation and advances of the Thar desert of Rajasthan are some of the consequences of the receding forest cover. Excessive population levels have led to almost nude hillocks, hills and plains.
If these trends were not checked, India could face an ecological disaster of a serious nature by the end of the current decade. The Tenth Five Year Plan has added the agenda of forestation in its Draft Paper.
Trees and plants found in India can be divided into the 9 categories, as follows:-
(a) Western Himalayan zone: Here, chir, pine, conifer, broad-leaf temperate trees (from Kashmir to Kumaon), etc. are found in abundance. In higher zones, forests of deodar, blue pine, spruce and silver fire are found in abundance. The height limit for this zone is 4,750 m above the MSL.
(b) Alpine Zone: It starts from 4,750 m above the MSL. Trees of silver fir, silver birch and jumper are found in this region.
(c) Eastern Himalayan Zone: Oak, laurel, maple, rhododendron, alder and birch (in Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kurseong and nearby tract) are found in this area. Many conifers, junipers and dwarf willows are also found here.
(d) Assam Region: Evergreen forests, bamboos, tall grasses (in Brahmaputra and Surma valleys) etc. are common.
(e) Indus Plane Region: Natural vegetation, kelkar, babool, mango, eucalyptus, etc. are found in Punjab, western Rajasthan and northern Gujarat.
(f) The Ganges Plane: Only a small area is under forests.
(g) Deccan Region: Various types of deciduous forests are found in this region.
(h) Malabar Region: Coconut, betel nut, pepper, coffee, tea, rubber, cashew nut, etc. are found in this region.
(i) Andaman Region: Mangrove, beach, diluvia and evergreen forests abound in this region.
Sub voce: on the earth, there are 30,000 types of green plants, 8, 00,000 types of insects, 23,000 types of Pisces, 2,000 types of birds, 6,500 types of reptiles and 4,100 types of mammals.
Biosphere Reserve:
As on date, 13 biosphere reserves have been identified in India.
These are Out of these, 3 biosphere reserves have been recognised on the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by the UNESCO. These are-Nilgiris, Sunderbans and Gulf of Mannar. Note that, biosphere reserves are multipurpose protected areas and are developed to protect genetic diversity in ecosystems.
Mangroves:
Mangroves the tolerant forest ecosystems are found mainly in tropical, sub-tropical inter-tidal regions of the world. They have large numbers of plant and animal species that are associated with one another over an evolutionary per his fury of the seas.
In 1997, the total mangrove area of India was to the tune of 6,000 sq km. A total of 32 mangroves have been identified for conservation and management purposes. Some of these are
Northern Andaman & Nicobar Islands, (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Sunderbans (West Bengal), Bhitarkanika (Orissa), Loringa (Andhra Pradesh), Krishna Estuary (Andhra Pradesh), Godavari Delta (Andhra Pradesh), Mahanadi Delta (Orissa), Pichavaram (Tamil Nadu), Point Calimere (Tamil Nadu), Goa (Goa), Gulf of Kutch (Gujrat), Coondapur (Karnataka), Achra (Maharashtra), Ratnagiri (Maharashtra), Vembanad (Kerala) etc.