These houseboats float on Dal Lake in the part of Kashmir under Indian control. This region contains a section of the Karakorum Range, which can be seen here in the background. Most of India's high peaks are located in Kashmir, inculuding a number of mountains more than 7500 m (25,000 ft) high.
India may
be divided into four main regions: the Himalayas, the northern
river-plains region, the Deccan, and the Eastern and Western Ghats.
The Himalayas
is a mountain system, about 160 to 320 km (about
100 to 200 mi) wide, which extends about 2400 km (about 1500 mi)
along the northern and eastern margins of India. The Himalayas is the
highest mountain system in the world. Among its outstanding summits wholly
or partly within India is Kanchenjunga (8598 m/28,208 ft), the third highest
peak in the world, after Mount Everest and K2 (Mount Godwin Austen). Other
prominent Indian peaks, most of which are in Jammu and Kashmėr, include Nanga
Parbat (8126 m/26,660 ft), Nanda Devi (7817 m/25,645 ft), Rakaposhi (7788
m/25,550 ft) and Kamet peak (7756 m/25,447 ft).
South and parallel to the Himalayas lies the northern river-plains region, a belt of flat, alluvial lowlands about 280 to 400 km (about 175 to 250 mi) in width. The region comprises the major part of the vast plains area watered by the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers. The plains region of India extends from the border with Pakistan to the border with Bangladesh and continues east into Assam, which is connected with the remainder of the republic by a narrow corridor of land near Darjiling (Darjeeling).
The central and western portions of the Indian plains region are watered by the Ganges River and its tributaries, which drain the southern slopes of the Himalayas; the region is known consequently as the Gangetic Plain. The Assam region is watered by the Brahmaputra River and its affluents, which rise on the northern slopes of the Himalayas. The Brahmaputra River crosses into Bangladesh north of the Khasi Hills. The Indus River rises in Tibet, flows west through Jammu and Kashmėr, and crosses into Pakistan.
Because of the abundance of water and rich alluvial soil, the northern plains region is the most fertile and densely populated area of the republic and was the cradle of Indian civilization.
South of the plains region lies the Deccan, a vast, triangular tableland occupying most of peninsular India. The Deccan is a generally rocky and uneven plateau divided into natural regions by low mountain ranges and deep valleys. Elevations in the plateau region range generally from about 300 to 900 m (about 1000 to 3000 ft), although outcroppings as high as about 1200 m (about 4000 ft) occur. The Deccan Plateau is bordered on the east and west by the mountain systems known, respectively, as the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats.
The Western Ghats, a bold escarpment overlooking the Arabian Sea, have a general elevation of about 900 m (about 3000 ft). The fertile Malabar Coast is between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Between the Eastern Ghats, which average about 460 m (about 1500 ft) in elevation, and the Bay of Bengal is a narrow coastal plain, the Coromandel Coast. In the southern interior, near Bangalore, are the Nėlgiri Hills. "India," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 97 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Because of the peninsularity, unusual topography, and geographical position of India, climatic conditions are widely diversified, on both a seasonal and regional basis. The diversity ranges from tropical to temperate zonal extremes, with the temperature extremes confined largely to the slopes of the Himalayas. Except in the elevated regions, most of the remainder of India has a uniformly tropical climate. Seasonal variations, resulting from the southwestern and northeastern monsoons, profoundly influence such climatic factors as temperature, humidity, and precipitation throughout the subcontinent. For general purposes, the seasons of India may be classified as rainy and dry. The rainy season, which extends from June through September, is the season of the southwestern monsoon, a moisture-laden wind blowing off the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Beginning early in June on the western coast of the peninsula, the monsoon gradually affects almost the entire country. During the rainy period, precipitation attains great proportions, often more than 3175 mm (125 in), along the slopes of the Western Ghats. In the northeastern section of the country, at Cherrapunji in the Khasi Hills, the yearly rainfall is about 10,800 mm (about 425 in). Mean annual precipitation along the southern slopes of the Himalayas is about 1500 mm (about 60 in). Failure of the winds to deposit sufficient rain occurs occasionally, causing severe droughts and famines; but the rains breed malaria, and contrasting day and night temperatures encourage pulmonary disorders. Normally, the power of the monsoon diminishes in September.
The cool season of the northeastern monsoon, extending from early in December through February, is usually accompanied by extremely dry weather, although severe storms, attended by slight precipitation on the northern plains and heavy snowfalls in the Himalayas, sometimes traverse the country. The hot season, beginning about the middle of March and extending until the onset of the southwestern monsoon, reaches its most oppressive stage during May, when temperatures as high as 49° C (120° F) are commonly recorded in the northern plains. In Calcutta, the average daily temperature range is 13° to 27° C (55° to 80° F) in January and 26° to 32° C (79° to 89° F) in July. The average daily range in Bombay, in the west central coastal region of the peninsula, is 19° to 28° C (67° to 83° F) in January and 25° to 29° C (77° to 85° F) in July. In the vicinity of Madras in the southeast coastlands the range is 19° to 29° C (67° to 85° F) in January and 26° to 36° C (79° to 96° F) in July.
India contains more than two-thirds of the entire area of the Indian subcontinent, including a major portion of the fertile Indo-Gangetic Plain. Besides extensive cultivable regions, a comprehensive network of irrigation facilities, and valuable stands of timber, India has most of the known mineral deposits of the subcontinent.
In the arid areas that adjoin Pakistan, the flora of India is sparse and largely herbaceous. Various thorny species, including representatives of the genera Capparis (caper) and Zizyphus (jujube) are common. Bamboo occurs in some areas, and among the few varieties of trees is the palm. The Gangetic Plain, which has more abundant supplies of moisture, supports many types of plant life. Vegetation is especially luxuriant in the southeastern part of the plains region, where the mangrove and the sal, a hardwood timber tree, flourish. Many varieties of arctic flora are found on the higher slopes of the Himalayas. The lower levels of the chain support numerous families of subtropical plant life, notably the orchidaceae, and are densely forested. Coniferous species, including cedar and pine, predominate in the northwestern portion of the Himalayas region. To the east, slopes of the Himalayas abound with tropical and subtropical types of vegetation. An especially noteworthy genus is the Rhododendron. Among the predominant trees are the oak and magnolia. The Malabar Coast of the southwestern Indian peninsula and the slopes of the Western Ghats, areas of much rainfall, are thickly wooded. Evergreens, bamboo, and several varieties of valuable timber trees, including teak, predominate in this region. Extensive tracts of impenetrable jungle occur in the swampy lowlands and along the lower elevations of the Western Ghats. The vegetation of the peninsular plateau is less luxuriant, but thickets of bamboo, palm, and deciduous trees are found throughout the Deccan.
The forests, plains, hills, and mountains of India are inhabited by a wide variety of animal life. Tigers and panthers are present in some sections, and the Deccan has, in addition, cheetahs. Among other species of the cat family are snow leopards, jungle cats, and clouded leopards. Elephants are found along the northeastern slopes of the Himalayas and in the remote forests of the Deccan. Other large quadrupeds indigenous to India include rhinoceroses, black bears, wolves, jackals, dholes, wild buffalo, wild hogs, and several species of apes, antelope, and deer. Various species of wild goats and sheep abound in the Himalayas and other mountainous areas. Ibexes and serows, which are related to chamois, are also among the mountain fauna. Pygmy hogs, bandicoot rats, and tree mice are typical of the smaller quadrupeds. Venomous reptiles, including cobras, daboias, and saltwater snakes, are especially numerous in India. Pythons are also present, and usefully consume destructive rodents. The reptilian fauna also includes crocodiles. Among noteworthy examples of the tropical birdlife of India are parrots, peacocks, kingfishers, and herons. The rivers and coastal waters of India teem with fish, including many edible varieties.
