Indian
Year Book
(2022-23)
Chapter – 2.The Land
The People
Physical Features
Ø The mainland comprises four regions, namely, the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region and the southern peninsula.
Ø The mountain wall extends over a distance of about 2,400 km with a varying depth of 240 to 320 km.
Ø In the east, between India and Myanmar and India and Bangladesh, hill ranges are much lower.
Ø Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and Naga Hills, running almost east-west, join the chain to Mizo and Rakhine Hills running north-south.
Ø The plains of the Ganga and the Indus, about 2,400 km long and 240 to 320 km broad, are formed by basins of three distinct river systems— the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
Ø The desert region can be divided into two parts— the ‘great desert’ and the ‘little desert’.
Ø The great desert extends from the edge of the Rann of Kutch beyond the Luniriver northward. The whole of the Rajasthan-Sind frontier runs through this.
Ø The little desert extends from the Luni between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur up to the northern west.
Ø The Peninsular Plateau is marked off from the plains of the Ganga and the Indus by a mass of mountain and hill ranges varying from 460 to 1,220 metres in height. Prominent among these are the Aravali, Vindhya, Satpura, Maikala and Ajanta .
Ø The southern point of the plateau is formed by the Nilgiri Hills where the Eastern and the Western Ghats meet.
Ø The Cardamom Hills lying beyond may be regarded as a continuation of
the Western Ghats.
India at a Glance:
Ø Geographical Area: 32,87,263 sq. Km (seventh largest country in the world)
Ø Latitude & Longitude: The mainland extends between latitudes 8°4’ and 37°6’ north, longitudes 68°7’ and 97°25’ east.
Ø Distance: from north to south: about 3,214 km between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes.
Ø Land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.
Ø Bordering Countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan to the north-west, China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north, Myanmar to the far East and Bangladesh to the east. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
Ø Divided into six zones mainly north, south, east, west, central and northeast zone and It has 28 states and Eight union territories.
Geological Structure
Ø The geological regions broadly follow the physical features and may be grouped into three regions: the Himalayas and their associated group of mountains, the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Peninsular Shield.
Ø The Himalayan mountain belt to the north and the Naga-Lushai mountain in the east, are the regions of mountain-building movement (by compression of sendiment and basement rocks)
Ø The Indo-Ganga plains are a great alluvial tract that separates the Himalayas in the north from the Peninsula in the south.
Ø The Peninsula is a region of relative stability and occasional seismic disturbances (igneous, metamorph and Deccan Trap formation).
Notable Passes:
Ø Jelep La and Nathu La on the main Indo-Tibet trade route through the Chumbi valley, north-east of Darjeeling and
Ø Shipki La in the Satluj valley, northeast of Kalpa (Kinnaur)
River Systems
Ø The river systems of India can be classified into four groups viz.,
1) Himalayan rivers,
2) Deccan rivers,
4)
Rivers of the inland drainage
basin.
Ø The Himalayan Rivers are formed by melting snow and glaciers and
therefore, continuously fl ow throughout the year. The main Himalayan river
systems are those of the Indus and the GangaBrahmaputra-Meghna system.
Ø The Deccan Rivers on the other hand are rain-fed and therefore fl uctuate in volume. Many of these are non perennial. In the Deccan region, most of the major river systems fl owing generally in the east fall into Bay of Bengal.
Ø The major east fl owing rivers are Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and Mahanadi. Narmada and Tapti are major west fl owing rivers. The Godavari in the southern Peninsula has the second largest river basin covering 10 per cent of the area of India.
Ø The Coastal streams, especially on the west coast are short in length and have limited catchment areas. Most of them are non-perennial.
Ø The streams of inland drainage basin of western Rajasthan few rivers in Rajasthan do not drain into the sea. These are Luni, Machhu, Rupen, Saraswati, Banas, Ghaggar and others.
Ø The entire country has been divided into 20 river basins/group of river basins comprising 12 major basins and eight composite river basins. The 12 major river basins are : (1) Indus, (2) GangaBrahmaputra-Meghna, (3) Godavari, (4) Krishna, (5) Cauvery, (6) Mahanadi, (7) Pennar, (8) BrahmaniBaitarani, (9) Sabarmati, (10) Mahi, (11) Narmada and (12) Tapti. Each of these basins has a drainage area exceeding 20,000 sq. km.
Ø The eight composite river basins combining suitably together all the other remaining medium (drainage area of 2,000 to 20,000 sq. km) and small river systems (drainage area less than 2000 sq. km) for the purpose of planning and management.
Climate/Seasons
Ø The climate of India may be broadly described as tropical monsoon type. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) designates four offi cial seasons:
Ø Winter, from December to early April.
Ø Summer or pre-monsoon season, lasting from April to June (April to July in north-western India). Monsoon or rainy season, lasting from June to September. The season is dominated by the humid south-west summer monsoon.
Ø Post-monsoon season, lasting from October to December. In north-western India, October and November are usually cloudless.
Ø India’s climate is affected by two seasonal winds—the north-east monsoon and the south-west monsoon. The north-east monsoon commonly known as winter monsoon blows from land to sea. The south-west monsoon brings most of the rainfall during the year in the country.
Flora
Ø India is rich in fl ora. From about 70 per cent geographical area surveyed so far, over 46,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Kolkata.
Ø The vascular fl ora, which forms the conspicuous vegetation cover, comprises 15,000 species.
Ø India can be divided into eight distinct fl oral regions, namely, the western Himalayas, the eastern Himalayas, Assam, the Indus plain, the Ganga plain, the Deccan, the Malabar and the Andamans. The western Himalayan region extends from Kashmir to Kumaon. Its temperate zone is rich in forests of chir, pine, other conifers and broad-leaved temperate trees. Higher up, forests of deodar, blue pine, spruce and silver fi r occur.
Ø The eastern Himalayan region extends from Sikkim eastwards and embraces Darjeeling, Kurseong and the adjacent tracts. The temperate zone has forests of oaks, laurels, maples, rhododendrons, alder and birch.
Ø The Indus plain region comprises the plains of Punjab, western Rajasthan and northern Gujarat. It is dry, hot and supports natural vegetation.
Ø The Ganga plain region covers the area which is alluvial plain and is under cultivation for wheat, sugarcane and rice.
Ø The Deccan region comprises the entire table land of the Indian Peninsula and supports vegetation of various kinds from shrub jungles to mixed deciduous forests.
Ø The Malabar region covers the excessively humid belt of mountain country parallel to the west coast of the Peninsula. Besides being rich in forest vegetation, this region produces important commercial crops, such as coconut, betelnut, pepper, coffee, tea, rubber and cashewnut.
Ø The Andaman region abounds in evergreen, mangrove, beach and diluvial forests.
Ø Owing to destruction of forests for agricultural, industrial and urban development, several Indian plants are facing threat of extinction. About 1,336 plant species are considered vulnerable and endangered. BSI brings out an inventory of endangered plants in the form of a publication titled ‘Red Data Book.
Faunal
Resources
Ø India is very rich in terms of biological diversity due to its unique biogeographical location, diversifi ed climate conditions and enormous ecodiversity and geodiversity.
Ø India’s immense biological diversity encompasses ecosystems, populations, species and their genetic make-up.
Ø According to world biogeographic classifi cation, India represents two of the major realms (the Palearctic and Indo-Malayan) and three biomes (Tropical Humid Forests, Tropical Dry/Deciduous Forests and Warm Deserts/Semi-Deserts).
Ø The Wildlife Institute of India has proposed a modifi ed classifi cation which divides the country into ten biogeographic regions: Trans- Himalayan, Himalayan, Indian Desert, Semi-Arid, Western Ghats, Deccan Peninsula, Gangetic Plain, North-East India, Islands and Coasts.
Ø Within only about 2 per cent of world’s total land surface, India is known to have over 7.50 per cent of the species of animals that the world holds.
DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND
Census 2011 was the 15th Census of its kind
since 1872
Population
Ø The population of India as on March 1, 2011 stood at 1,210.9 million (623.2 million males and 587.6 million females). Currently it is estimated at near 138 crors.
Ø India accounts for a meagre 2.4 per cent of the world surface area of 135.79 million sq.km. Yet, it supports and sustains a whopping per cent (17.7%) of the world population.
Population Density
Ø The population density of India in 2011 was 382 per sq. km-decadal growth 17.72 per cent.
Ø The density of population increased in all states and union territories between 1991 and 2011. Among major states, Bihar is the most thickly populated state with (a population density of) 1,106 persons per sq.km followed by West Bengal 1,028 and Kerala 860.
Sex Ratio
Ø Sex ratio, defi ned as the number of females per thousand males is an important social indicator to measure the extent of prevailing equality between males and females in a society at a given point of time.
Ø The sex ratio in the country has always remained unfavourable to females. As per the census 2011 the sex ratio in India is 943 per 1000 males which were 933 in the previous census 2001.
Ø Child sex ratio has declined to 919 per thousand male.
Ø For the purpose of census 2011, a person aged seven and above, who can both read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate.
Ø The literacy rate in the country is 73.0 per cent, 80.9 for males and 64.6 for females.
Ø Kerala retained its position by being on top with a 94 per cent
literacy rate, closely followed by Lakshadweep (91.9 per cent). Bihar with a
literacy rate of 61.8 per cent ranks last in the country. Bihar has recorded the lowest literacy rates
both in case of males (71.2 per cent) and females (51.5 per cent).
Migration
Ø Census of India records migration by two methods, namely: place of last residence and place of birth.
Ø About 455.8 million peop le were treated as migrants by place of last residence, 141.9 million were considered to be migrants between the period 2001 and 2011.
Ø And a major chunk of the migrants in India (84.8 per cent) in the
period 2001-2011 were within the state of enumeration.
Ø Only 15.6 per cent of migrants were considered inter-state migrants.
Ø Similarly, within the states/union territories, 64.9 per cent of the
migration in the period 20012011 happened within the district of enumeration
and the rest 35.1 per cent migrants were inter-district migrants
Fertility and Mortality
Rates
Ø A TFR of about 2.1 children per woman is called Replacement-level fertility.
Ø From a TFR of 2.6 in 2008 to 2.2 in 2018, India has gradually moved towards achieving the replacement level of fertility.
Crude Birth Rate
Ø CBR in India has reached 19.7 per 1,000 populations in 2019.
Crude Death Rate
Ø The Crude Death Rate for India in 2019 was 6.0 per 1,000 populations, gradually down from 7.3 in 2009.
Infant Mortality Rate
Ø India has been able to drastically reduce the Infant Mortality Rate from 50 in 2009 to 30 in 2019.
Ø The Republic of India has several offi cial national symbols. These
symbols are intrinsic to the Indian identity and heritage. These are discussed
as follows:
National Flag
Features
Ø The National Flag is a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion.
Ø The ratio of width of the fl ag to its length is 2:3. In the center of the white band is a navy-blue wheel which represents the chakra.
Ø Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes.
Ø The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on July 22, 1947.
Ø The fl ag is based on the Swaraj fl ag, a fl ag of the Indian National Congress designed by Pingali Venkayya.
Constitutional &
Statutory Provisions Related to National Flag
Ø Art 51A(a) - To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.
Statutes Governing Use of Flag
Ø Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950
Ø Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act, 1971
Flag Code of India, 2002
Ø There is no restriction on the display of the National Flag by members of general public, private organizations, educational institutions, etc., except as provided for by the above statutes.
Ø Half-mast: The fl ag should be fl own at half-mast as a sign of
mourning. The decision to do so lies with the President of India, who also
decides the period of such mourning.
Significance
Ø As clarifi ed by Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan, its signifi cance is as follows:
Ø The saffron color denotes renunciation
or disinterestedness.
Ø The white in the center is light, the path of truth to guide our
conduct.
Ø The green shows our relation
to the soil, our relation to the plant life here, on which all other life
depends.
Ø The “Ashoka Chakra” is the wheel of the law of dharma
State Emblem
Features
Ø Adapted from the Sarnath Lion Capitol of Ashoka, it is carved out of a single block of polished sandstone. The Capitol is crowned by the Wheel of the Law.
Ø In the state emblem, adopted by the Government of India (by Madhav Sawhney) in 1950 on January 26, 1950, only 3 lions are visible.
Ø The wheel appears in the center of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left.
Ø The outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted.
Ø The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’, are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.
Ø The use of the state emblem, as the offi cial seal of the Government
of India, is regulated by the State of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act,
2005. No individual or private organization is permitted to use the emblem for
offi cial correspondence.
National Anthem
Ø The song Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version as the National Anthem of India on January 24, 1950.
Ø First sung on December 27, 1911 at the Kolkata Session of the Indian National Congress, the duration of the National Anthem is approximately 52 seconds.
National Song
Ø The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom.
Ø It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana.
Ø It was fi rst sung at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.
National Calendar
Ø The National Calendar based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its fi rst month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from March 22, 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for:
Ø Gazette of India
Ø News broadcast by All India Radio
Ø Calendars issued by the Government of India
Ø Government communications addressed to the public.
Ø Dates of the National Calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar, 1 Chaitra falling on March 22 normally and on March 21 in leap year.
Other national symbols
Ø National Flower: Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
Ø National Fruit: Mango (Mangifera indica)
Ø National River: Ganga
Ø National Tree: Indian banyan (Ficus bengalensis)
Ø National Animal: Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigristigris)
Ø National Aquatic Animal: Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica).
Ø National Bird: Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus)
Ø National Currency: Indian Rupee (sign: ₹; code: INR)
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