L8 Human Environment Interactions-

The tropical and subtropical region

1.Describe the major features of the Amazon Basin.
Ans- The amazon basin is the largest river basin in the world. It
lies in South America. The river basins drain in major portion
of Brazil, parts of Peru, Bolivia, Equador, Columbia and a
small part of Venezuela.
1. It is the largest and thickest tropical evergreen rainforest.
2. Location
a. The tropical region lies very close to the equator between 10
degrees north and 10 degrees
b. south. The river Amazon flows through this region.
3. Climate 
a. It is characterized by hot and wet climate throughout the
year. Both the day and the nights are equally hot and humid.
b. The area is marked by high rainfall. It rains almost everyday
at any time.
4.Flora
The main trees of these forests are Rosewood and Mahogany.
5. Fauna
The rainforest is rich in fauna. The main animals are monkeys,
sloth, alligator, and ant - eating tapirs, various reptiles and snakes
(python, anaconda, boa constrictor), a variety of insects, several
species of fish (flesh eating Piranha fish ), toucans, humming
birds and birds of Paradise.
6. Food
The staple food for Amazon basin people are manoik or cassava.
They also grow tapioca, pineapple, sweet potato. They also eat
Queen ants and eggs sacks. Cash crops like coffee, maize and
cocoa are also grown.
7. Occupation
The people in Amazon basin depend on hunting and fishing.
Amazon basin people mainly carry out slash and burn pattern of
agriculture but others continue to practice their distinctive way of
farming.

2.What do you understand by ‘the mouth of the river’?

Ans- The place where a river flows into another water body is called
river’s mouth.

3.What is a tributary?
Ans- These are small rivers that join into the main river. The
main river along with all its tributaries that drain an area forms a
river basin or the catchment area. The amazon basin is the
largest river basin in this world.

4.What is terrace farming?

Ans- Terraces are built on steep slopes to create flat
surfaces on which crops are grown. The slope is removed so that
water does not run off rapidly.

5.What is Maloca?
Ans- The large apartment like houses with steep slanting roofs is
called ‘Maloca’.
6.Describe the major characteristics of the Ganga Brahmaputra
basin.

Ans- The two big rivers of India, Ganga and Brahmaputra join
together in Bangladesh and form the world known as Sundarban
delta.
1. Location

The basin lies in the subtropical region that is situated between 10

degrees north and 30 degrees North latitude. The tributaries of
the river Ganga like the Ghaghra, the son, the Gandak the Kosi
and also the tributaries of Brahmaputra drain in it.

2. Climate

It is dominated by monsoon climate. The monsoon brings rain

from mid June to mid September. Summers are hot and winters
are cool.
3. Flora

Tropical deciduous trees like teak, sal and peepal are found.
Thick bamboo groves, mangrove forests and coniferous forests.
Trees like pines, deodar and fir can be seen because the climate
is cool and the slopes are steep.

4. Fauna

The main animals found are Bengal tiger one horned rhino, Asian
elephant, deer, crocodile and alligator. As there is fresh river
water, a large variety of fish is also found.

5. Occupation

The people living on the Ganga Brahmaputra plains depend on

agriculture and fishery as their main occupation and also dairy
products and leather works.
Ganga basin people mainly carryout terrace farming pattern of
agriculture in hilly areas. People grow crops in flat land also. The
plane provides the most suitable land for human habitation.

6. Food

The staple food are rice paddy and fish. crops grown are which,
maize, sorghum, gram and millets. Cash crops like sugarcane
and jute are also grown. Banana plantation and tea plantations
are found. silk is produced through cultivation of silkworms.

7.What is slash and burn agriculture?

Ans- Slash and Burn is a way of cultivating land where farmers clear a
piece of land by slashing or cutting down trees and bushes. These are
then burnt, which releases the nutrients into the soil. Now crops are
grown in this cleared field for a few years. After repeatedly using the
patch of land, the soil looses its nutrients. So it is abandoned. Then
they clear another plot of land to plant. In the mean time young
trees grow in the old field. In this way soil fertility is restored. People
can then return to it and start

8.Describe the major characteristics of sunderban delta.

Ans- Sundarban delta is formed by the meeting of the two rivers

Ganga and Brahmaputra.
Sundarbans is named after the sundari trees as they are found in
abundance in Sundarbans. Sundarban National park is the largest
mangrove swamp in the world.
This archipelago (group of Islands) is the world's largest delta
forest. It is also known as Bengal delta or the green delta.
It is the home of the royal Bengal tiger. The Sundarban tiger
reserve has the largest number of tigers in the entire world.
9.Name the major cities situated on the bank of river Ganga?
Ans- The cities of Allahabad, Kanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Patna and
Kolkata all with the population of more than ten lakhs are located
along the River Ganga.

10.What are the main causes for pollution in the Ganga river?
Ans- The wastewater from these towns and industries is discharged
into the rivers. This leads to the pollution of the rivers.

11.Name some of the important tourist spot in the Ganga-

Brahmaputra basin?
Ans- Tourism is another important activity of the basin. Taj Mahal on
the banks of River Yamuna in Agra, Allahabad on the confluence of
the Rivers Ganga and Yamuna, Buddhists stupas in Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar, Lucknow with its Imambara, Assam with Kaziranga and Manas
with wild life sanctuaries and Arunachal Pradesh with a distinct tribal
culture are some of the places worth a visit.

12. Give reasons-

a) The rainforests are depleting.
Ans- The developmental activities are leading to the gradual
destruction of the biologically diverse rainforests. It is estimated that
a large area of the rainforest has been disappearing annually in the
Amazon basin. You can see that this destruction of forests has a
much wider implication (Fig. 8.6). The topsoil is washed away as the
rains fall and the lush forest turns into a barren landscape.

b) Paddy is grown in the Ganga-Brahmaputra plains.

Ans- The plain area provides the most suitable land for human
habitation. The soil is fertile. Agriculture is the main occupation of
the people where flat land is available to grow crops. The density of
population of the plains is very high. The main crop is paddy. Since
cultivation of paddy requires sufficient water, it is grown in the areas
where the amount of rainfall is high.

13.Where is the one horned rhinoceros found?

Ans- One horned rhino is found in the Brahmaputra plain.
 L-10 Life in the Desert
1.Define ‘Desert’.

Ans- It is an arid region characteriesed by extremely high or low

temperatures and has scarce vegetation.

2.What are the two types of deserts found in the world?

Ans- The two types of deserts found in the world are hot and cold
deserts.

3.In which continent is the Sahara Desert located?

Ans- North Africa.

4.Write a note on the climate of Sahara.

Ans- 1. The climate of the Sahara desert is scorching hot and parch
dry.

2. It has a short rainy season. The sky is cloudless and clear. Here, the
moisture evaporates faster than it accumulates.

3. Days are unbelievably hot. The temperatures during the day may
soar as high as 50°C, heating up the sand and the bare rocks, which
in turn radiates heat making everything around hot.

4. The nights may be freezing cold with temperatures nearing zero

degrees.

5. Which countries are a part of the Sahara desert?

Ans- The Sahara desert touches eleven countries. These are Algeria,
Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia
and Western Sahara.
6. What are the different landforms found in the Sahara desert?

ANS- Besides the vast stretches of sands, that Sahara desert is

covered with, there are also gravel plains and elevated plateaus with
bare rocky surface. These rocky surfaces may be more than 2500m
high at some places.

7. ‘The cultural landscape of the Sahara is undergoing change.’

Elaborate.

Ans- The cultural landscape of the Sahara is undergoing change.

1. Gleaming glass cased office buildings tower over mosques and

superhighways crisscross the ancient camel paths.

2. Gleaming glass cased office buildings tower over mosques and

superhighways crisscross the ancient camel paths.

3. Tuaregs are seen acting as guides to foreign tourists.

4. More and more nomadic herdsmen are taking to city life finding
jobs in oil and gas operations.

8.Name the mineral resources found in the Sahara desert.

ANS- The discovery of oil – a product in great demand throughout

the world, in Algeria, Libya and Egypt is constantly transforming the
Sahara desert. Other minerals of importance that are found in the
area include iron, phosphorus, manganese and uranium.

9. How is an oasis formed? Explain with the help of an example.

ANS- Depressions are formed when the wind blows away the sands.
In the depressions where underground water reaches the surface, an
oasis is formed. These areas are fertile. People may settle around
these water bodies and grow date palms and other crops. Sometimes
the oasis may be abnormally large. Tafilalet Oasis in Morocco is a
large oasis with an area of about 13,000 sq.km.

10. Was present day Sahara a desert earlier? Give reasons for your
answer.

Ans- Present day Sahara once used to be a lush green plain. Cave
paintings in Sahara desert show that there used to be rivers with
crocodiles. Elephants, lions, giraffes, ostriches, sheep, cattle and
goats were common animals. But the change in climate has changed
it to a very hot and dry region.

11. What are the major agricultural activities carried out in the
Ladakh desert?

Ans- In the summer season the people are busy cultivating barley,
potatoes, peas, beans and turnip.

12. Why is Ladakh known as Khapa-chan?

Ans- Ladakh is also known as Khapa-chan which means snow land.

13.What mainly attracts tourists to Ladakh?

Ans- Tourism is a major activity with several tourists streaming in

from within India and abroad. Visits to the gompas, treks to see the
meadows and glaciers, witnessing ceremonies and festivities are
important activities.