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ICSE Geography- Class 10
ICSE Geography- Class 10
ICSE Geography- Class 10
Tropical Monsoon-
Tropical because Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the country, hence large part lies in tropical or
subtropical zone having climate with high average temperature
Monsoon because India receives majority of rainfall due to advancing Southwest monsoon winds
Summer- March-May
Advancing monsoon- June-September
Retreating monsoon- October-November
Winter- December-February
Latitude- Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the country, hence southern part lies in tropical zone
and has higher average temperature as it is closer to the Equator e.g. Chennai is hotter than Delhi
Altitude- due to normal lapse rate temperature drops as we go up in the atmosphere, hence hill stations are
colder e.g. Shimla is colder than Delhi, Ooty is colder than Chennai, Mount Abu is colder than Jaipur
Himalayas- obstruct cold winds from the north, thus prevent northern plains from freezing in winters; act as a
barrier for SW monsoon winds resulting in rainfall in northern plains; have higher altitude, hence colder hill
stations
Distance from sea- coastal areas have moderate maritime climate characterized by lower range of temperature
due to sea breeze, while areas far from sea have extreme continental climate e.g. Chennai/Mumbai vs
Delhi/Kanpur
Monsoon winds- cause majority of rainfall in our country; advancing SW monsoon causes rainfall in monsoon
season across India while retreating NE monsoon winds cause winter rainfall in Coromandal coast/Tamil Nadu
Relief features- cause orographic rainfall; moisture bearing winds are obstructed by mountains causing plenty of
rainfall on windward side while leeward side receives relatively less rainfall e.g. Western Ghats obstructing
Arabian Sea branch of SW monsoon causing more rainfall in western coastal plains; Garo, Khasi, Jaintia hills
obstructing Bay of Bengal branch of SW monsoon causing excess rainfall in Mawsynram; Himalayas obstructing
western disturbances causing winter rainfall in Haryana, Punjab & western UP (good for rabi/wheat crop)
Monsoon- moisture bearing periodic winds causing majority of rainfall across India
Caused by low pressure area over Indian landmass due to high temperature in Summer season and due to jet
stream in the upper layers of troposphere; both deflect SE trade winds blowing over water bodies, hence loaded
with moisture, to be deflected to blow in SW direction over Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal
Due to monsoon winds Western coastal plains & Northeast India receive plenty of rainfall in advancing monsoon
season while Coromandal coast receives winter rainfall due to retreating monsoon
Western Rajasthan/Thar is a desert, characterized by scanty i.e. <50 cm/year rainfall, due to Aravalli hills lying
parallel to Arabian Sea branch of SW monsoon, little humidity in atmosphere due to absence of water bodies &
vegetation, it lying on the leeward side of Aravallis for Bay of Bengal branch of SW monsoon
Local winds- all in summer- Loo, Kal Baisakhi, Mango showers, Cherry Blossom
Data interpretation-
Alluvial- commonest soil in India found in Indo-Gangetic plains & river deltas in South India; loamy and very fertile
Formed by erosion of sedimentary rocks by water/rivers with transportation & deposition of soil in river plains
Two types- Khadar- new alluvium, found closer to river banks, finer, more fertile &
Bhangar- older alluvium, found away from river banks, coarser, less fertile
Good for growing wheat, rice, mustard, pulses, cotton, sugarcane
Red- found in Deccan plateau on the eastern side (Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu)
Formed by weathering of metamorphic rocks; Red due to relative excess of iron/iron oxides
Rich in potash, poor in other minerals and in humus
Good to grow millets, tobacco
Formed by leaching where essential nutrients are washed away leaving the soil less fertile
Good for plantation crops like tea, coffee, rubber, coconut
Causes- Deforestation; Faulty agricultural methods like shifting agriculture, deep ploughing, excessive irrigation;
Overgrazing-animals loosen soil by pulling out roots of grasses & by walking on hooves; Animals-burrow or
loosen soil by walking on hooves; Man-deforestation, mining etc.
Types- Sheet-horizontal, Rill-vertical narrow grooves, Gully-deep & wide valleys creating badlands/ravines
Methods of soil conservation- (Crop rotation improves soil fertility, does not prevent soil erosion)
Afforestation-planting trees prevents soil erosion by slowing speed of wind/water & roots holding soil
Correct agricultural methods- contour ploughing, step/terrace farming, planting cover crops/mixed farming
Building barrages/dams to check flow of water
Natural Vegetation/Forests of India- grow without human intervention
Tropical evergreen- also called ‘Rain forest’; all trees do not shed their leaves at the same time
Found in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall (>200 cm/year)
i.e. western coastal plains & NE states of India
Characterized by dense forest, tall trees, thick canopy, thin undergrowth, creepers & climbers
Difficult to exploit commercially due to dense forest with trees of mixed variety
Trees found- Ebony, Mahogany, Rosewood- all providing costly hardwood used to make furniture
Tropical monsoon/Deciduous- commonest forest in India; all trees shed their leaves in dry winter season
Found in areas with rainfall 50-200 cm/year i.e. MP, Chattisgarh, Bihar, UP
Trees found in single strand/variety- Teak-furniture; Sal-railway sleepers,ship building;
Sheesham-doors & windows; Sandalwood-handicraft; Mango, Neem
Mountain/Coniferous-
Found in hilly areas with lower temperature and snowfall i.e. Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim
Characterized by cone shaped trees with needle shaped leaves; provide softwood
Trees found in single strand/variety- Pine, Fir, Spruce, Chir, Deodar - used to make paper, matchboxes &
matchsticks and Willow-cricket bat
Found in areas with scanty rainfall (<50 cm/year) i.e. Rajasthan, Kutch, SW Punjab
Characterized by long roots, thick fleshy stem with thick bark, spiny leaves- modifications to conserve water &
prevent loss of water by transpiration
Trees found- Babul/Acacia-firewood, Khair-tannins, Date Palm, Cactus
Found in coastal areas and river deltas e.g. Sundarbans in West Bengal
Characterized by ability to survive in both fresh & salt water, breathing roots-Pneumatophores, stilt roots
Trees found- Sundari, Rhizophora, Hintal- provide hardwood to make boats, furniture & houses
Need of Forest-
Direct use- provide fruits, firewood, honey, timber, bamboo with employment & income to tribal people
Indirect use- clean air, increase rainfall, prevent soil erosion, improve soil fertility, shelter wildlife
Forest conservation-
India has 16% of world’s surface area & population, but only 4% of world’s water resources
Water essential for survival, agriculture-irrigation, industry, waste disposal, navigation-international trade
Methods of irrigation- Rain water is most commonly used for irrigation in India
Well- shallow hole dug to extract ground water, dug in areas with soft ground & high water table
Advantage- cheaper to dig & maintain, farmer constructs & operates independently
Disadvantage- may run dry, requires manual labour to construct & to operate
Canal- as with well & tube well, common method of irrigation in North India i.e. Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar
Adv.- cheapest source of irrigation for the farmer, irrigate large area
Disadv.- costly to construct, require lots of land to construct, loss of water by evaporation
Types-
Inundation-have water only when the river is flooded, cheaper to construct & to operate
Perennial-have water at all times, costlier to construct & to operate
Modern methods- save water- Sprinkler irrigation, Drip irrigation- costlier to install & to operate
Recharges ground water, prevents soil erosion, prevents loss of rain water
Methods-
Surface RWH- by building ponds, barrages & dams to regulate flowing water; common in rural areas
Rooftop RWH- by collecting clean rain water on roof tops & channelizing it for storage in underground tanks or
sent directly to the ground water; common in urban areas
Transport in India- movement of goods & people for economic activity, provides employment
Modes of transport-
Roadways- connect rural & urban areas, provide link to rail & air hubs
Railways- 1st passenger rail in India between Bombay & Thane in 1853; 16 rail zones across India
Adv.- bulk movement of freight & people inland, cheaper to use, comfortable to travel over long distances
Disadv.- requirement of lot of land, costly to construct & operate, poor service in hilly/forest/desert regions
Airways- nationalised in 1953 (Air India), privatized in 1990s (Indigo, Spicejet, Goair)
Waterways-
Other-
Expressways/Highways- multi-lane paved all weather roads permitting safer & faster one way travel
CPWD-Central Public Works Department- central department responsible for maintenance of highways
NHAI-National Highways Authority of India- central authority responsible for construction and maintenance
of expressways/highways
BRO-Border Roads Organization- central authority responsible for construction and maintenance of roads in
border areas permitting transport of troops and trade
GQ-Golden Quadrilateral- expressways connecting Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata for
cheaper, faster, safer travel (similar is the NSEW corridor)
Rail gauge- distance between two parallel rail tracks; can be-
Broad gauge- width 1.676 m., most common in use in India
Meter gauge- width 1 m., common in metro services
Narrow gauge- width 0.762 m., use in toy trains in Kalka/Shimla, Darjeeling, Ooty, Matheran
DFC-Dedicated Freight Corridor- rail tracks laid to carry goods/freight only;
will permit faster movement of both goods & passenger trains
Eastern freight corridor from Ludhiana, Punjab to Dankuni, WB
Western freight corridor from Dadri, UP to JNPT, Mumbai
AAI-Airports Authority of India- central authority responsible for construction & maintenance of airports
IWAI-Inland Waterways Authority of India- central authority responsible for construction & maintenance of
inland waterways (portions of rivers that are navigable by container ships) e.g. NW1-Ganges-Haldia to Prayagraj,
NW2-Brahmaputra-Dhubri to Sadiya (in Assam), NW4-Godavari/Krishna-Kakinada to Puduchery etc.
Coastal States-Ports- Gujarat-Kandla, Jamnagar; Maharashtra-Mumbai, JNPT; Goa-Marmagao;
Karnataka-Mangalore; Kerala-Kochi; Tamil Nadu-Chennai, Ennore, Tuticorin;
Andhra Pradesh-Vishakhapatnam/Vizag; Odisha-Paradeep; West Bengal-Haldia
India Agriculture- agriculture provides income, employment, raw material for industries
Problems- small landholdings; poverty; traditional/old technology; poor value addition & marketing
Types-
Shifting Intensive Extensive Plantation
Size of field Small Small Large Large
Action/work Manual Manual Mechanised Manual
Farmer Poor Poor Rich Rich
Crops grown Food crops, single Food/Cash crops, multiple Food/Cash crops, single Cash crops, single
Purpose Subsistence Subsistence Sell to get cash Sell to get cash
Others Deforestation & Mixed farming includes e.g. wheat, cotton, Common crops are
soil erosion animal rearing for protein sugarcane tea, coffee, rubber,
& income supplement spices, fruits
Crop seasons-
Kharif- monsoon season; sowing June, harvesting October/November; temp. >250C, rainfall >100 cm.; crop rice
Rabi- winter; November-March/April; <200C, <100 cm.; wheat
Zaid/Zayad- summer; April-May/June; >250C, <100 cm., irrigation required; summer fruits & vegetables
Crops-
Energy sources-
Problems-
Generate electricity-13.5% hydroelectricity in India, provide water for irrigation & human consumption, control
floods & soil erosion, used for fishing/pisciculture & tourism
Examples- Bhakra Nangal-Sutlej, Hirakud-Mahanadi, Sardar Sarovar-Narmada, Nagarjunsagar-Krishna
Industry- employment, use of natural & agricultural raw material for value addition, income
Problems- Obsolete machinery/technology, Scale, Ready availability of raw material, Competition-local & global
Raw material used- Agro based-Sugar; Mineral based-Steel; Animal based-Woolen; Forest based-Paper
Investment made- Large scale-steel; Medium scale-cycle; Small scale-bakery
Finished product- Heavy-Aircraft/Truck production, Light-Bicycle/Helmet/Electronics production
Ownership- Public (Government) sector-NTPC/ONGC/SAIL; Private sector-Reliance/Tata Steel;
Joint sector-road construction; Cooperative-AMUL
Classification-
Effects-
Solution-
Unsolved problems-
Plastic waste
Electronic or e-waste