Geography of India (Part -IV) (UPSC)

Red soil in India is largely found in the Deccan Plateau. It is less clayey and sandier in nature and has a rich content of iron and a small amount of humus. Red soil is also known as yellow soil. The redness of the soil is due to ferric oxide. It is the second-largest soil type found in India, extending from south of Bundelkhand to the north of the Rajmahal Hills.

More than 90% of India's coal reserves are found in the Gondwana rock system.

Distribution of Gondwana Coal in India

• First coal mine was opened in 1774 at Raniganj in West Bengal.
• Coal industry was nationalized in 1973–74. [The present government made some serious changes during the last year (2015) by allowing private sector to play a bigger role in coal production].
• India is now the third largest coal producer in the world after China and the USA.
• Coal industry provides employment to nearly seven lakh persons.
• Gondwana Coalfields – exclusively found in the Peninsular plateau of India.

Kolleru Lake, one of the largest shallow freshwater lakes in Asia, is located between the Krishna and Godavari deltas in Andhra Pradesh.

About Kolleru Lake:

• Location: Andhra Pradesh, between the Krishna and Godavari River deltas.
• States: Andhra Pradesh.
• Rivers: Fed by the Budameru and Tammileru rivers.
• Features:
ο One of India’s largest freshwater lakes.
ο Declared a Ramsar site in 2002 for its ecological importance.
ο A key hotspot for the Central Asian Flyway, a major bird migratory route.
ο Supports diverse aquatic and bird species, making it a critical wetland ecosystem.

All the statements given in the question are correct.
Himalayas happen to be one of the youngest mountain ranges in the words and are divided into four different types according to their geological and geographical characteristics:
Trans- Himalayas: they are on the north of Great Himalayas and consist of arid landscapes and high plateaus
Greater Himalayas (Himadri): this is the most prominent himalayan range, consisting of the Mount Everest and kanchenjunga
Lesser Himalayas (Himachal): includes Shimla and Darjeeling and rugged terrains
Shivalik Hills are the youngest range lying on the low-altitude foothills
The Himalayas act as a natural barrier and are important for balancing Indian climates, water resources and biodiversity.

The latitude that passes through Sikkim also passes through Rajasthan.

•  Latitude is one of the two principal geographic coordinates that define a point on the Earth’s surface, the other being longitude. It refers to the angular distance of a particular location on the Earth from the equator. Latitudes are imaginary lines running parallel to the equator.
• The latitude of a location on the earth’s surface is its distance north or south of the equator, measured as an angle from the earth’s centre along that location’s meridian. Parallels are lines that connect locations with the same latitude.
• The equator is the imaginary line that divides the Earth into two halves, the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
•  Because the earth is slightly flattened at the poles, the linear distance of a degree of latitude is somewhat longer at the pole than at the equator.
• The average distance between two latitudes is taken as 69 miles (111 km).

The approximate representation of land use is classified as: Net area sown: 46% Forests: 23% Other areas: 30%
• Land use is shaped by economic activities, but while these activities change, land remains fixed.
• Economic growth, driven by factors like population increase and technological advancements, intensifies pressure on land, bringing marginal lands into use.
• Economic composition shifts over time, with secondary and tertiary sectors growing faster than agriculture, leading to a shift from agricultural to non-agricultural land use, especially evident in urban areas.
• Pressure on Agricultural Land: Despite declining contribution of agriculture to GDP, pressure on agricultural land persists due to slow population decline in the agricultural sector and increasing food demand

Opening a new canal in the Kra Isthmus can reduce navigation time and distance. However, the deepening of the Malacca Strait is more linked to its economic importance than to reducing navigation time. The Malacca Strait is a crucial shipping channel between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, connecting India, China, Japan, and South Korea.

The low and deltaic plains of the Ganges are characterized by swamps and the Sundarbans, where people primarily grow paddy and jute.
The Indo-Gangetic Plains, or Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra Plains, are vast aggradational plains formed by alluvial deposits from the Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra, and their tributaries. They are one of five physiographic divisions of India and represent its youngest landform. Spanning a massive area, they hold the title of the world’s largest alluvial plain, supporting dense populations, fertile agriculture, and a rich cultural history shaped by these mighty river system.

• The Andaman and Nicobar are separated by a water body which is called the Ten-degree channel.
• The Lakshadweep Islands and Maliku Atoll are separated by the Nine-degree channel.
• The Grand Channel is between the Great Nicobar islands and the Sumatra islands of Indonesia.
• Minicoy channel is a small eight-degree channel that separates Maldives and Lakshadweep.
• Sumatra and Java are separated by Sunda Strait.

The Brahmaputra originates near Mount Kailash and takes a U-turn near Mount Namcha Barwa. This U-turn is also known as the Great Bend, which occurs due to the 180° bend in the Himalayan structural trends.
Brahmaputra River System
The Brahmaputra River System is surrounded by the Himalayas to the north, the Patkai Hills to the east, the Assam Hills to the south, and the Himalayas again to the west. The Himalayan regions of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, which form part of the Brahmaputra Basin, experience heavy snowfall. These regions also account for 55.48% of India's total forest cover, making them some of the greenest areas in the country.
One of the most remarkable features of the Brahmaputra River System is Majuli, an island in Assam, which holds the distinction of being the world's largest and oldest inhabited river island, recognized by UNESCO. The river system also has a significant hydropower potential of 66,065 MW, making it a crucial resource for renewable energy development.
As the Brahmaputra River flows from Kobo to Dhubri in Assam, it accumulates a large amount of sediment from its 20 tributaries on the north bank and 13 on the south bank. The region receives the majority of its annual rainfall during the South-West monsoon season, with 85% of the total precipitation occurring between May and September.