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India is basically a peninsula, with the Arabian Sea on the west, the Bay of Bengal on the east, and the Indian Ocean to the south. The Himalayan Mountains separate India from much of the rest of Asia and China. The Himalayas have many of the tallest mountains in the world. The tallest mountain in India is the Kanchenjunga at 28, 208 feet.Just south of the Himalayas is the Indo-Gangetic Plain which lies between the Indus and Ganges rivers. On the north-western end of India is the Thar desert. Most of southern India is the Deccan Plateau, which is mostly rolling hills with many rivers. The plateau is separated from the northern plain by the Vindhya mountains. The Eastern and Western Ghats are coastal mountains on either side of the plateau. Climate In India India has tropical weather. One cannot speak of the climate of India, or else one must speak of several different India's. The subcontinent has eight climatic zones all of which only have the monsoon rains in common. But even the monsoon comes to different parts of the country at different times. And you can fly in the space of a couple of hours through a range of weather from the cold crisp air of the mountains to the burning dry heat of the Rajasthan Desert where summer temperature regularly reach 45°C and beyond. It is beautiful to see the sand dunes shift and move to the will of the winds, but not at all pleasant to be caught in a sand strom coming off the Thar. In winter Rajasthan is dry and cold and the skies a translucent blue. There is little rain and the monsoon winds often pass Rajasthan by leaving the prickly thorny bushes, acacia trees and other native vegetation to pick up what little dew the night bring with it. Pumps and tube wells lift water for agricultural irrigation but farmers often get only a few distribution of water, particularly in the more arid areas of Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, is systematically organized. The wheat and sugarcane growing areas of the Punjab, Haryana and parts of western Uttar Pradesh suffer from drastic extremes in climate. It can be very cold from December - January, very dry and hot from the end of March till June, very hot and humid till the monsoons arrive from July through September. The rest of the year is comfortably pleasant. The fields are full of mustard flowers, the air is redolent of sugarcane being crushed and molasses on the boil. Across the Gangetic plain, the summer months are an interminable heat haze. From Gwalior through Bhopal and Raipur to Patna and Nagpur, temperature begin to rise in March and by May they hover around 45°C. In the fields, the earth actually shows deep cracks. In Bihar, for example, a terrible drought with near famine conditions occurred a few year ago. The fickle winds had taken the clouds several thousands miles westward to the Punjab, and India's granary produced bumper crops that same year! India being a vast country does not fit into any one zone. Situated roughly between 8° N and 37° N Latitude, it occupies a large area of South Asia. It can be divided mainly into four climatic zones namely Alpine, Subtropical, Tropical and Arid. Alpine Zone: This climate zone can be experienced in the high altitudes of Himalayas. In this region there are high climatic fluctuations due to steep altitude variations. Different types of climatic zones can be seen in this region. If on the foothills occur subtropical climate there is Alpine Tundra Zone to greet you on the higher altitudes. Sub Tropical: This zone is prevalent in most of the northern part of India. It can be called as the typical Indian climate. Summers are hot and wet while in winter temperature may drop down to freezing point in higher ranges. Rainfall is common in summer season whereas winters are cold and dry. Tropical: It can be divided into two sub types viz, Tropical Wet Monsoon and Tropical Dry. The characteristics of Tropical Wet Monsoon include average temperature, which normally does not fall below 18 �C, accompanied by average to high rainfall. In Tropical Dry type rainfall is not so common. Arid: High temperature and low rainfall are marked features of this climatic zone. It is prevalent in western part of the country and includes large part of Rajasthan. The temperature in this zone may shoot up to as high as 50 �C in summer. Cycle of season Though divided into different climatic zones, India seems to be unified by primarily four seasons- Winter, Summer, Advancing Monsoon and Retreating Monsoon. Winter: December to February is the wintertime in almost all of India. At this time of the year, days are cold with average temperature of10-15 �C, but it can drop down to below 0 �C in some higher ranges of northern India. Normally winters are dry in northern India. In Southern part, the temperature difference is not so marked due to moderating effect of Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. Summer: March, April, May and June are the summer months in India. It is a time period when rays of the sun fall vertically on Indian subcontinent. The average temperature is around 32 c but in western region the maximum temperature can be far above the average. Hot wind, known, as 'Loo' is the marked feature of summers in northern India. Advancing Monsoon: It is the time period when India gets major part of its share of rain. Months of June, July, August and September form the core of Advancing Monsoon in almost all parts of country. The monsoon approaches with moisture laden winds, this sudden approach is marked with violent thunderstorms and lightening, known as 'break' of the monsoon. Retreating Monsoon: This season starts, when monsoon after drenching all of India, begins to retreat. With the month of September, rainfall began to decrease and as we approach November, the monsoon is completely gone from major part of India, except for Tamil Nadu and some other southern states, which also receive rain from Western Disturbance. In recent times, this cycle of season has been disturbed due to uncontrolled industrialization and other developmental activities resulting in drastic changes in climate. This has lead to climatic disasters such as Drought, Landslides Floods and Global Warming. The unchecked cutting down of trees indirectly leads to landslide and drought. Annual Floods have become part of life in many regions of India. It results in large-scale loss of life and property. The phenomenon of Global Warming is mainly the result of air pollution. The polluting industries and vehicles running endlessly on the roads emit hazardous gases such as Carbon dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Methane etc. These gases produce 'Green House' effect, which leads to Global Warming. It may lead to very serious climatic changes. The increase in average temperature of earth is will result in melting down of the polar ice and glaciers, which in turn will lead to increased ocean level. This rising ocean level may submerge many of today's existing islands and coastal cities. Rennaisance The Climate Of India India has tropical weather. One cannot speak of the climate of India, or else one must speak of several different India's. The subcontinent has eight climatic zones all of which only have the monsoon rains in common. But even the monsoon comes to different parts of the country at different times. And you can fly in the space of a couple of hours through a range of weather from the cold crisp air of the mountains to the burning dry heat of the Rajasthan Desert where summer temperature regularly reach 45°C and beyond. It is beautiful to see the sand dunes shift and move to the will of the winds, but not at all pleasant to be caught in a sand strom coming off the Thar. In winter Rajasthan is dry and cold and the skies a translucent blue. There is little rain and the monsoon winds often pass Rajasthan by leaving the prickly thorny bushes, acacia trees and other native vegetation to pick up what little dew the night bring with it. Pumps and tube wells lift water for agricultural irrigation but farmers often get only a few distribution of water, particularly in the more arid areas of Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, is systematically organized. The wheat and sugarcane growing areas of the Punjab, Haryana and parts of western Uttar Pradesh suffer from drastic extremes in climate. It can be very cold from December - January, very dry and hot from the end of March till June, very hot and humid till the monsoons arrive from July through September. The rest of the year is comfortably pleasant. The fields are full of mustard flowers, the air is redolent of sugarcane being crushed and molasses on the boil. Across the Gangetic plain, the summer months are an interminable heat haze. From Gwalior through Bhopal and Raipur to Patna and Nagpur, temperature begin to rise in March and by May they hover around 45°C. In the fields, the earth actually shows deep cracks. In Bihar, for example, a terrible drought with near famine conditions occurred a few year ago. The fickle winds had taken the clouds several thousands miles westward to the Punjab, and India's granary produced bumper crops that same year! India being a vast country does not fit into any one zone. Situated roughly between 8° N and 37° N Latitude, it occupies a large area of South Asia. It can be divided mainly into four climatic zones namely Alpine, Subtropical, Tropical and Arid. Alpine Zone: This climate zone can be experienced in the high altitudes of Himalayas. In this region there are high climatic fluctuations due to steep altitude variations. Different types of climatic zones can be seen in this region. If on the foothills occur subtropical climate there is Alpine Tundra Zone to greet you on the higher altitudes. Sub Tropical: This zone is prevalent in most of the northern part of India. It can be called as the typical Indian climate. Summers are hot and wet while in winter temperature may drop down to freezing point in higher ranges. Rainfall is common in summer season whereas winters are cold and dry. Tropical: It can be divided into two sub types viz, Tropical Wet Monsoon and Tropical Dry. The characteristics of Tropical Wet Monsoon include average temperature, which normally does not fall below 18 C, accompanied by average to high rainfall. In Tropical Dry type rainfall is not so common. Arid: High temperature and low rainfall are marked features of this climatic zone. It is prevalent in western part of the country and includes large part of Rajasthan. The temperature in this zone may shoot up to as high as 50 C in summer. Cycle of season Though divided into different climatic zones, India seems to be unified by primarily four seasons- Winter, Summer, Advancing Monsoon and Retreating Monsoon. Winter: December to February is the wintertime in almost all of India. At this time of the year, days are cold with average temperature of10-15 C, but it can drop down to below 0 C in some higher ranges of northern India. Normally winters are dry in northern India. In Southern part, the temperature difference is not so marked due to moderating effect of Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. Summer: March, April, May and June are the summer months in India. It is a time period when rays of the sun fall vertically on Indian subcontinent. The average temperature is around 32 c but in western region the maximum temperature can be far above the average. Hot wind, known, as 'Loo' is the marked feature of summers in northern India. Advancing Monsoon: It is the time period when India gets major part of its share of rain. Months of June, July, August and September form the core of Advancing Monsoon in almost all parts of country. The monsoon approaches with moisture laden winds, this sudden approach is marked with violent thunderstorms and lightening, known as 'break' of the monsoon. Retreating Monsoon: This season starts, when monsoon after drenching all of India, begins to retreat. With the month of September, rainfall began to decrease and as we approach November, the monsoon is completely gone from major part of India, except for Tamil Nadu and some other southern states, which also receive rain from Western Disturbance. In recent times, this cycle of season has been disturbed due to uncontrolled industrialization and other developmental activities resulting in drastic changes in climate. This has lead to climatic disasters such as Drought, Landslides Floods and Global Warming. The unchecked cutting down of trees indirectly leads to landslide and drought. Annual Floods have become part of life in many regions of India. It results in large-scale loss of life and property. The phenomenon of Global Warming is mainly the result of air pollution. The polluting industries and vehicles running endlessly on the roads emit hazardous gases such as Carbon dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Methane etc. These gases produce 'Green House' effect, which leads to Global Warming. It may lead to very serious climatic changes. The increase in average temperature of earth is will result in melting down of the polar ice and glaciers, which in turn will lead to increased ocean level. This rising ocean level may submerge many of today's existing islands and coastal cities. |
