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Leaving Certificate Higher Level Regional Geography
Q:
2010 Q 5 (C)
Describe and explain any two factors that influence the
development of agriculture in a non-European Continental region
you have studied. (30 marks)
There are factors that influence the development of agriculture in regions. The
Continental region I have studied is India, located in South Asia. Two factors that I
will discuss are relief and climate in India today.
Relief is the term used to describe the different heights of the land in an area.
In India, there are three main physical regions. The mountainous region of the large
Northern mountains hinder agriculture in India. They are the world’s highest
mountains with Mount Everest at their highest peak. They are fold mountains that
formed when the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates collided. The convergence of
plates are still on-going, making earthquakes and landslides very common. A lot of
India’s agricultural output depends on drainage of melting snow from these tall
mountains. The Indus-Ganges Plain is a low-lying area built up of river deposits. It
follows the Indus River Valley from Pakistan through the Ganges Valley and ends at
the double delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers in Bangladesh. Fertile
alluvium is deposited when high rainfall and the mountain meltwaters cause
terrential flooding. In these areas, rice fields are commonly grown. The upper
courses of the rivers deposit their alluvium which stops the area turning into desert
and prevents desertification. Another physical area are the Southern Plateus. The
Deccan lava plateu was formed from volcanic eruptions. This plateu contains black
soils that are used to grow cotton. These clays keep moisture and are used for
irrigation during droughts.
Climate is another factor that influences the development of agriculture in
India. Most of India is in tropical latitudes. The mountains on the coast, the western
and eastern Ghats, trap many of the rain-bearing clouds and so have equilateral
jungle vegetation. The land behind them is dry as they are in a rain shadow.
Farming in India is based on the arrival of the monsoon rains. There are only two
seasons, one allows for cultivation of crops such as rice in the wet season and wheat
in the dry season. Other crops include coffee, tobacco and spices are grown in the
hot conditions. Temperatures are high all year round in India.
In India, arable farming of cereals is the main type of agriculture. It is only in
the high mountains and desert areas where conditions are not right for farming. In
much of India, intensive subsistence farming is the main kind. By farming this way,
people try and get enough food to feed themselves due to the intense poverty they
live in.