Download Kolkata, Mumbai - Woods Geography

Continental/Subcontinental region
•
South Asia/Indian subcontinent
•
India,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Sri Lanka
•
•
India is the most populated country in the world
over 1 billion people.
47 times the size of Ireland
Physical Processes-Relief and Drainage
There are four main landform regions in India:
 Northern mountains-Himalayas



Ganges-Indus plain-a depression/syncline on the
southern edge of the Himalayas(drained by Ganges
and Brahmaputra )
Southern Deccan Plateau-eastern and western ghats
mountain range on either side
Thar desert
MOUNTAINS:


Northern mountains-Hindu Kush in the north west through
the Himalayas to the extreme northeast.
Himalayas- the worlds highest mts formed by
converging plates-Indo-Australian and Eurasian –young
alpine fold mts,still colliding.

The source of many rivers that flow into India.

Western and Eastern Ghats in the south of India
Drainage:






Indus- Ganges plain a great depression to the south of
the Northern Mts.
Pakistan drained by Indus River rises in the Hindu Kush
Mts and flows into the Arabian Sea.
India and Bangladesh drained by the sacred Ganges
and Brahmaputra-rise in the Himalayas and flow into
the Bay of Bengal-double delta:
Fertile lowlying region densly populated.
One of the worlds largest alluvial plains.
Monsoon rain floods extensive areas of this lowland.
SOUTHERN PLATEAU:





Deccan Plateau is the largest one in peninsular
India.
It is tilted from west to east.
Drainage flows from west to east out into the Bay of
Bengal.
Coastal lowlands are narrow ,rising abruptly to
form the Western and Eastern Ghats.
These mountains affect onshore winds and rainfall.
Physical processes-soils and climate
SOILS:
 Alluvial soils:Found in the valleys and lower courses of the
rivers,especially in the east coast deltas.Reserves of groundwater
supply irrigation waters to make the Ganga valley the most
agriculturally productive region of the subcontinent.In the southeast
alluvial soils of the krishna and Godavari rivers are ideal for
growing rice.
 Laterites/red soils:Found in Peninsula India,where all minerals except
iron are leached from the soil,due to the heavy rainfallinfertile.Mainly the Eastern and Western Ghats
 Black soils:occur in regions with moderate rainfall and underlying
basalt rock,such as the volcanic Deccan Plateau.These soils retain
moisture-high clay content, are good for irrigation and most of the
regions cotton is grown here.
Climate





India,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka all experience a monsoon climate.
The monsoon is a reversal of winds over the subcontinent,it is divided
into two seasons-the dry and the wet.
Wet monsoon:From mid June to September,low pressure develops
bringing rain bearing clouds from the south west over the Indian
ocean this moisture laden air rises, cools, condenses,forms clouds
and rain.This leads to very heavy rainfall-some of the heaviest in the
world have been recorded here 10,800 mm.
Retreating monsoon/Dry October to February-cool dry
weather.High pressure develops over the land,bringing a dry wind
from the north east across the interior towards the sea.
March –mid June:hot dry weather-45 degrees,very humid
PRIMARY ACTIVITIES
Farming
 India’s cultivated land is equal in area to the
total cultivated land of the EU countries.
Arable farming, especially cereals, is the
main type of farming

Two-thirds of India’s one billion people
depend directly on the land for their living.


Almost half of rural families have farms of
less than 0.5hectares, or no land at all.
A quarter of India’s agricultural land is
owned by less than 5 per cent of farm
families. Most family farms are broken up
into tiny, scattered plots.


Farming is mainly intensive subsistence. This
means people depend on their own food
supplies to feed themselves
Rice is the chief crop. Cereals such as
wheat and millet are grown in drier areas



Almost all planting, weeding and harvesting
is done by hand.
Double-cropping is practised. While rice is
grown in the wet season. Other crops such
as cereals are grown in the drier season.
The country’s rapidly growing population
places huge demands on annual output.


Genetically modified, high-yield varieties of
rice and wheat have been introduced and
are now grown . These varieties are
resistant to many diseases and pest.
This practice is called the Green Revolution
and has led to India being a net food
exporter.


India has the largest livestock population in
the world. Many are in poor physical
condition. The slaughter of cattle is illegal in
many states because of a Hindu religious
belief that the cow is a sacred animal.
Most of the beef that is eaten comes from
cattle that have died of old age. Many cattle
are malnourished and old livestock are
allowed to roam as strays or may be sent to
special compounds until they die
MINING



India has large reserves of iron ore and
copper. Other mineral ores are bauxite,
from which aluminium is made, and zinc, gold
and silver.
Most of India’s oil comes from Mumbai
(Bombay) High Field in the Arabian sea.
The most important coal producing regions
are Bihar and West Bengal.
SECONDARY ACTIVITIES
After independence in 1947 only two per cent of
the labour force was employed in industry.
•
Industry was concentrated in the major cities of
Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chennai
(Madras).
•
Three factors that help industry are:
1.
2.
3.
A large home market
A wide range of natural
resources, such as coal and
iron ore.
A cheap labour force.
The government has focused on new
industries such as:
1.
Agri-industries:
the manufacture of fertilisers machinery
and food processing to benefit rural
communities
2. Consumer Goods:
Small-scale , labour intensive craft
industries. These employ a lot of workers
and together with traditional skills they
could be competitive on export markets.

3. Community based developments:
and self help schemes in rural regions: this was
to create jobs in rural regions where over 70%
of the people live. This would prevent, or
reduce rural-urban migration.
4.
High Tech Industries:
the growing educated workforce is attracting
computer software companies to India. India
produces more university graduates than the
USA and Canada combined and 40% are in
Science and Engineering.
Most of these new industries are located in
urban regions such as Kolkata, Mumbai and
Chennai and their hinterlands.
MUMBAI:
has attracted growth industries such as
electronics and pharmaceuticals. It also has
traditional industries like food processing
and textiles.
CHENNAI:
Chennai forms the core of the southern
industrial zone. Textiles and light
engineering are important industries. Many
multinational computer software companies
have set up here. The region is called India’s
“silicon valley”
KOLKATA
Key industrial zone in north east india
 Close to deposits of coal and iron ore.
 Coal produces 60% of india’s energy
 Heavy industries such as iron and steel
are long established, The Indian owned
Tata Iron and Steel Company is the
tenth largest producer of steel-mostly
export.

Tertiary Activities
The tertiary sector is the fastest growing
economic sector in India.
Investment in transport and tourism is seen
as central to regional development.
The aim is to reduce regional variations among
India’s different states and territories in
terms of per capita income, availability of
infrastructure and socio-economic
development.
The development of the tourist
industry is related to:
1.
IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE.
There are now 2.1 million km of road 63,000
km of rail (the second largest rail network
in the world)
2. IMPROVED STANDARD OF LIVING
This allows for greater domestic tourism.
3. A NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN
This is to create awareness about the impact
of tourism and the preservation of India’s
rich heritage and culture.
4. MONITORING OF STANDARDS
This is to establish a standard of cleanliness
and warm hospitality through a process of
training and orientation.


Recent trends show that over 3
million tourists visited India last
year, an annual growth rate of
over18%
Foreign exchange earnings from
tourism grew by 30%. This brings
earnings of almost $4 billion to the
local economy.
•Tourism provides employment to 23%
of the workforce. There are over 20
million directly related jobs, Other
indirectly related jobs include jobs in
horticulture, agriculture, handicrafts
and construction.
India’s tourist attractions
include……..
Nanda devi national park
Tombs and monuments such as the Taj Mahal
Spectacular scenery such as Kerala
and Kashmir
Beaches such as this one in Goa
HUMAN PROCESSES
Human processes such as
population dynamics and
culture/language are important
in defining India as a region.
Human processes-Population
dynamics




Population over one billion.
Second most populous country in
the world.
High birth rate and inward
migration
Population predicted to be 2 billion
by 2040




India is in the early expanding stage(2) of the
demographic transition model.
Birth rate increasing ,death rate decreasing.
1970’s government incentives to reduce the birth
rate-transistor radio/gun licences for vasectomy
Family planning difficult-rural
areas.(blessing,farming,care in old age,virility,die at
young age)
There is an uneven pattern of
population distribution-physical and
human factors.
 Population densities in the
Himalayas and on the Deccan
Plateau/Thar desert are low.
 There are very high population
densities in the Ganges valley, along
the coastline and in the cities.(800
people per sq.km/3000 in Mumbai)






30% of India’s population live in cities
Rural–urban migration is common
Congestion/conurbations are common
Mumbai,(18 million)kolkata,New
Delhi,Chennai,Bangalore-some of the biggest cities
in the world.
Pollution,bustees,lack of open space and clean
water
Social Stratification
 Calcutta

– city of contrasts
Poor Suburbs
Revised Geography
06/05/2017
Syllabus 2004
Social Stratification
kolkata–

city of contrasts
Wealthy CBD
Revised Geography
06/05/2017
Syllabus 2004
Mumbai’s slums