ZEE HIGH SCHOOL

HAYATHNAGAR

CLASS : IV

SUB: SOCIAL STUDIES DATE: 15/04/2020

TOPIC: PHYSICAL DIVISIONS OF INDIA

WORKSHEET-3

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Hi children, earlier in two worksheets you came to know about our India, its states, Union Territories and its capitals. And even you have learnt about our Indian culture and heritage.

Now let us know about the Physical divisions of India.

India is a land with beautiful landforms such as snow-covered mountains, valleys, rivers, hills, plateaus, plains, deserts, coastal plains and islands. The important physical features of India are:

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1. The Northern mountains

2. The Northern Plains

3. The Great Indian Desert or the .

4. The Southern Plateau or

5. The Eastern and Western Coastal Plains

6. The Islands

1 The Northern Mountains: The Northern Mountains stretch across the boundary of India. They consist of the and the ranges. The Himalayas stretch from Jammu and Kashmir in the North to Arunachal Pradesh in the east. They are the highest mountain ranges in the world. The Indian states that are part of Himalayan region are- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir [Unionteritory] Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya,

The Himalayas: The word Himalayas means abode of snow, as a large part of these mountains is covered with snow throughout the year.

The Himalayas are divided in to three parallel rows of mountains or hills called ranges.

HIMALAYAS

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The Greater Himalayas The Middle Himalayas The lower Himalayas

OR OR OR

(Himadri) (Himachal) (Shiwalik)

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1. The Greater Himalayas: It is the highest of the three Himalayan ranges. The highest mountain Peak is located here. Other important peaks are the Nanga Parbat, Mt. Annapurna and Mt. Kanchenjunga. These mountains are always covered with snow. Over the Years, snow has been collecting on these mountains to form thick sheets of ice and snow known as glaciers.

Important rivers such as the Ganga, the and the Brahmaputra have their origin in these glaciers.

DID YOU KNOW? The first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest was Bachendri Pal. She climbed the Mountain in 1984.

2. The Middle Himalayan Range is situated in the south of the Greater Himalayas. Though the peaks of this range are not as high as the Greater Himalayas, some of them are still covered with snow. There are many beautiful hill stations in the Middle Range like Missouri, Simla Kullu, Manali, , Almora etc.

A route through a mountain range is called a mountain pass.

3. The lower Himalayan Range is the lowest ranges of mountains. They are made up of hills rather than mountains. The mountain slopes here are covered with thick forests which are home to variety of wild animals. Climate is suitable for people to live. Rice, potato and maize is also grown in terrace farms of lower Himalayas.

TERRACE FARMING: Terrace farming is a method of farming that consists of different "steps" or terraces that were developed in various places around the world. Rearing of cattle is also common here. Garo,Jaintia, Khasi and Mizo hills are part of the lower Himalayan range.

Climate and vegetation of Northern Mountains: The Northern Mountains have a major effect on the climate of our country. They form a barrier for the

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Vegetation in Greater Himalayas consists of shrubs, mosses, lichens and wildflowers

Wild Tulips shrubs Mosses Lichens

Vegetation in middle Himalayas consists of pine, oak, poplar, walnut, spruce, fir, cypress, juniper and birch. This region has many orchards of apples, plums, peaches, pears, cherries and almonds.

Plums peach apple walnut cherries

Rice, sugar cane and wheat are grown in terrace forms lower Himalayan range. The vegetation of this region consists of trees like keekar, sal teak and babool.

Wheat sugarcane Rice

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Wildlife in the Northern Mountains:

Wildlife plays an important role in balancing the environment .Animals like snow leopard, tiger, yak, hyenas etc found here.

Jackal Tiger snow-leopard Goat

IMPORTANCE OF NORTHERN MOUNTAINS

. They act as a natural boundary.

. The Himalayas are home to many pilgrimage spots such as Hardwar, Rishikesh and Hemakund, Sahib and many others.

. We get valuable forests products such as timber, medicines and honey from the Himalayan forest.

. Many beautiful hill stations such as Simla, Shilling, Dalhousie, Kullu, Manali, Srinagar, etc are located here.

ASSESSMENT ZONE

I. Prepare a G.O on physical divisions of India

II.Answer the following questions:

1. What are the three mountain ranges of Himalayas?

2. Which states are parts of the Himalayan region?

3. Describe the climatic conditions of Greater Himalayas?

4. Name some animals found in the Northern Mountains?

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5. Why are Greater Himalayas not suitable for human life?

III. DEFINE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Glacier

2. Himalayas

IV. FILL IN THE BLANKS

1. ------is the highest mountain peak in the world.

2. The Lower Himalayan Range is also known as ______.

3. ______was the first Indian women to climb Mount Everest.

4. The world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, is in the ______Himalayas.

5. The Himalayas stretch from ______in the north and ______in the east.

ACTIVITY: Collect information about famous Indian Mountaineers who climbed the Mt .Everest. (A mountaineer is a person who climbs mountains).

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