Landforms and Life – Class 6
What are Landforms?
Landforms are the natural shapes on the Earth's surface. They are made by nature and are all around us!
Major Types of Landforms and Their Significance to Life and Culture
- A landforms is a physical feature on the surface of our planet earth.
- Landforms take shape over millions of years and have a significant connection with the environment and life.
- They can brodaly be divided into three categories
- Mountains
- Plateaus
- Plains
1. Mountains:-
- Mountains are landforms that are much higher than the surrounding landscape.
- It can be recognised bybroad base, steep slopes and a narrow summit.
- Depending on their height, some mountains are covered with snow.
- At lower altitudes, the snow melts every summer and turns into water that feeds rivers.
- At high altitudes, the snow may never melt, leaving the mounntain permanently snow capped.
Significance:- Life: Cold climate; people live in small villages and grow crops like barley and apples.
Culture: Many temples and monasteries are built in the mountains. Some mountain peaks are considered sacred.
Altitude:- The height of an object above sea level. Example:- the altitude of mountain, the altitude of a bird or plain in flight, etc.
A mountain range is a group or chain of mountains that are connected together. These ranges can stretch for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. Example:- Himalayas in Asia, The Alps in Europe and the Andes in South America.
Range Highest peak Location
- Himalayas Kanchenjunga Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim
- Himalayas Mount Everest China (Tibet), Nepal
- Andes Mount Aconcagua South America
- Alps Mont Blanc Western Europe
- Anamudi (also Known as 'Anai Peak') South India Highest mountain
Young Mountain:- Mountains with tall and sharp peaks, like the Himalayas, are relatively "young". It means that they were formed recently in the Earth's history.
Aravali Range:- Shorter and more rounded mounntains and hills. they are much older and have been rounded by erosion.
Mountain Environment:-
- Montane forest:- A type of forests that grows in mounntainous regions. or Mountain slopes are often covered with a type of forest.
- Moss:- A small green plant without flowers or true roots, often spreading in a cushion-like cover.
- Lichen:- A plant-like organism that generally clings to rocks, walls or tree.
Life in the mountains:- The mountain terrain is usually rugged or rough, and has steep slopes. It means that regular farming can only be practised in some valleys.
Terrain:- A piece or stretch of land, from the point of view of its physical features.
Source of income:-
- Tourism is main source of income in mountains. The crisp mountain air and scenic beuaty attract many tourist.
- Some mountain sports or activities:- Skiing, hiking, mountaineering, and paragliding.
- Pilgrimages and holy sites:- Many traveller also travelled these uplands.
Valley:- Alower area between hills or mountains, often with a river or stream flowing through it.
3. Plateaus:- Flat land that is raised above the surrounding area. Example: Deccan Plateau and Tibetan Plateau it is largest and highest plateau in the world.
Significance:- Life: Rich in minerals; mining and farming are common.
- Plateau are rich in minerals. it is called 'storehouse' of the minerals
- Major activities: Mining
- African plateau:- famous for gold and diamond mining.
- Chhota Nagpur Plateau:- It has huge reserves of iron, coal and manganese
- rocky soil make it less fertile than plains. not favourable to farming
- Victoria falls on the Zambezi River in Southern Africa.
- Hundru Falls on Subarnareka River in the Chhota Nagpur Plateau.
- Jog Falls on the Sharavati River in the Western Ghats
- Tge Nohkalikai falls drop down from the Cherrapunji Plateau in Meghalaya.
4. Plains:-
- Large areas of flat or gently rolling land.
- They do not hace any large hills or deep valleys.
- They are generally not more than 300 meters above sea level
- It is one type of plains formed by rivers orginating in mountain ranges.
- They collect particles of rock, sand and silt called 'sediments'.
- These sediments make soil fertile.
- These plains are ideal for growing crops.
- Agriculture is a major economic occupation
- It also supports of Flora and Fauna.
Life in the plains:- The first civilisations developed around rivers in fertile plains.
- About 40 crore people, more than one-fourth of the total Indian population, live in India's Ganga plain (Gangetic plain)
- Major occupations:- Fishing and agriculture.
- Food Crops:- Rice, wheat, maize, barely and millets.
- Fibre crops:- Cotton, jute, hemp.
- Ground water level decrease:- Irrigation has also increased agriculturral production, but it has also contributed to the depletion of ground water.
- Affect Ganga plain:- Other problems affecting the Ganga plains include high population and pollution
Culture and Festivals
- Plains have a mix of cultures, languages, and festivals.
- People celebrate Diwali, Holi, Eid, Christmas, and harvest festivals like Baisakhi and Pongal.
- River navigation is easy and support a lot of economic activities.
- In earlier days, people also used rivers to travel one place to another
- Confluence:- A place where two or more than two rivers meet.
Deserts:- Dry, sandy areas with very little rainfall. Their Flora and Fauna are also unique
- Thar Desert in north west of the Indian Suncontinent.
- The Sahara Desert in Africa.
- Cold desert:- Gobi Desert in Asia.
- Some expert also describe that Antarctica continent as a desert.
Significance:- Life: People adapt by using camels and building mud houses.
Culture: Rich traditions in music, dance, and colorful clothes to reflect heat and light.
Resilience:- The capacity to meet challenges and difficulties, adapt to them or overcome them.
NCERT QUESTIONS
Q. 1 - In what type of landform is your town/village/city located? which features mentioned in this chapter do you see around you?
Answer - 1 - Example (if from a plain): I live in [insert your town/village/city name], which is located in a [type of landform: plain / mountain / plateau / desert / coastal area / valley] region.
"I live in Kanpur, which is located in the Northern Plains. The land is flat and very good for farming. I see fields of wheat and sugarcane. There are many roads and train stations, and houses are built with bricks. People here celebrate many festivals, and life is busy and active."
Q. 2 - Let us go back to our initial trip from Chhota Nagpur to Prayagraj and Almora. describe the three landforms you came across on the way?
Answer - 2 -
1. Chhota Nagpur Plateau
- This is a plateau, which is a high, flat land.
- It has hard rocks and forests.
- The land is rich in minerals like coal and iron.
- People work in mines and factories here.
2. Northern Plains (Prayagraj)
- Prayagraj lies in the Northern Plains.
- The land is flat and very fertile.
- Many rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna flow here.
- People grow wheat, rice, and sugarcane.
- It is thickly populated with many schools, markets, and roads.
3. Himalayan Mountains (Almora)
- Almora is in the mountain region of Uttarakhand.
- The area has steep slopes, forests, and cool weather.
- People grow apples and tea on terraces.
- Vaishno Devi Jammu & Kashmir Mountains (Himalayas)
- Kedarnath Uttarakhand Mountains (Himalayas)
- Varanasi (Kashi) Uttar Pradesh Plains (Northern Plains)
- Tirupati (Tirumala) Andhra Pradesh Hills (Eastern Ghats)
- Amritsar (Golden Temple) Punjab Plains (Indo-Gangetic Plains)
- Rameswaram Tamil Nadu Coastal Plain / Island
- The Himalayas are young mountains with rounded tops. (False)
- Plateaus usually rise sharply at least on one side. (True)
- Mountains and hills belong to the same type of landforms. (True)
- Mountains, plateaus and rivers in India have the same types of flora and fauna. (False)
- Ganga is a tributary to the Yamuna. (False)
- Desert have unique flora and fauna. (True)
- Melting snow feeds rivers. (True)
- Sediments from rivers deposited in the plains makes the land fertile. (True)
- All deserts are hots. (False)
- Mount Everest a. Africa
- Rafting b. roof of the world
- Camels c. rice fields
- Plateau d. desert
- Gangetic plains e. river
- Waterway f. Ganga
- Mount Kilimanjaro h. tributary
- Yamuna i. climbing
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