Causes of origin and characteristics of the Himalayan Mountains

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Indian Geography (Part-6) 

Causes of origin and characteristics of the Himalayan Mountains

The Himalayas:-

• These Mountains are the longest mountain range in the world extending from east to west.
• Apart from the Himalayan range, other mountain ranges such as the Andes mountain range, Rocky mountain range, Great Dividing Range and Ural mountain range are in the north to south
• Himalayan length from east to west is about 2,500
• The Himalayan Mountains extend from the Nanga Parbat in Jammu and Kashmir in the west, to the Namcha Barwa mountain peak of the Tibet Plateau that is in the north of Arunachal Pradesh in the east.
• The width of the Himalayas is greater in the western part, while its width is less in the east. Due to the narrow Himalayan position in the eastern part, it has risen.
• The shape of the Himalayas is arched. The area of the Himalayas is about 5,00,000 sq. km. 
• The Tibetan plateau is situated to the north of the Himalayan Mountains and the Quinolone mountain range is located to the north of the Tibetan plateau.
• The Himalayas show a southern turn at its eastern end and western end.
• The southern turn at the western end of the Himalayas is called the Sulaiman Mountains in Pakistan and the HindukushMountains in Afghanistan.
• The southern turn at the eastern end of the Himalayas is known by different names in the states of Northeast India -

• Arunachal Pradesh - Patkai Bum
• Nagaland - Naga Hill
• Manipur - Manipur Hill
• Mizoram - Mizo Hills

• The Himalayas cover four mountain ranges -
1. Trans Himalaya
2. Greater Himalaya
3. Lesser Himalaya
4. Shivalik Himalaya

 

• A branch of the Himalayas Mountain has expanded to Myanmar, which is called Arakanyomain Myanmar.
• The Himalayan Mountains are the new Fold Mountains in the world.
• The Himalayan Mountains were built in the Cenozoic Era.
• The best explanation of the origin of the Himalayan Mountains is the geomagnetism theory of Germany’s geologist Kober.
• Kober said in his theory that today where the Himalayas is, Tethys Terrain was here before. 

Kober’s Principle:-

Gondwanaland was to the south and Angaraland to the north of the Tethys terrain. According to Kober, many rivers used to flow in both the Gondwanaland and Angaraland regions. These rivers deposited sediments in the Tethys Sea for a long time, causing debris to accumulate in the Tethys terrain. As the accumulation of debris increased, the Tethys terrain began to degrade in the earth's crust due to pressure, along with the accumulation of sedimentary debris. According to Kober, after sometime Tethys Terrain began to contract, which led to decreased width. 

Due to the shrinkage in the Tethys terrain, the sedimentary rocks deposited in it started to bend or fold. Kober says that the action of bending occurred more on both sides of the debris, which resulted in the middle part rising up as a plane. The one side of it is the Himalayan Mountain, the other side is the Qinloon Mountain, and the middle part is the Tibetan plateau.

 Note -   Kober has used the word Terrain in place of word Sea.

 

Alfred Wegener's Principle: -

The most proven explanation of the origin of the Himalayan Mountains is believed to be Kober's geomorphic theory. In addition to Kober's geomorphic theory, Alfred Wegener's plate tectonics theory also successfully explains the origin of the Himalayan Mountains. A firm terrain is found at a depth of 200 km from the surface of the Earth. According to Plate Tectonic Theory, these terrains are divided into 6 parts; these terrains are called plates, which are as follows -

 

1. Indian Plate
2. Eurasian Plate
3. African Plate
4. American plate
5. Pacific Plate (Pacific Ocean Plate)
6. Antarctica Plate

 

• According to the Plate Tectonic Theory, these plates are not stationary, but in a dynamic state. According to the plate tectonic theory, when the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate as it flowed north, the process of folding in the sedimentary debris in the Tethys Sea between these two plates started, as a result of these folds, the formation of new tropical mountains like the Himalayas took place.
• India is situated above the Indian plate.

Rock System Based on Geological History Of India

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Indian Geography (part-5)

Rock System Of India

Geological rocks: - The term refers to rocks found under the ground. The earth was initially like a ball of fire. Over time, the rocks began to be formed for the hot earth to cool. Different types of rocks were formed in India at different times. A total of 6 types of rocks are found in India. Based on the construction period of the rocks, their order is as follows -

1. The Archaean Rock System.
2. The DharwadRock System.
3. The Cuddapah Rock System.
4. The Vindhyan Rock System.
5. The Gondwana Rock System.
6. The Deccan Trap.

 

1. The Archaean Rock System:-

• The Archaean rocks were first to be formed on Earth. In other words, it can be said that the oldest rocks on Earth are rocks of Archean system.
• There are no fossils found in them.
• The rocks of the Archaean system are found mainly in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Chota Nagpur plateau in Jharkhand and the southern-eastern part of Rajasthan.

 

2. The Dharwad Rock System:-

• The rocks of the Dharwad system have been named after the Dharwad district of Karnataka, as these rocks were first discovered in Dharwad district.
• The rocks of the Dharwad system are found mainly in two regions in India -
• In Karnataka region
• In Aravalli region
• Dharwad rocks are found in three districts of Karnataka –
  • Dharwad District
  • Bellary District
  • Shimoga District
• Economically, the rocks of the Dharwad system are quite rich. Major metals of India, which include metals like gold, manganese, copper, zinc, chromium, tungsten and iron, are found in Dharwad rocks.
• In India, gold is found in Kolar and Hatti mines under rocks of Dharwad system.

3. The Kuddapah Rock System:-

• After the rocks of the Dharwad system, the rocks of the Kudappa system were formed.
• The rocks of the Kudappa system are named after the Kudappa district of Andhra Pradesh, as these rocks were first found in the Kudappa district of Andhra Pradesh.

 

4. The Vindhyan Rock System:-

• Vindhyan rocks are found in the area under and around the Vindhya Mountains. Vindhyan system rocks are also found in some quantity in Andhra Pradesh.
• The main feature of Vindhyan rocks is that these rocks are famous for building materials. For example -limestone, sandstone, marble etc.
• Diamond is produced from the Panna mines in Madhya Pradesh and Golconda mines in Andhra Pradesh, these mines are located in the rocks of the Vindhyan rock system.

 

5. The Gondwana Rock System:-

• These rocks are found mainly in river valleys in India.
• The extension of rocks of Gondwana system is found mainly in three river valleys in India.
• Damodar river valley.
• Mahanadi valley.
• Godavari river valley.
• About 98% of India's coal is found in these rocks, which is the bituminous type of coal and considered as second class coal. This means that coal is mainly found in the Damodar river valley, Mahanadi valley and Godavari river valleys in India.
• Singaraini coalfield in Andhra Pradesh is located in the Godavari river valley.
• Talcher Coalfield is located in the Mahanadi Valley in Orissa.
• Jharia coalfield in Orissa is in Damodar river valley.

 

6. The Deccan Trap:-

• The Deccan Plateau, located in Maharashtra and its surrounding areas, is called the Deccan Trap.
• Peninsular India and the continent of Africa are part of Gondwanaland, India was separated from Africa and is flowing in the north and east direction.
• To break away from the African continent of peninsular India, a cracking flow of lava was produced on the west coast of India and the hot lava coming out of the cracks spread all over the surface. After this lava froze and a plateau was formed, it is called the Deccan Plateau. The rocks formed by the deposition of lava are called basalt rocks. Therefore, when weathering of these basalt rocks occurs, the soil formed from it is called black soil.
• The main part of Deccan Trap is located in the state of Maharashtra, about 75-80% of it is spread in Maharashtra and some part in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
• Black soil is formed from lava rocks, hence it is also called lava soil. Black soil is also called Rengur soil. Black soil is considered suitable for cotton cultivation, hence it is also called Kapasi soil.

 

 

Sea Borders of India.

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Indian Geography (part-4)

Unclos (1982) 

United Nations Convention on the law of the sea:- 

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and 1982. The Law of the Sea Convention defines the rights and responsibilities of nations for their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources.

Important terminologies:- 

• Baseline:-

The baseline from which the territorial sea is measured is the low-water line along the coast as marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by the coastal state. This is either the low-water mark closest to the shore, or alternatively, it may be an unlimited distance from permanently exposed land, provided that some portion of elevations exposed at low tide but covered at high tide is within 3 nautical miles or 3.45 statute miles (5.5 km) of permanently exposed land.

• Internal waters:--

Waters landward of the baseline are defined as internal waters, over which the state has complete sovereignty: not even innocent passage is allowed without explicit permission from said state. Lakes and rivers are considered internal waters.

• Territorial sea:- 

According to UNCLOS, the territorial sea can be defined as the area which extends up to 12 nautical miles from the baseline of a country’s coastal state. The territorial sea is under the jurisdiction of that particular country; however, foreign ships (both merchant and military) ships are allowed passage through it.

A country has full authorization in this region.

• Contiguous zone:-

The contiguous zone can be defined as the belt which extends 12 nautical miles beyond the territorial sea limit.

A coastal state’s control on this area is limited to prevention of actions which can infringe its customs, fiscal, and immigration laws. It can also act if any activity in the contiguous zone threatens regulations in the territorial sea.

• Exclusive economic zone

The exclusive economic zone can be defined as a belt of water which extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline of the coastal state. Thus it includes both territorial sea and contiguous zone.

The exclusive economic zone provides the coastal state control over all economic resources such as fishing, mining, oil exploration, and marine research.

Difference between Gulf and Bay:-

1. A gulf is much larger than a bay.
2. A gulf is said to be a large body of water that is surrounded by land and having only a narrow entrance along a strait. A bay is also a large body of water that is surrounded by land but not as enclosed as a gulf. Moreover, the bay has a wider opening than the gulf.
3. A gulf is a body of water in which the water has eroded very deeply into the adjoining land. On the contrary, a bay has an inward land curve.
4. Most of the bays are formed because of the erosion of soft rock and clay by the waves. When looking at a single gulf, it is generally fashioned along linear shores. If the shoreline is irregular and consists of complex geologic structures, a group of gulfs are formed 

Examples:- 

The Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mannar

 If you have any query, please feel free to comment and ask. 

Islands of India

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Indian Geography (part-3)

Islands of India

• The Himalaya is the longest mountain range in the east-west category. 
• It turns to the south after reaching Arunachal Pradesh and enters in the Bay of Bengal. Andaman & Nicobar Islands are the parts of Himalayas. 

Andaman and Nicobar Islands can be categorised in two different groups of islands: Andaman and Nicobar. 

Which itself have several islands in them. 

Talking about and the Andaman Islands specifically, it has four major islands:

1. North Andaman(The highest point of Andaman is saddle peak.) 

2. Middle Andaman( The largest island of this group. ) 

3. South Andaman (Portblair, the Capital of Andaman and Nicobar is situated on this Island. ) 

4. Little Andaman.

Nicobar Island group consists of two major Islands: 

1. Car Nicobar. 

2. Great Nicobar (The southernmost point of Indian territory, the Indira Point 6°4' N is in great Nicobar.) 

Andaman and Nicobar islands are separated by 10-degree channel or specifically little Andaman and car Nicobar are separated by 10-degree channel. 

There are two islands besides Andaman Island group first is Narcondam Island which is a dormant volcano and the other one is Barren Island which is the only active volcano of India. 

• The smallest union territory of India is Lakshadweep. The capital of Lakshadweep is KAVARATTI. 
• The largest island of Lakshadweep is ANDROTT. 
• Minicoy Island is situated in South of Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep is a Coral island. The shells of Coral are made of calcium carbonate. 

• Kolkata is not a seaport but a river port. 

Two islands near the end of Hooghly river are, 

1. Gangasagar (India) 

2. New Moore (Bangladesh) 

• Wheeler Island in Odisha which is also called Abdul Kalam Island is located on the end of Brahmani river.  

NOTE:- Missiles are launched for tests from this Island. 

• Sriharikota Island of Andhra Pradesh is a launchpad of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), Satish Dhawan Space Centre. 

• Pamban Island Tamil Nadu which is located in Bay of Mannar. 
• Rameshwaram is located on Pamban Island. 
• The southernmost point of Pamban Island is Dhanushkoti. 

• Aliya bet island, of Gujarat, is located in Bay of Khambhat. It is at the endpoint of Narmada river. It has large deposits of Petroleum, which are not yet been extracted. 

• Mumbai is located on salsette Island. 

This is a basic introduction of Indian geography. If you have any query, please feel free to comment and ask. 

India and it's Neighbour countries

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Indian Geography (part-2)

Countries having Land boundaries with India:-

• India shares its border with seven countries-

1.  Pakistan. 
2. Afghanistan. 
3. China. 
4. Nepal. 
5. Bhutan. 
6. Myanmar. 
7. Bangladesh.

• States touching neighbouring countries:-

1. Pakistan 

• Gujarat. 
• Rajasthan. 
• Punjab. 
• Jammu and Kashmir( not a state anymore now a union territory).

2. Afghanistan 

• Jammu and Kashmir*.

3. China

• Jammu and Kashmir*. 
• Himachal Pradesh.
• Uttarakhand Sikkim. 
• Arunachal Pradesh.

4. Nepal

• Bihar. 
• Uttar Pradesh. 
• Uttarakhand. 
• West Bengal. 
• Sikkim.

5. Bhutan

• West Bengal. 
• Sikkim.
• Assam. 
• Arunachal Pradesh.

6. Myanmar

• Arunachal Pradesh. 
• Nagaland. 
• Mizoram. 
• Manipur.

7. Bangladesh

• Assam. 
• West Bengal. 
• Meghalaya. 
• Tripura.

Some important points:- 

• Tripura is covered from three sides by Bangladesh.

• There are three Indian states that shares boundary with three countries:-

1. Jammu and Kashmir(Now a UT) {Pakistan, Afghanistan, China}.

2. West Bengal {Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh}.

3. Sikkim {China, Nepal, Bhutan}.

Countries that do not share land boundaries with India but our neighbours

• Sri Lanka
• Maldives

Important terminologies to Remember

1. Durand line:-  The Durand Line is an international 2,430-kilometre (1,510 mi) border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was originally established in 1893 as the international border between British India and Afghanistan.

2. McMahon line:- The McMahon Line is the demarcation line between the Tibetan region of China and the North-east region of India.

3. Radcliffe line:- The Radcliffe Line was the boundary demarcation line between the Indian and Pakistani portions of the Punjab and Bengal provinces of British India.

Misc. Fact:-

• Largest state according to the area (in descending order) are

1. Rajasthan. 

2. Madhya Pradesh. 

3. Maharashtra.

4.Uttar Pradesh.

• Smallest state / UT is Lakshadweep.

• The state which shares its boundary with the maximum number of States is Uttar Pradesh. It shares its boundary with 8 neighbour States. Those are-

1. Uttarakhand.
2 Himachal Pradesh.
3. Haryana.
4. Rajasthan.
5. Madhya Pradesh.
6. Chhattisgarh.
7. Bihar.
8. Jharkhand.

• The largest district of India in terms of area is Kutch of Gujarat.
• The smallest district of India in terms of area is Mahe of Pondicherry.

This is a basic introduction of Indian geography. If you have any query, please feel free to comment and ask. 

All You Need to Know about Indian Constiotition.

       Indian Constitution 

Today, We will learn about the Indian constitution. 

The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It frames fundamental political principles, procedures, practices, rights, powers, and duties of the government. It imparts constitutional supremacy and not parliamentary supremacy, as it is not created by the Parliament but, by a constituent assembly, and adopted by its people, with a declaration in its preamble. Parliament cannot override it.

The final draft of the Indian Constitution which is the longest in the world was adopted on 26 November 1949 after almost 2 years, 11 months 17 days. It was legally enforced on 26 January 1950, the day that we celebrate as Republic Day ever since. 

Here are some important points about Indian constitution which are commonly asked in competitive examinations:-

1. The constitution of India was adopted on the 26th of November, in the year 1949. However, it came to effect on the 26th of January, 1950.
2. It was adopted by the Constitution Assembly. Dr B. R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the Drafting Committee. The 389-member assembly (reduced to 299 after the partition of India) held eleven sessions over a 165-day period.
3. Indian Constitution is a written Constitution. As mentioned above, it took almost 2 years, 11 months 17 days to complete it.
4. The Indian Constitution is the longest Constitution of the world. 
5. A constitution may be called rigid or flexible on the basis of its amending procedure. In a rigid constitution, amendment of the constitution is not easy. The Constitutions of the USA, Switzerland and Australia are considered rigid constitutions. While the British Constitution is considered flexible because the amendment procedure is easy and simple. The Constitution of India is partly rigid and partly flexible. 
6. The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, assuring its citizen's justice, equality and liberty, and endeavours to promote fraternity.
7. The words "secular" and "socialist" were added to the preamble in 1976 during the Emergency.
8. B. R. Ambedkar was a wise expert of the constitution. He studied constitutions of around 60 countries. B. R. Ambedkar is recognised as “Father of the Constitution of India.”
9. Thus, the Indian Constitution is said to be influenced by other constitutions like the United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, France, Canada, the Soviet Union and more. 
10. The Indian Constitution has a Preamble and 470 articles which are grouped into 25 parts with 12 schedules and 5 appendices. It has been amended 104 Times. 
11. The Constitution of India provides its citizens with six fundamental rights. These rights are the Right to Freedom, Right to Equality, Cultural and Educational Rights, Right to Constitutional Remedies, Right against Exploitation, Freedom of Religion. Recently, the Right to Privacy has also been added to fundamental rights.

Influence of Other Countries:-


United Kingdom

• Parliamentary Government.
• Concept of Single Citizenship.
• Rule of law.
• Legislative process (the legislative speaker and their role).

Ireland 

• Directive Principles of State Policy.

Australia

• Freedom of trade between States.
• National legislative power to implement treaties, Even on matters outside normal Federation Jurisdiction.
• Concurrent List.
• Preamble terminology.

The United States

• Equal protection under the law.
• President as commander in chief of the armed forces.
• Bill of rights.
• The federal structure of government.
• Judicial review.
• Electoral college.
• Independent Judiciary and separation of powers.

Canada

• Quasi-Federal Government(a federal system with the strong central government). 
• Residual powers retained by the central government.
• Distribution of powers between the central and the state governments.

Soviet Union

• Fundamental duties under article 51-A.
• Mandated Planning Commission to oversee economic development.  

Others 

• The due process from Japan.
• Amending the constitution from South Africa.
• The emergency provision under article 356 from the Weimar constituency.