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INDIAN DESERT

The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali hills. It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes.This region receives very low rainfall below 150 mm per year. It has arid climate with low vegetation cover. Streams appear during the rainy season. Soon after they disappear into the sand as they do not have enough water to reach the sea. Luni is the only large river in this region.

Rajasthan is the desert of

India. There had lots of

other animals and plants.

Barchans (crescent shaped dunes) cover

larger areas but longitudinal dunes

become more prominent near the indo-Pakistan boundary. If you visit

Jaisalmer, you may go to see a group of barchans.

THE THAR DESERT

The origin of the Thar desert is a controversial subject. Some consider it to be only 4000 to 10,000 years old, whereas others state that aridity started in this region much earlier. Also known as The Great Indian Desert, it is spread over four states in India, namely Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, and two states issn Pakistan and covers an area of about 4,46,000 square kilometers.

The average annual rainfall of the region varies from 100 to 500 mm, it is distributed very

erratically, occurring mostly between July and September. The mean average temperature

varies from a minimum of 24 degrees C to 26 degrees C in summer to 4 degrees C to 10

degrees C in winter. One unique feature of this desert is that there is neither an oasis in it nor

any artesian well. No native cactus or palm tree breaks the monotony of the vast expanse.

Stretches of sand in the desert are interspersed by hillocks and sandy and gravel plains. Due to the diversified habitat, the vegetation and animal life in this arid region is very rich. About 23 species of lizard and 25 species of snakes are found here and several of them are endemic to the region.

Some wildlife species, which are fast vanishing in other parts of India, are found in the desert in large numbers such as the great Indian bustard, the black buck, the Indian gazelle, and the wild ass in the Rann of Kutch. How these animals and insects survive in these harsh conditions, under such high temperature and without drinking water and green vegetation is amazing. They have evolved excellent survival strategies, their size is smaller than other similar animals living in different conditions, and they are mainly nocturnal.

There are certain other factors responsible for the survival of these animals in the desert. Due to the lack of water in this region, transformation of the grasslands into cropland has been very slow. The protection provided to them by a local community, the Bishnois is also a factor.

There are certain other factors responsible for the survival of these animals in the desert. Due to the lack of water in this region, transformation of the grasslands into cropland has been very slow. The protection provided to them by a local community, the Bishnois is also a factor.

The increase of human and livestock population in the desert has lead to a deterioration in the ecosystem resulting in degradation of soil fertility and vegetation.

COASTAL PLAINS

The peninsular plateau is flanked by stretch of narrow coastal strips,

Running along the Arabian sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the

east. The western coast, sandwiched

between the western Ghats and the Arabian sea, is a narrow plain. It consists of three sections. The

northern part of the coast is called the konkan (Mumbai-Goa) , the central stretch is called the kannad plain

while the southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar coast.

The plains along the Bay of Bengal are wide and level. In the northern part, it is referred to the northern Circar , while the southern part is known as the Coromondel coast. Large river such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri have formed extensive delta on this coast.

The Chilika lake is the largest salt water lake in India. It lies in the state of Orissa, to the south of the Mahanadi delta.

Coastal plain in Albania

A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southeastern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity.[

clarification needed]

] The Gulf Coastal Plain of North America extends northwards from the Gulf of Mexico along the Lower Mississippi River to the Ohio River, which is a distance of about 500 miles (about 800 km).

During the Cretaceous period, the central area of the United States was covered by a shallow sea, which disappeared as the land rose.

Large fossilized aquatic birds called Hesperornis and Ichthyornis, found in western Kansas, indicate that the shallow sea was rife with fish

This is the atlantic coastal plain

THE ISLANDS

Land and People

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands were shrouded in mystery for centuries because of their inaccessibility. These are the paragon of beauty and present a landscape full with scenic and picturesque extravaganza. These islands shimmer like emeralds in the Bay of Bengal.

The dense forest which cover these islands and the innumerable exotic flowers and birds create a highly poetic and romantic atmosphere. "Here the white beaches on the edge of a meandering coastline have palm trees that sway to the rhythm of the Sea. The beat of tribal drums haunt the stillness and Technicolor fish steer their way through crystal clear water." This addition of strangeness to beauty which is responsible for creating the infinite romantic impact may be described in the following famous lines of Keats.

The unparalleled beauty of these islands, create in men a love of nature with a caressing tenderness, a wistful fondness for all its delicate nuances. The enveloping atmosphere with its subtle harmonies of light and shade, fragrance and exhales the paradise, visionary splendours, and the music of the birds that defies definition would develop creative and constructive feelings in the hearts of those people who come here to enjoy the beauty of nature. He would like to rebel against the stereotyped moulds and forms into which life is so called 'modern man' is cast.

He would be under the impact of the complex mood of infinite longing and tragic helplessness, "the yearning that craves for expression, yet defies expression, the inconclusive struggle between emotional apprehension of life and the articulation that must transcend personal emotion".

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have great maritime importance. During the British period political leaders considered dangerous to the interests of the Raj and other dreaded criminals were deported from mainland to the Cellular Jail- the Indian Bastille, situated on the sea coast of Atlanta Point in the North-Eastern part of Port Blair. Thus these islands were infamously known as the 'Black Water Prison' or 'Kala Pani'.

The Andaman & Nicobar are a group of picturesque Islands, big and small, inhabited and uninhabited, a total of 572 islands, islets and rocks lying in the South Eastern Part of the Bay of Bengal. They lie along an arc in long and narrow broken chain, approximately North-South over a distance nearly 800 kms. It is logical to presume a former land connection form Cape Negris at South part of Burma to Achin Head (Cape Pedro) in Andalas (Sumatra). The flora and fauna of these islands, however, indicate that this land connection if it existed, should have been prior to the development of their present life form .

ABOUT FLORA AND FAUNA These Islands are blessed with a unique' luxuriant

evergreen tropical rainforest canopy, sheltering a mixed germ plasm bank, comprising of Indian, Myanmar's, Malaysian and endemic floral strain. So far, about 2200,varieties of plants have been recorded out of which 200 are endemic and 1300 do not occur in mainland India.

"The South Andaman forests have a profuse growth of epiphytic vegetation, mostly ferns and orchids. The Middle Andaman's harbours mostly moist deciduous forests. North Andaman's is characterised by the wet evergreen type, with plenty of woody climbers. The north Nicobar Islands (including Car Nicobar and Battimalv) are marked by the complete absence of evergreen forests, while such forests form the dominant vegetation in the central and southern islands of the Nicobar group. Grasslands occur only in the Nicobars, and while deciduous forests are common in the Andaman's, they are almost absent in the Nicobars".

This atypical forest coverage is made-up of twelve types namely

(1) Giant evergreen forest (2) Andaman's tropical evergreen forest

(3) Southern hilltop tropical evergreen forest

(4) Cane brakes (5) Wet bamboo brakes (6) Andaman's semi-evergreen forest

(7) Andaman's moist deciduous forest (8) Andaman's secondary moist deciduous forest (9) Littoral forest (10) Mangrove forest (11) Brackish water mixed forest (12) Submontane hill valley swamp forest. The present forest coverage is claimed to be 86.2% of the

total land area.

Group name

Tenzin tsetan b Tenzin youtso tenzin yeshi Tenzin yarphel