Geography Notes -2 For Competitive Exams

Geography Notes -2

Indira Point: 
in Andaman and Nicobar Islands is the southern-most tip of India. It got submerged in last TSunami.


Irrigated area, Indian State having largest: 
The Indian State with the largest irrigated area is Uttar Pradesh.

Jhum: 
It is a slash and burn method of shifting cultivation (called jhum) practised on rainfall-bed slopes of forest hills and dales in Arunachal Pradesh.

Kandla: 
It is a sea port situated at the head of the Gulf of Kuch in Gujarat State. It was the first port to be developed after independence. It has a free trade zone.



Khonds (Tribes):
were primitive tribes living in Orissa.

Kikuyu (Tribes) : 
are a race of Bantu negroes who live to the north of Mount Kenya. These people combine agriculture with pastoralism.

Kirghiz (Tribes): 
of Central Asia are an example of people adapted to a grassland environment. The Kirghiz are pastoral nomads who move from pasture to pasture with the flocks and herds of horses, camels, oxen, sheep and goats. Meat forms only a small portion of their food. The Kirghiz are fearless horsemen, and even their children are expert riders.

Lambadies (Tribes): 
are concentrated in Karnataka.

Lapse Rate: 
is the rate of change in temperature with increase of altitude.

Laterite soils: 
Laterite soils are formed by the weathering of laterite rocks. These can be distinguished from other soils by their acidity.  Laterite soils are generally poor on the higher levels and cannot retain moisture. In the plains, however, they consist of heavy loams and clay and can retain moisture. Laterite soils occur in Madhya Pradesh, Assam and along the eastern and western Ghats. Tea plantation require acidity which is there in the laterite soil. It is, therefore, common in these areas.

Loams (loamy soil): 
A mixture of sand, clay and silt is known as loamy soil. Loams are formed where the soils have equal proportion of sand, silt and clay.

Local winds and their areas: 
Khamsin—Egypt; Zonda—Argentina; Santa Ana—California; Simoon—Iran.

Lushais (Tribes): 
are tribes of Mizoram.

Mansarover Lake: 
is in Tibet. Near it, the rivers having their source are the Brahamputra, the Sutlej and the Indus.

Maoris (Tribes): 
are the original inhabitants of New Zealand.

Masai (Tribes): 
of the East African plateau are the example of pastoral peoples. They are a tall, strong, warlike race, partly negroid in type. They treat their cattle with great respect and affection and do not kill them for food or for sale as meat.

Monsoon in India: 
is related to differential heating and cooling of the huge landmass of Asia and the Indian Ocean and the origin of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. The term Monsoon was introduced by the Arabs.

Munda (Tribes): 
are mostly located in Madhya Pradesh.

Negritos (Tribes): 
are the ancient tribes of Andamans.

Nutrification: 
is the process of conversion by action of bacteria, of nitrates in the soil.

Onges: 
are tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Oraon (Tribes): 
are aboriginal people of the Chhota Nagpur region in the State of Bihar. They call themselves Kurukh  and speak a Dravidian language.

Pangong Tso: 
is one of the world’s highest and brackish lakes in Jammu & Kashmir.

Pressure zones on earth: 
are created due to differential heating of the earth’s surface by the sun.

Proxima Centauri: 
is a star nearest to the earth.

Rare earths (Or Lignite and Monazite): 
are found on the beaches of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Monazite is an ore of thorium.

Roaring Forties: 
are westerly winds.

Saddle peak: 
is the highest peak of Andaman and Nicobar islands, located in Great Nicobar.

Savannas: 
are found between latitudes 5° and 20° North and South of Equator. These are tropical grasslands bordering the equatorial forests in each hemisphere. The Llanos and Pampas of South America are chief examples of Savannas but extensive Savannas are in Africa. Savanna grasslands are also found in Australia. The three-tier growth of vegetation is found in these regions. The natural vegetation of Savannas consists of tall grass.

Selvas: 
The rain forest of Amazon basin is called Selvas. These are rainy tropical forests..

Semangs (Tribes): 
are tribal people living in Malaysia.

Spring Tides: 
are caused when the sun and the moon are in a straight line. The tide on its maximum height is known as Spring Tide.

Taiga Belt: 
lies between the Tibet-type climate and the Tundras.

Telegu Ganga Project: 
in Tamil Nadu envisages optimal use of surplus water of the Krishna river. It is a joint venture of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Time Zone: 
A zone on the terrestrial globe that is 15° longitude wide and extends from pole to pole and within which a uniform clock time is used. Time zones are the functional basis of standard time. The world is divided into 24 time zones.

Tsunamis: 
are huge sea waves caused by earthquakes.

Willy Willy: 
is a tropical cyclone of the north-west Australia.