Physical Geography of Rajasthan: Physiography, Drainage, Climate & Soils — Practice

Question 1

Name the highest peak of the Aravalli range and its location.

Accepted Answer

Guru Shikhar, about 1,722 metres, on Mount Abu in Sirohi district.

Question 2

Which is India's largest inland saline lake, and where is it?

Accepted Answer

Sambhar Lake, in Jaipur and Nagaur districts, a Ramsar site and the state's main source of inland salt.

Question 3

Explain the significance of the Aravalli range for Rajasthan.

Accepted Answer

The Aravalli, among the oldest fold mountains in the world, divides the state diagonally into the arid west and fertile east. It acts as a watershed and holds much of the state's forest, minerals and biodiversity. It checks the eastward spread of the Thar, though gaps let dust pass. Its protection from mining and encroachment is an important environmental concern.

Question 4

Describe the Luni river system.

Accepted Answer

The Luni rises near Ajmer in the Aravalli, flows south-west through Jodhpur, Pali, Barmer and Jalore, and ends in the Rann of Kutch. It is the largest river of the Thar and belongs to the Arabian Sea system. Its water is fresh in the upper course but saline in the lower, because of salts in the soil, and it is seasonal.

Question 5

State the Köppen climatic types found in Rajasthan.

Accepted Answer

BWhw, the hot desert climate, in the far west; BShw, the hot semi-arid steppe climate, in the central and eastern belt; Aw, the tropical savanna climate, in the south-east; and Cwg, the humid subtropical climate, at Mount Abu.

Question 6

Describe the khadin and tanka systems of water harvesting.

Accepted Answer

A khadin, typical of Jaisalmer, is a long earthen bund built to stop rain runoff so that the impounded water and moist soil grow a winter crop. A tanka or kund is an underground tank, often covered, that stores rainwater from a prepared catchment for drinking. Both suit the arid climate and are low-cost, community-based systems.

Question 7

Discuss the causes and consequences of desertification in Rajasthan. (~150 words)

Accepted Answer

Desertification in Rajasthan arises from low and erratic rainfall, wind erosion of sandy soil, overgrazing, deforestation, and salinity and waterlogging in canal commands. Population pressure and unsustainable land use worsen it. Consequences include loss of soil fertility, declining yields, shifting dunes that bury farmland, water scarcity and migration. Responses include shelterbelt and dune-stabilisation plantations, the Indira Gandhi Canal and drip irrigation, the Desert Development Programme, research by CAZRI at Jodhpur, and revival of traditional water harvesting. Protection of the Aravalli, which checks the desert's eastward spread, is central. Success needs community involvement and grazing management.

Question 8

Describe the physiographic regions of Rajasthan. (~150 words)

Accepted Answer

Rajasthan has four physiographic regions divided diagonally by the Aravalli range. The Western sandy plain, or Thar, lies west of the Aravalli and covers about three-fifths of the state, with dunes and salt-lake playas; its drier core is the Marusthali and its semi-arid fringe the Bagar. The Aravalli hills, ancient worn fold mountains rising to Guru Shikhar at Mount Abu, form the watershed. East of the range, the Eastern plains are fertile alluvium supporting dense population and agriculture. In the south-east, the Hadoti plateau of Kota, Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar has Deccan lava and black soil. The regions differ sharply in rainfall, soil and land use, which explains the contrast between the arid west and the fertile east.

Practice — Physical Geography of Rajasthan: Physiography, Drainage, Climate & Soils

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