Question

Why does the location of India affect its climate? Give reasons.

Answer 1

Hint: India is generally described as a tropical monsoon country. It is tropical because the Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the country and affects the temperature distribution and it is also monsoonal because all the seasons are dominated by monsoon winds.

Complete answer:
The location of India affects its climate because India lies roughly between 6° 4 minutes to 37° minutes North latitudes while the Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the country. The location around the Tropic is chiefly responsible for the hot weather conditions in India. The Southern parts being closer to the equator experiences high temperature throughout the year.
In winter, the sun is in the southern hemisphere above the Tropic of Capricorn. In summer, the sun is directly in the tropic of cancer. On the other hand, the states lying in the northern regions of India lie in the temperate zones. Hence, they experience a low temperature particularly during winter.
The physical and the topographic variations of India also have a deep impact on the climate, particularly, on rainfall. For instance, rainfall patterns change in the leeward side of mountain ranges such as the Western Ghats and the Meghalaya hills. On the other hand, towards the north, the Bay of Bengal branch gets bifurcated into two parts due to its mountains.
Another factor is the water bodies surrounding the peninsular region of India makes the climatic conditions mild along the coastal areas.

Note: The complete reversal in the direction of monsoon winds in India leads to sudden change in the seasons. Other reasons in terms of location which impacts on India’s climate are the ocean currents, altitude and mountain ranges, tropical cyclones and upper air circulations.