Question

Which mountains are called the Blue Mountains?
1. Nilgiri Mountains
2. The Alps
3. Mount Everest
4. The Himalayas

Answer 1

Hint: Blue Mountains are located in the mountainous region of Tamil Nadu, southeastern state of India. One of the peaks in this area is the highest point in Tamil Nadu.

Complete answer:
The mountains appear blue from a distance due to a phenomenon known as the Rayleigh Scattering Effect. In this effect, light from the sun is scattered by atmospheric molecules due to which we see the mountains. The electric field of the incident sunlight oscillates the electrons in these molecules which in turn radiate light which gets deviated from its original direction because of shorter wavelength. Therefore mountains which are near the horizon appear bluish when the sun is higher in the sky.
The term Nilgiris is the English equivalent of Nilgiri, Tamil for Blue Mountains situated in the Western Ghats, Nilgiri hills are aptly called as the ‘Blue Mountains’ for the bluish hue. The strikingly blue color of the hills is attributed to the clustered bloom of the mass-flowering species ‘Strobilanthes kunthiana’ means ‘Neela kurinji’ in Tamil. Therefore, Nilgiri mountains are called the Blue Mountains.

Therefore the answer is 1. Nilgiri Mountains

Note:
Nilgiri hills are considerably cooler and wetter than the surrounding plains, the upper hills forming undulating grassy downs. Tea, cinchona, coffee and vegetables are grown extensively in this area. There are some beautiful tea gardens to see in the south are the Nilgiri. The beauty of this area is also amazing due to lots of tea estates. The city is also cheerful and the natural beauty of hill station is attracting nature lovers.