India - Climate, Vegetation and Wildlife Class 6 Notes CBSE Geography Chapter 8 (Free PDF Download)

In India the Four Major Seasons Are:

1. Cold Weather Season (commonly known as Winters)- From December to February

2. Hot Weather Season (commonly known as Summer)- From March to May

3. Southwest Monsoon Season (Known as Rainy)- From June to September

4. Season of Retreating Monsoon (known as Autumn)- From October and November

Cold Weather Season or Winter

In the cold weather, the rays coming from the sun do not fall directly in the region. Due to this, the temperatures remains quite low in northern India.

Hot Weather Season or Summer

In the hot weather season these rays coming from the sun are more or less directly falling in this region. This cause increased temperature. The Hot and dry winds blowing is referred as loo, during the day.

South-West Monsoon Season or Rainy Season

This season starts by the onset and advance of the monsoon. The direction of the wind is from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal towards the land. These winds carry moisture with them. Once these winds strike the mountain barriers, rainfall occurs.

Season of Retreating Monsoon or Autumn

Winds start to come back from the land area to the Bay of Bengal. This season is referred to as the retreating monsoons. The southern parts of India, mainly Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh receive rainfall in this season.

• The climate is the average weather condition over a place, which has been measured over many years. The climate of India is described as Monsoon type.

• Since  India’s is present  in the tropical region, most of the rain falling is brought in by monsoon winds coming here. In India, agriculture is dependent on rains. Good monsoons bring adequate rain for crops. The climate of any place is affected by some factors like its location, altitude, distance from the sea. Hence, regional differences can be experienced in the climate of India.

Natural Vegetation

We see a variety of plant life like small plants known as bushes and some shrubs like cactus and flowering plants, some tall trees, some with many branches and leaves like neem, mango, etc. The shrubs, grasses, and trees, grow on their own without help from human beings is referred as natural vegetation. The natural vegetation is dependent on different climatic conditions in which they are grown, and the amount of rainfall. Due to these different climatic conditions, India holds a wide range of natural vegetation.

Why are Forests Necessary?

Forests are very useful and perform various functions like release oxygen for us to breathe and absorb carbon dioxide. The roots of the plants bind with the soil; preventing soil erosion. Timber for furniture, fuelwood, fodder, medicinal plants and herbs, lac, honey, gum is obtained from forest.

Forests are the natural habitat of wildlife. Natural vegetation nowadays has been destroyed to a large extent because of the cutting of trees for human purposes.

Wildlife

Forests are home to a number of species of animals and a large number of reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, insects and worms living there. The tiger is India's national animal. Tiger can be seen in various parts of the country. Gir forest in Gujarat is referred as the home of Asiatic lions. One-horned rhinoceroses and elephants could be seen in the forests of Assam. Elephants can also be seen in Kerala and Karnataka. Camels and wild asses can be seen in the Great Indian desert and the Rann of Kuchchh.

Peacock is the national bird of India. Some other birds commonly found are parrots, pigeons, mynah, geese, bulbul and ducks. The bird sanctuaries which are created to provide a natural habitat for these birds.

Due to the cutting of forests ( Known as deforestation) and hunting, some of the species of India are declining at a faster rate. Some of the species have become extinct. In order to protect these species national parks, sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves have been made. The Government has also initiated Project Tiger and Project Elephant in order to protect these animals.