Standard 10 Geography question bank (Short Notes)

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1. Amazon river basin
Ans. (i) Amazon collects its headwaters from the eastern slopes of Andes Mountains in Peru. (ii) Amazon River receives huge discharge. (iii) As a result, Amazon washes off the load supplied to it from the catchment. (iv) Consequently, sediments are not deposited even at the mouth. (v) A dense network of distributaries, which is a characteristic feature of river mouth areas, is by and large absent in the mouth region of Amazon. (vi) Instead, we find a series of islands developed along the mouth of Amazon, beyond the coastline into the Atlantic Ocean. (vii) At the mouth, the width of Amazon channel is 150 km. (viii) Most of the course of the Amazon river is suitable for navigation.

2. Purpose of field visit
Ans:
(1) To collect firsthand information: Field visit is a visit to factory, farm or museum made by students and a teacher for the purpose of firsthand information.
(2) To get direct experience: It is a practical method of studying Geography. Various geographical features can be directly experienced through field-visit. Also, one can collect several samples from the area of the visit which help to understand the subject in a better manner.
(3) To understand geographical and social conditions: Field visit also helps in understanding the geographical and social conditions of a place. It enables one to comprehend various geographical concepts and elements easily.
(4) To interact with local people: It also provides an opportunity to directly interact with the local people and understand their problems. It is extremely useful for understanding the correlation between humans and environment.

3. Historical background of India
Ans:
(1) India was under the British rule for nearly one and a half century and gained independence on 15th August 1947.
(2) Many problems were faced by India after independence.
(i) In the initial years of its independence, India fought three wars. These wars had an adverse effect on the economy of country.
(ii) In the post independence period, India faced severe shortage of food grains which resulted in famines in several parts of the country.

4. Comparison of climate of India and Brazil
Ans:
(1) India has a monsoon type of climate whereas Brazil experiences wide range of variations in climate. For E.g. In Brazil, near the equator the climate is hot while near the Tropic of Capricorn, there is temperate type of climate.
(2) In India, the average temperature is higher throughout the year since the sun’s rays are perpendicular upto the Tropic of Cancer which passes through it whereas in Brazil, the Equator cuts across the northern part of the country which results in 25° C to 28° C of average temperature in the Amazon Valley.
(3) The temperature in the northern states of India is cold. For e.g. Jammu & Kashmir and parts of mountainous regions of Himalayas experience temperatures of -40° C during the winters. While the temperature increases towards the southern states of India. In contrast, the northern part of Brazil is generally hot while in the southern part, the temperature is comparatively lower.
(4) India receives rainfall due to the South-west monsoon winds and the rainfall is mainly of Orographic type whereas Brazil receives orographic type of rainfall from the South-east Trade winds & North-east Trade winds and the rainfall in the northern part of Brazil is of Convectional type.
(5) In India, the regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan experience less rainfall while the northeastern part of Brazilian Highlands receives very less rainfall.
(6) In India, Tropical cyclones occur frequently while these cyclones occur rarely in Brazil.

5. Vegetation in Brazil
Ans:
(1) The natural vegetation of any country is dependent on the factors like rainfall, climate, land and relief.
(2) In Brazil, rainfall varies due to its physiography. The number of rainy days as well as amount of rainfall reduces as one moves away from the equator. This affects the life cycle of vegetation.
(3) Due to this, Brazil has the largest number of vegetation species in the world. This includes evergreen vegetation, semi-evergreen, arid, etc. Pau Brasil, rubber, mahogany, rosewood and a variety of orchids are found in Brazil.
(4) Equator passes through the northern part of Brazil. Hence, it rains throughout the year in most parts of the equatorial region and the climate is generally hot & humid. Evergreen forests are found in this region. Due to the evergreen rainforests in Brazil, large amount of oxygen is released in the environment. This reduces carbon dioxide levels. Therefore, these rainforests are called as the ‘lungs of the world’.
(5) The density of the vegetation reduces in regions which receive rainfall only during certain seasons. In such regions, instead of forests, various types of grasses, short shrubs, thorny vegetation, etc., are found.

6. Animal life in India
Ans:
(1) Great diversity in terms of wildlife is found in India.
(2) In the hot and humid forests, elephants arc found in great number.
(3) In the swampy and marshy lands of Assam, one-horned rhinoceroses are found while in the arid lands wild ass and camels are found.
(4) Snow leopards and yaks are found in the snow-capped regions of Himalayas while in the Peninsular region, Indian Bisons, deer, antelopes and monkeys are found.
(5) Many turtles, crocodiles and gavials (Gharial) are found in the rivers, estuaries and coastal areas.
(6) Variety of birds like Peacocks, the Great Indian bustard, Kingfishers, peasants, ducks, parakeets, cranes and pigeons are found in the forests and wetlands of India.
(7) One significant feature of the wildlife in India is that it is the only country in the world where both tigers and lions are found.

7. Density of population in Brazil
Ans:
(1) According to 2010 Census, Brazil had a population of 19 crores. Brazil occupies 5.6% of the world’s total area and contributes to 2.78% of the world’s population. Also, the population growth rate of Brazil is declining since the efforts are being made to control the population growth. The population density of Brazil is very less. It is 23 persons per sq. km. as per 2010 census.
(2) In the eastern coastal areas of Brazil, agriculture and industries have flourished well. Hence, the density of population is high here.
(3) Conversely, the interior of the Amazon Basin is very sparsely populated due to unfavourable climate, heavy rainfall, inaccessibility and dense forests.
(4) The density of population in the highlands of Brazil is moderate.

8. Comparison of urbanisation in Brazil and India
Ans:
(1) The growth of urbanisation: The growth of urbanisation in India has been slow as compared to Brazil.
(2) More urbanisation:
(i) The southern part of India is more urbanised than the northern part. The urbanisation in Goa is 62%, while in Delhi it is more than 80%. Moreover, urbanisation is more in the states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala.
(ii) In Brazil, the rate of urbanisation is high in South and South-east with Sao Paulo emerging as a major, metropolitan and industrial area. States like Sao Paulo, Goias, Minas Gerais have more urban population than states in the North,
(3) Less urbanisation:
(i) In India, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Rajasthan are some of the states with low levels of urbanisation.
(ii) While in Brazil, in Amazon Basin and Brazilian Highlands, as population is less, urbanisation is also less. However, urbanisation has occurred in Manaus because it is a port on the confluence of the River Negro and the River Amazon.

9. Agriculture in India
Ans:
(1) India has been practicing agriculture since ancient times. It is the main occupation of the people in India and it contributes more towards GDP.
(2) Indian agriculture is mainly subsistence type. Around 60 per cent of land in India is under cultivation. Its large expanse of level plains, rich soils, high percentage of cultivable land, wide climatic variety, long growing season, etc. are some of the important factors that have contributed to the growth of agriculture in India.
(3) Rice, wheat, maize, sorghum and millets are the major food crops produced in India. There are tea, coffee and rubber plantations in India. Moreover, cash crops like sugarcane, cotton, jute, silk, etc. are also produced in India. Different types of fruits, spices and vegetables are also produced in India.
(4) Tea, coffee, spices, cotton & silk textiles and mangoes are some of the items which are exported from India.

10. Industries in Brazil
Ans:
(1) The mining, agriculture and manufacturing industry are well-developed in Brazil.
(2) Iron and steel production, automobile assembly, petroleum processing, chemicals production and cement making are the major industries in Brazil.
(3) Though the technologically based industries have been the most dynamic in recent years, it has not surpassed the traditional industries.
(4) Industries like sugar industries, cotton textiles, silk & woollen industries and food processing industries have developed well in Brazil.
(5) Large industries are mainly concentrated in the southern and South-Eastern parts of Brazil.
(6) Though the north-eastern part of Brazil is the poorest, it is beginning to attract new investment.

11. Transportation in Brazil
Ans:
(1) In Brazil, out of all transportation routes, roadways are the maximum.
(2) Roads are most dense in the eastern part. The forested lands of Amazon River basin and the swampy lands have limited the development of roadways.
(3) Railways are less developed. The use of trains for long distance transportation of passengers is restricted to a few urban tourist routes though it is a cheaper mode of transport.
(4) In Brazil, navigation on Amazon river is mainly for commercial purposes. The longest waterway in the world, from the mouth of the Amazon to Equitos in Peru (approximately 3700 km.) passes through Brazil.
(5) Parana River in the south is an important river used for water transport.
(6) Coastal shipping is also carried out in the coastal areas.
(7) The contribution of airways in the transportation system of the country is less.

12. Tourist places in India
Ans:
(1) In India, beautiful monuments, heritage, culture, natural beauty, adventure sports, medical tourism, business tourism attract foreign tourists.
(2) Considering the heritage of India, there are plenty of opportunities for tourism in many parts of the country. Many places are being developed for this purpose.
(3) Gateway of India in Mumbai, Ajanta caves in Aurangabad, etc. are the heritage places that attract foreign tourists.
(4) Many tourists visit the north-eastern states of India due to their natural beauty as well as specific art and culture. For e.g. Guwahati in Assam, places in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, etc. Moreover, some natural heritage sites like Kaziranga National Park, Sundurbans National Park, etc. are visited by many tourists.
(5) Many religious places are also developed as tourist places such as Varanasi, Hrishikesh, Rameshwaram, etc.

13. Development of communication in Brazil
Ans:
(1) In Brazil, telecommunication services are extremely developed and effective. This includes telephone, mobile phone, internet, television broadcast, radio announcements, internet etc.
(2) Today, more than 45% of Brazilian population uses the internet.
(3) The telecommunication system is fairly modem in central-south Brazil while drastically less developed in north and north-west.
(4) There are several hurdles in the expansion of telecommunication services due to the dense vegetated areas and large pockets of unpopulated land.
(5) Brazil is all set to send its domestically made satellites into space with its own rockets.
(6) The civilian authority responsible for the country’s space program is the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB). It pursued a policy of joint technological development with more advanced space programs.

14. Communication in India
Ans:
(1) In India, telecom industry has become one of the fastest growing sectors.
(2) In this era of information and communicaion, digitally enhanced communication devices like mobile phones, internet, satellites etc. are paving way to expansion for the wider reach of communicaion technology.
(3) India is one of the largest users of smartphones and internet.
(4) With development of our satellites, India has come a long way in this field.
(5) The space launching programme in India is looked after by India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ISRO has developed several satellites for India.

15. Himalaya
Ans:
(1) The Himalayas is one of the youngest fold mountains in the world and it is a major mountain system of the Asian continent.
(2) It extends from Pamir knot in Tajikistan to the east and in India from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh.
(3) It is not a single mountain range but consists of many parallel ranges.
(4) The southernmost range is known as Siwalik range (Shiwalik) and is the youngest of all the ranges.
(5) Next to Shiwalik lies the Lesser Himalayas, Greater Himalayas and Trans Himalayan ranges from south to north. These ranges are young to old respectively.
(6) These Mountain ranges are further divided into Western Himalayas (Kashmir Himalayas), Central Himalayas (Kumaun Himalayas) and Eastern Himalayas (Assam Himalayas).

16. Coasts of Brazil
Ans:
(1) Brazil has a coastline of about 7400 km. It can be divided into two parts, viz. northern and eastern coasts.
(2) The northern coast which extends from Amapa province in the north to Rio Grande do Norte in the east is called as the North Atlantic Coast. From there, the eastern coasts extends towards the south.
(3) The northern coast is characterised by mouth of rivers including the Amazon. Hence, this region is a low-lying region. The Marajo Island, Marajo and Sao Marcos Bays lie on this coast. Between the mouths of River Amazon and River Tocantins, a large coastal island named Marajo is located.
(4) The eastern coast receives large number of smaller rivers. The only major river which meets the Atlantic Ocean is river Sao Francisco.
(5) The Brazilian coast is characterised by a large number of beaches and sand dunes complexes. It is protected in some areas by coral reefs and atoll islands.

17. Peninsular region of India
Ans:
(1) The area lying to the south of North Indian Plains and tapering towards the Indian Ocean is called Indian Peninsula.
(2) It consists of many plateaus and hill ranges.
(3) The Aravalis in the north are the oldest fold mountains here.
(4) It includes a series of plateaus bordering the plain. The northern part of peninsula includes Mewad, Malwa, Bundelkhand, Bhaghelkhand and Chhota Nagpur plateaus in serials from west to east. While the Deccan plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.
(5) The Vindhyas and Satpudas ranges lies in the central part whereas the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats are the western and the eastern borders of the Deccan Plateau respectively.

18. The Great Escarpment
Ans:
(1) The Great Escarpment is an important physiographic division of Brazil.
(2) It is very steep and occupies a very small area. The nature of its slope and the effect it has on the climate makes it a separate physiographic region.
(3) The eastern side of the Highlands is demarcated because of escarpment. Here, the altitude of the escarpment is 790 m, the height decreases gradually in some regions. The escarpment is very steep particularly from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre.
(4) The escarpment act as a barrier to the South-east Trade winds giving rise to the rain shadow area in the north-eastern part of the highlands. The region to the north of this area is called ‘Drought Quadrilateral’.

19. Modern means of communication
Ans:
(1) Modem means of communication includes phone, mobile phone, television, radio and internet.
(2) If we compare India and Brazil, the telecommunication service in Brazil is well developed. Here around 45% more people use internet. In India, the telecommunications sector is developing fast and the use of computers, mobile phones and internet is increasing. As a result, India is one of the largest users of internet and smart phones,
(3) In the field of space technology with the help of self developed skill and knowledge, India has achieved a milestone in developing satellites and broadcasting. Brazil is progressing technologically towards sending domestically developed satellites into space with their own rockets.

20. Air transport in India
Ans:
(1) International air transport is more developed in India as compared to Brazil.
(2) Also the use of internal air transport within the country is also increasing.
(3) In India, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kolkata, etc. are the important airports from where domestic travel as well as international travel can be conducted.

21. Physiography and internal waterways
Ans:
(1) There is correlation between physiographic and internal waterways.
(2) Role of rivers is very important for internal waterways in a country, which requires shallow ground waterways.
(3) Gentle slopes are most useful to cover long distances on water navigation. For e.g. In the north of Brazil, large parts of the Amazon river are most suitable for waterways. From Equitos in Peru to the mouth of Amazon river is the longest waterway (about 3700 kms) which can be navigated through.
(4) In India, the low lying areas, the Ganges river basin, in the Indian peninsula the Godavari river basin and also bigger canals & large reservoirs are used for waterways. About 1% of the country’s transportation takes place through waterways, which include rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc.

22. Importance of standard time
Ans:
(1) The longitudinal extent of the country is taken into consideration to fix the standard time of a country. It enables uniformity of work in the country.
(2) The difference between two extreme longitudes in Brazil is around 168 minutes (2 hours 48 minutes), due to the vast longitudinal extent of the country and the four different time zones in the country.
(3) India too has a large longitudinal extent and the difference between two extreme points is around 120 minutes (2 hrs). However, India has only one standard time zone which passes through Allahabad. The 82.5° E (82° 30′ E) longitude is the Indian Standard Time (IST). All trade and transactions in India are conducted according to the IST so that there is no confusion and there is total uniformity.
(4) World wide the Greenwich Meridian Time is taken into consideration.

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