Plains and Rivers Geography PDF

1 U N I T 1 P l a in s a n d R iv e r s UNIT Plains and rivers 1 UNIT Plains and Rivers What is a plain? Knowledge...

1 U N I T 1 P l a in s a n d R iv e r s UNIT Plains and rivers 1 UNIT Plains and Rivers What is a plain? Knowledge Describe the physical features of plains. Skills Use maps, GIS or Google Maps , Google Earth, to identify Differentiate plains from the other landforms. different types of plains and their features. Identify some major types of plains of the world Inquire about the working of a river system. Describe the river plain. Investigate reasons why the Arctic plain is known as Explore a river system. barren plain. Describe the importance of the middle course of the river. Investigate the living conditions in a Desert or the Discover why delta is found on the lower course of the river. Arctic Tundra Plain. List different features of the upper, middle, and lower courses Gather, organise, and interpret data to analyse the of a river. impact of rivers on the biodiversity of the region. Explain how rivers are important in the biodiversity and Exceeding use of vocabulary to describe economy of the region. physical, human, and environmental geography and economy related to them. What is a plain? Look at the land around you. Is it flat or hilly? If it has a slope, is the slope gentle or steep? If it is a large, wide area of land that is flat, or almost flat, it is a plain. A plain might slope gently, but never steeply. One of the world’s largest plains is the Eurasian Steppe. Steppes are found in places with a temperate climate and very little rain. Another very large plain region is the Great Plains of North America. Kyrgyztan is part of the Eurasian steppes What are plains like? which is a large area of unforested grassland. There are different types of plains—each characterised by its unique features like climate, vegetation, and location. Some plains, like the Great Plains of North America, are bounded on one side by mountains. Some are found along the banks of rivers, like the Indus river plain in Pakistan. It is a vast expanse of fertile land, covering about 517997.6 km2 with a gentle slope from the Himalayan piedmont in the north to the Arabian Sea in the south. Coastal plains are found along the coasts of continents. Let’s find out about some other types of plains. Grasslands Grasslands receive enough rain for grasses to grow up to about 1 metre high. Scattered trees grow in Plain’s bison on the American Prairie Reserve in the wetter parts. The Eurasian Steppe and the Great Montana, USA Plains of North America are grasslands. 1 U N I T 1 P l a in s a n d riv e r s In North America grasslands are called prairies. The temperate grasslands of South America are called pampas. The Serengeti Plains So grasslands are of central Africa are called savannahs. Savannahs have grass, other plains with temperate small flowering plants, and a few trees. There are also savannahs in climates? Australia and the southern part of North America. Deserts Some plains are deserts. Deserts are places that have less than 250 mm of rainfall per annum. The weather in deserts is usually hot, but Not always! There are it becomes cool at night. Most deserts are located between the latitudes grasslands called savannahs of 20° and 35° North and South of the Equator. The land is flat but as in tropical climates. These are the climate is very dry, there is very little vegetation. Parts of the Thar warm throughout the year. They have wet Desert in Pakistan and the Sahara Desert in North Africa are plains. and dry seasons. There are also desert plains in Australia. Temperate or cold deserts are found in higher latitudes. Its dry environment is due to the presence of high mountains and its distance from the sea. The largest area of temperate desert lies in Central Asia, western North America, southeastern South America, and southern Australia. Katpana desert in Pakistan is an example of a cold desert. Although cold deserts experience lower temperatures than hot deserts, temperate deserts are similar in aridity, landforms, and soil. Arctic Tundra Plains of Arctic region where the ground is frozen are called tundra. The frozen ground is called permafrost. It can be up to 450 The Thar Desert stretches over 446 km2 and covers large areas of metres thick. In the coldest tundra Pakistan and India. plains, the surface of the soil remains frozen. In warmer tundra plains, the surface thaws in the summer. Tundra plains receive very little rain but the water from melted ice forms bogs and shallow lakes in the summer. Few trees grow on the tundra, but many small plants survive. Building Skills List the similarities and differences between the living conditions in desert and arctic plains. Permafrost in an Arctic tundra plain in Alaska, USA 2  U N I T 1 P l a in s a n d riv e r s Floodplains Plains which are built by river sediments are called floodplains. These are usually flat lands next to a river which are flooded regularly. The Plains are all densely rivers flow slowly across plains because the land slopes less steeply. populated around the world Floodplains form along the banks of a river that has collected a large because of its flat land and amount of water, for example, the Indus and the Nile floodplains. availability of water. People are involved in a range of Let’s take a look at the Indus floodplain. The river erodes its banks and economic activities here like farming, industries, mining, leaves an area which is lower than the land around it. Most of the time, etc. However, these the river stays in its channel but sometimes it floods, usually in the rainy areas are also season. The flood water brings a huge amount of sediment to this land liable for flooding. and, after the flood recedes, the nutrient-rich sediment is left behind— thus making the soil fertile. For centuries, people have used the fertile land of floodplains for farming, such as that of the River Nile and the River Indus. However, in modern times, people have built settlements on floodplains that face the threat of flooding. River Indus originates near the Mansarovar Lake in the Tibetan plateau and runs most of its course through Pakistan. It is the most important supplier of water to the Punjab and Sindh plains. It forms the backbone of agriculture and food production in Pakistan. This is why most of its population is settled in Punjab and Sindh, along the Indus Plain. The river is especially critical as rainfall is scarce in the lower Indus valley. Many industries and urban centers are on the Indus Plain. River Indus flowing from the Himalayas An aerial view of the Indus floodplain 3 U N I T 1 P l a in s a n d riv e r s Locating plains on the world map Look at the map below. See if you can find the large plains of the world. Use the key to identify these regions on the map. Remember that plains are regions with the lowest elevations. Physiography (physical geography) has a direct impact on human activities. Time zones aid in international trade and communication. A time zone on the globe is approximately 15° longitude wide and extends from pole to pole and within which a uniform clock time is used. They are the functional basis of standard time and were introduced in the late 19th century as railways connected places that had differing local times. Do you know what time zone is Pakistan in GMT? World plains and types of land GILGIT F R O K rol N T I Cont Line of MUZAFFARABAD E R SRINAGAR J & INDIAN ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED JAMMU & KASHMIR U N (DISPUTED TERRITORY - FINAL STATUS TO BE DECIDED IN LINE WITH RELEVANT UNSC RESOLUTIONS) D E A F I * N E Wo rk ing D Bou ndar y The red dotted line represents approximately the line of control in Jammu & Kashmir. The State of Jammu & Kashmir and its accession is yet to be decided through a plebiscite under the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Actual boundary in the area where remark FRONTIER Key UNDEFINED appears, would ultimately be decided by P P the sovereign authorities concerned after the final settlement of Jammu & Kashmir dispute. *A J & K stands for Azad Jammu & Kashmir as defined in the AJK Interim Constitution Act, 1974. Tundra LEGEND Capital of Country........... ISLAMABAD Headquarters; Province........ PESHAWAR Savannah Boundary; International............... Boundary; Province.................. Boundary; Working.................. Line of Control...................... Desert River.............................. GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN COPYRIGHTS RESERVED JUNAGADH & MANAVADAR 69° 70° 71° 72° Temperate Scale in km 23° 23° 2000 K U T C H 0 4000 O F grassland G U L F SIR CREEK 68° I N D I A 1000 3000 5000 22° 22° M 24° 24° AN JUNAGADH BANTVA AV AD AR J U Y N A BA G A D H CAM International Boundary 21° OF LF 21° along Eastern Bank GU of the Creek A R A B I A N S E A 68° E. of GREENWICH. 69° 70° E. of GREENWICH. 71° 72° Rivers Have you ever wondered where a river begins? Take a look Building Skills at the River Indus on the map on page 5. The Indus is the longest river in Pakistan (2900 km). Its plains make up 20% Using the Internet, research difference of the total land of Pakistan. Let’s take a trip down the river between economic activities conducted on plains of Pakistan and any other from where it begins. country of your choice. Source of a river The place where a river starts is called its source. Our journey begins at this point. Some rivers start in a lake or a glacier, but many rivers come from a spring on high land. A spring is formed when ground water pushes its way to the surface through holes or weak places in the rock. The spring becomes a stream as it flows downhill. The fast-flowing water carries sediment. As it flows, the water cuts a v shaped valley. The valley is not straight because the stream changes direction if it comes to hard rock, called a spur. Where there are lots of spurs they are called interlocking spurs. This is the upper course of a river, where water flows fast downhill. 4  GILGIT U N I T 1 P l a in s a n d riv e r s F R O K tro l N T I f Con Line o MUZAFFARABAD E R As the Indus flows away from its source, four main rivers join it at SRINAGAR J & Can you trace INDIAN ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED JAMMU & KASHMIR U N different places in Punjab. These are called its tributaries known as (DISPUTED TERRITORY - FINAL STATUS TO BE DECIDED IN LINE WITH RELEVANT UNSC RESOLUTIONS) D E the course of the A F I Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej. These rivers come from streams, snow, * N E Wo rk ing Indus river? D Bou nda ry GILGIT and glaciers in the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush mountains. F R O K trol N T I f Con Line o MUZAFFARABAD E R The upper course of a river Courses of River Indus and its tributries SRINAGAR J & INDIAN ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED JAMMU & KASHMIR U N Wetlands in Pakistan (DISPUTED TERRITORY - FINAL STATUS TO BE DECIDED C IN LINE WITH RELEVANT UNSC RESOLUTIONS) The red dotted line represents approximately the line of N D E The movement of water in a river is called H control in Jammu & Kashmir. The State of Jammu & A F I Kashmir and its accession is yet to be decided through I * N E 1 Astola (Haft Talar Island) a plebiscite under the relevant United Nations Security Wo N rk ing D GI GILGIT W E a current. The current is usually Sarragestrongest Council Resolutions. Bou LG 2 Chashma A nda ry I T- Actual boundary in the area where remark FRONTIER GILGIT B AL 3 Dah Akro-II near the river’s source. Storms Desert canWetland Complex increase F R O UNDEFINED appears, would ultimately be decided by TI S the sovereign authorities concerned after the final RIV ER SKT rol Karakoram Pass Karakoram Pass N T I Cont AN 4 Drigh Lake US Line of P P IND settlement of Jammu & Kashmir dispute. MUZAFFARABAD E R the magnitude of5 the current Haleji Lake which can even SRINAGAR J & *A J & K stands for Azad Jammu & Kashmir as defined INDIAN ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED JAMMU & KASHMIR U N (DISPUTED TERRITORY - FINAL STATUS TO BE DECIDED in the AJK Interim Constitution Act, 1974. 6 Hub (Hab) Dam pieces IN LINE WITH RELEVANT UNSC RESOLUTIONS) move large boulders. The broken D E A F I * N E LEGEND IND 7 Indus Delta the riverbed. Wo Line of Contro rk ing US D l of rocks scrape and dig into Bou Capital of Country........... ISLAMABAD MUZAFFARABAD ndar y RIV ER 8 Indus Dolphin Reserve Headquarters; Province........ PESHAWAR Boundary; International............... SRINAGAR The red dotted line represents approximately the line of Gradually a river 9tears away Jiwani rocks coastal and soil Wetland Boundary; Province.................. control in Jammu & Kashmir. The State of Jammu & INDIAN ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED JAMMU & KASHMIR (DISPUTED Kashmir TRRITORYand its STATUS - FINAL accession is DECIDED TO BE yet to be decided through 10 Jabho Lagoon N Boundary; Working.................. a plebiscite IN LINE WITH RELEVANT under UNSC the relevant United Nations Security RESOLUTIONS) along its bed, and carries them downstream. Line of Control...................... A Council Resolutions. 11 Kinjhar (Kain) Lake River.............................. T * Actual boundary in the area where remark FRONTIER The river carves a12 narrow, Miani HorV-shaped valley S GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN R UNDEFINED appears, would The red dotted line ultimately be decided represents approximately byof the line I VE COPYRIGHTS RESERVED Wo control in Jammu & Kashmir. The State of Jammu & the sovereign authorities concerned after the final RI rkin 13 Nurri Lagoon and gorges. P P g Kashmir and its accession is yet to be decided through JUNAGADH & MANAVADAR Bo and creates rapids, settlement of Jammu & Kashmir dispute. waterfalls, UM un N dary a plebiscite under the relevant United Nations Security EL Council Resolutions. JH 69° 70° 71° 72° 14 Ormara Turtle Beaches A ER *A J & K stands for Azad Actual Scale Jammu boundary in1: the3,000,000 & Kashmir area as FRONTIER where remark defined A gorge or canyon R is a deep valley that has 23° in the AJK InterimUNDEFINED Constitution Act, 1974. H 23° V appears, would ultimately be decided by VE 15 Runn of Kutch P RI the sovereign authorities concerned after the final RI AB O F K U T C H P G U L F settlement of Jammu & Kashmir dispute. G SIR CREEK EN LEGEND S 16 been cut by a river. Tanda Dam CH DU The red dotted *Aline J & represents K stands for approximately Azad Jammu & the Kashmirline of ascontrol definedin F 68° Capital of Country Jammu & Kashmir. in theThe. state. Interim...of.Jammu.....&ISLAMABAD Kashmir and its accession IN I N D I A AJK Constitution Act, 1974. 17 Taunsa Barrage is yet to be decided through a plebiscite under the relevant United A 22° 22° R Headquarters; Nations SecurityProvince......LEGEND.. PESHAWAR VE Council Resolutions. RI Boundary; International Capital of Country.......................ISLAMABAD... 18 Thanedar Wala I M 24° 24° V AN Actual boundary in the area where RA Boundary; ProvinceHeadquarters;.....Province.. remark.......FRONTIER.. UNDEFINED..........PESHAWAR JUNAGADH BANTVA AV R AD VE Boundary;be appears, would ultimately International decided by..the...sovereign.........authorities. AR 19 Uchhali Complex Y BA