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Pre-Harappan Period Lower Paleolithic Hand axe & cleaver industries Pahalgam, Belan valley (U.P), (600,000 – 60,000 BC) Bhimbetka, Adamgarh, 16 R Singi Talav Middle Paleolithic Tools made on flakes Bhimbetka, Nevasa, Pushkar, Rohiri (150,000 – 40,000 BC) … Read more Ancient Indian History(Quick Revision)
In the early 2nd century BC, a tribe on the Central Asian frontier of China called Hsiung-nu defeated a neighboring one known as Yueh-chih. After more conflict, the survivors of the Yueh-chih were dislocated west, passing down the Ili river valley and along the southern shore of lake Issyk Kul. This movement also pushed … Read more The Kushanas: Short introduction
The Kushana period witnessed a remarkable development in art, sculpture and architecture. The Gandhara School of Art and Sculpture marked a happy blending of the Graceo-Romano-Buddhist style and techniques. The distinguishing features of the Gandhara Sculpture owed their origin to Greek and Roman styles yet the art essentially was Indian in spirit. The Gandhara … Read more Art, Sculpture and Architecture in Kushana Empire
The Gupta Empire stretched across northern, central and parts of southern India between c. 320 and 550 CE. The period is noted for its achievements in the arts, architecture, sciences, religion, and philosophy. Chandragupta I (320 – 335 CE) started a rapid expansion of the Gupta Empire and soon established himself as the first sovereign ruler of the empire. It marked the end of 500 hundred … Read more The Gupta Empire
Harsh Vardhan Emperor Harshavardhana, better known as Harsha, lived from 590 to 647 CE and was the third ruler of the Vardhana Empire, the last great empire in ancient India before the Islamic Invasion. He ruled from 606 CE to 647 CE. After Harshavardhana’s death, however, the Vardhana dynasty came to an end and its empire dissolved. India, the land … Read more vardhan empire
The founder of the Chola Empire was Vijayalaya, who was first feudatory of the Pallavas of Kanchi. He captured Tanjore in 850 A.D. He established a temple of goddess Nishumbhasudini (Durga) there. Aditya I succeeded Vijayalaya. Aditya helped his overlord the Pallava king Aparajita against the Pandyas but soon defeated him and annexed … Read more Cholas
The Pallava rule formed a golden epoch in the cultural history of south India. The period under the Pallavas was marked by considerable literary activities and cultural revival. The Pallavas warmly patronized Sanskrit language and most of the literary records of the time were composed in that language. Due to the cultural renaissance and … Read more Civilization and Culture of the Pallavas
In the sixth country B.C. North India was divided into sixteen kingdoms out of which Avanti, Vatsa, Kosala and Magadha rose into prominence by aggrandizing upon other weaker states.These four states involved themselves in internecine quarrel in which Magadha emerged as the most powerful state and acquired mastery in the political domain of … Read more Magdhan
The Lichchhavis (also Lichchavi, Licchavi) were an important member of the Vajjian confederacy. The early Indian traditions describe the Lichchhavis as Kshatriyas. Scholars reject the theory of foreign origin of the Lichchhavis on the strength of these traditions. But they were degraded to the status of fallen Kshatriyas due to their championship of non-Brahmanical … Read more The History of Licchavis
The Aryans came to India in several waves. The earliest wave is represented by the Rig Vedic people who appeared in the subcontinent in about 1500 BC. They came into conflict with the indigenous inhabitants called the Dravidians mentioned as Dasa or Dasyus in Rig Veda. The Rig Veda mentions the defeat of Sambara … Read more Origin of Aryans
Indus Valley Civilization was the first major civilization in south Asia, which spread across a vast area of land in present day India and Pakistan (around 12 lakh sq.km). The time period of mature Indus Valley Civilization is estimated between BC. 2700- BC.1900 i.e. for 800 years. But early Indus Valley Civilization had existed even before … Read more Indus Valley Civilization
The State of Jharkhand: Environmental Concerns The word Jharkhand connotes an area of land covered with forests. The word Jharkhand has been derived from the Sanskrit word, Jhari Khanda the ancient name depicting the regions’ dense forest. Thus, naturally as well as symbolically, the states’ very existence is associated with forests. Another remarkable aspect … Read more Pollution Problems
Urban growth and urbanization patterns in Jharkhand do not seem to attract any significant academic attention. The ‘newly’ born state that came into existence on 15th November 2000 as the 28th state of Indian Union has however remained in turbidity of political economy of growth since its formation. For a long time, Jharkhand remained … Read more Pattern of urban settlement
Industrial and urban development. Major industries-Iron, Steel and Cement; industries, The state of Jharkhand, widely acclaimed as the region of future, has enormous potentialities for industrialization. With its large deposits of minerals, it provides a solid launching pad for all kinds of industries. Born out of partition from old Bihar state in 2000, Jharkhand produces … Read more Industrial and urban development. Major industries-Iron, Steel and Cement; industries,
Tribal development Plans Bicycle Distribution Scheme This Scheme has been started by Jharkhand Government to encourage girl students belonging to SC, ST, Minorities, and BPL families to go to schools and continue their studies. This plan was started by the state government for the following two reasons: – The distance between the school & their … Read more Problems of trible
Demographic Profile of the STs There are 32 tribes (2011) in Jharkhand of which Santhals are most numerous accounting for one third of the total tribal population followed by Oraon, Munda and Ho contributing more than 10% to the total tribal population. Other tribes such as Kharwar, Lohra, Bhumij and Kharia have a share … Read more Tribal population and their distribution
Jharkhand Population as per Census 2011 The Population of Jharkhand according to the 2011 census stands at about 32 million, making it the 13th most populated state in India. The state makes up about 3.5% of the country’s population a figure which was about 3% during the last census in 2001. The state … Read more Population : Growth, distribution, density
Mineral Resources Jharkhand is one of the leading mineral producing States. It is one of the leading producers of coal, kyanite, gold, silver, bauxite and felspar. Uranium ore is mined and processed by Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) for use as fuel in the country’s nuclear power reactors through four underground mines, one … Read more mineral resources of Jharkhand,their extraction and utilization
The Damodar River is a tributary of the Hugli River. It flows more or less in the west to east direction through Jharkhand and West Bengal. Its total length from its source in the hills of Chota Nagpur plateau in Jharkhand to its confluence with Hugli in West Bengal is about 541 km, half … Read more Damodar & Suberna rekha valley projects
The dams in Jharkhand mainly cater to the irrigation system of the state through a well managed system of canal irrigation in the local areas. The dams of Jharkhand are also utilized for power generation. The major dams of Jharkhand are the Maithon dam, the Panchet Dam and the Chandil Dam. The Maithon Dam was constructed … Read more Irrigation
The State of Jharkhand was created in November’ 2000 after carving 79 lakh hectares geographical area from the State of Bihar for better planning and execution of development activities of a ecologically different zone ( Hills & Plateau region compared to Bihar plains). Agriculture is the main stay for the 80% of rural population … Read more Agriculture
Jharkhand with a geographical area of 79,714 km2 constitutes 2.42% of the country’s area. The total recorded forest area of the state is 23,605 km2 which is 29.61% of the geographical area of the state. Of the total recorded forest area, Reserved Forests constitute 18.58%, Protected Forests 81.28%, and Unclassed Forests 0.14%. As per State … Read more Jharkhand’s Geography: Forests
Soil is one of the most important non-renewable basic resources on the earth surface. Therefore greater attention has been paid through out the world to study the soils, their distribution and extent, behavior, potentials and problems and their suitability for sustained use for different purposes. Jharkhand state lies between 21o 58’2” to 25o … Read more Soil types
The state falls under the Tropical Monsoon climatic region. The Tropic of Cancer cuts across the state passing through the middle of the Ranchi City. The average temperature of the state is 25° C, which varies greatly because of varying heights of different plateaus mentioned above. The average temperature of the Pat region is … Read more Climate
The radial centrifugal drainage system of Jharkhand state has number of rivers. Most of these rivers remain relatively dry during summer months (February-May) but exhibit torrential flow during the months of monsoons (June-September). Jharkhand has a vast potential for generating hydel power as is exemplified by the location of the famous Damodar Valley Corporation … Read more Drainage System
Jharkhand is located in the eastern part of India bordering the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, and Chattisgarh. Tropic of Cancer passes through Kanke, few kilometers away from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, making it the only state in India touched by Tropic of Cancer. Most of the Jharkhand region is … Read more Landforms
The spatial extent of Jharkhand State is approximately 21° 55’ to 25° 35’ North Latitude and 83° 20’ to 88° 02’ East Longitude. The state is land locked and it shares its boundary with Orissa on the southeast, Chattisgarh on the southwest, Bihar on the north, West Bengal on the east and Uttar Pradesh … Read more Geological history
Based on the value addition and tangibility broadly we can have three types of industries – primary industries,secondary industries and tertiary industries. Primary industries are usually very simple industries involving processing of raw materials to give input goods for secondary industries. Here value addition is usually minimal and they are usually material oriented.Scale of … Read more Development of Industries : Types of Industries;factors of industrial location, distribution and changing pattern of selected industries [iron and steel, cotton textile, sugar and petro- chemicals); Weber’s theory of industrial location-lts relevance in the modern world.
Petroleum, natural gas, coal, nitrogen, uranium and water power are examples of conventional sources of energy. They’re also called non-renewable sources of energy and are mainly fossil fuels, except water power. Rising growth of population has created a tremendous pressure on the conventional resources of energy and thus the concept of sustainable development get prominent … Read more Non- metallic and conventional minerals [coal,petroleum and natural gas), (c) hydro electricity and non conventional sources of energy (Solar, Wind, bio-gas),(d) energy sources Their distribution and conservation.
Mineral is a naturally occurring, homogeneous inorganic solid substance having a definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure, color, and hardness Minerals are valuable natural resources that are finite and non-renewable. The history of mineral extraction in India dates back to the days of the Harappan civilization. The wide availability of minerals in the … Read more Minerals and Energy Resources : Distribution and utility of [a] metallic minerals (ion ore, copper, bauxite, manganese)
Scarcity of water Water scarcity is possibly to pose the greatest challenge on account of its increased demand coupled with shrinking supplies due to over utilisation and pollution. Water is a cyclic resource with abundant supplies on the globe. Approximately, 71 per cent of the earth’s surface is covered with it but fresh … Read more Scarcity of water, methods of conservation-rain water harvesting and watershed management, ground water management
Industrial Uses The share of industrial sector is limited to 2 per cent of the surface water utilisation and 5 per cent of the ground-water. Rough estimates indicate that the present water use in the industrial sector is of the order of 15 km3 . The water use by thermal and nuclear power … Read more Utilization for industrial and other purposes, irrigation
Water is a prime natural resource, a basic human need and a precious national asset. Planning, development and management of water resources need to be governed by national perspectives. India accounts for about 2.45 per cent of world’s surface area, 4 per cent of the world’s water resources and about 16 per cent of … Read more Water Resources : Availability
Rice The rice is cultivated on the largest areas in India. Historians believe that while the indica variety of rice was first domesticated in the area covering the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas (i.e. north-eastern India).Rice is a nutritional staple food which provides instant energy as its most important component is carbohydrate (starch). Rice … Read more Geographical condition and distribution of major crops, like,Rice, Wheat,Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Rubber, Tea and Coffee
Land is a finite resource. Land availability is only about 20% of the earth’s surface. Land is crucial for all developmental activities, for natural resources, ecosystem services and for agriculture. Growing population, growing needs and demands for economic development, clean water, food and other products from natural resources, as well as degradation of land … Read more Development and Utilization Land Resources ie General land use, agricultural land use
What are natural resources ? Natural resources are useful raw materials that we get from the Earth. They occur naturally, which means that humans cannot make natural resources. Instead, we use and modify natural resources in ways that are beneficial to us. The materials used in human-made objects are natural resources. Some examples of natural … Read more Natural Resources of India
The definition of function varies across the disciplines. In political science it refers to duties, in mathematics it means the relationship between two variables and in geography it is synonymous to occupation. Geographers have classified towns on the basis of their site, situation, size, rank, location and relative elevation. Functional classification of towns attempts to categorize towns … Read more functional classification of urban settlements Problems of human settlement in India
Urban morphology is the study of the form of human settlements and the process of their formation and transformation.Morphological studies often deal with development of forms and pattern of the present city or other urban areas through time. Urban morphology is the study of the physical form of a city, which consists of street … Read more Urban morphology
Settlement can be defined as any form of human habitation which ranges from a single dwelling to large city. The word settlement has another connotation as well as this is a process of opening up and settling of a previously uninhabited area by the people. In geography this process is also known as occupancy. … Read more Types of Settlements : rural and urban
The rapid pace of population growth has led to the excessive utilization of natural resources. Huge population also leads to huge production of wastes. The resultant outcomes are loss of biodiversity, pollution of air, water and soil and increased pressure on arable land. All these have been putting great stress on the environment. If … Read more Population, environment and development
Rural-Urban Composition: For the first time since Independence, the absolute increase in population is more in urban areas that in rural areas Rural Population in India: 68.84% Urban Population in India: 31.16% Level of urbanization increased from 27.81% in 2001 Census to 31.16% in 2011 Census The proportion of rural population declined from 72.19% … Read more Age: Sex, ratio, rural-urban composition
India is the second most populous country in the world next only to China. On March 1, 2011 the total population of India was at 1.247 billion. This accounted for 17.5% of the world’s total population. In other words, about every sixth person in the world there is an Indian. China, the most populous country … Read more Population growth, distribution and density
Natural Hazards of India Disaster A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s capacity to cope using its own resources. Vulnerability + Hazard =Disaster Vulnerability- it is defined as the diminished capacity of … Read more Natural Hazards : Floods, Droughts, Cyclones, Landslides
Soil is defined as upper layer of the earth composed of loose surface material. It is a mixture of many substances including endless variety of minerals, remnants of plants and animals, water and air. It is the end product of continuing interaction between the parent material, local climate, plant and animal organisms and elevation … Read more Major types of Soils.(ICAR classification) and their distribution. Soil degradation and conservation
In India, at present forest areas cover about 76.5 million hectares of land, which is about 23 per cent of the total geographical area. It ranges from about 87 per cent in Andaman & Nicobar Islands to only about 4 percent in Haryana making to range difference of 83 percent. According to our National … Read more Natural Vegetation-Forest types and distribution, wild life, conservation, biosphere reserves
According to FAO Food Security is “a situation in which all people at all times have access to adequate quantities of safe and nutritious food to lead a healthy and active life”. This definition requires three basic conditions to be met: 1) adequacy, i.e. supplies from domestic production, stocks and imports are sufficient to meet the … Read more Food scarcity
The Green Revolution was initiated in the 1960’s to address the issue of malnutrition in the developing world. The technology of the Green Revolution involved bio-engineered seeds that worked in conjunction with chemical fertilizers and heavy irrigation to increase crop yields. Green Revolution was largely confined in wheat crop and in northern India such … Read more Green Revolution and its impact on major crops of India
The word “monsoon” comes from the Arabic word mausim, meaning season.Monsoons refer to a system of winds in the tropical regions under which the direction of winds is reversed completely between the summer and the winter seasons. Under this system, the winds blow from land to sea in winter and from sea to land … Read more Indian monsoon, mechanism, onset and retreat
Drainage: Flow of water through well-defined channels. Network of such channels is called a drainage system . Drainage basin: An area drained by a river and its tributaries. Watershed: Boundary line separating one drainage basin from other. River basins are larger watersheds. Drainage pattern of an area depends on the geological time period, nature … Read more Drainage Systems Himalayan and the Peninsular
Three Geological divisions: The peninsular block The Himalayas and other Peninsular Mountains Indo-Ganga-Brahmaputra Plain Peninsualar block is made of gneisses (metamorphic) and granites (igneous). Six physiographic divisions: The Northern and North-eastern Mountains The Northern Plain The Peninsular Plateau The Indian Desert The Coastal Plains The Islands Northern and North-Eastern Mountains Approximate length of … Read more Structure, relief and physiographic divisions