Geography of Uttar Pradesh

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Location

Uttar Pradesh is bounded by Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh on the north-west, Haryana and Delhi on the west, Rajasthan on the south-west, Madhya Pradesh on the south, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand on south-east and Bihar on the east. Situated between 23°52'N and 31°28'N latitudes and 77°3'E and 84°39'E longitudes, this is the fourth largest state in the country in terms of area, and the first in terms of population. Uttar Pradesh can be divided into four distinct

regions :

1. The
   Shivalik foothills
2. Terai in the North
3. The
   Gangetic Plain
   in the centre - Highly fertile alluvial soils; flat topography broken by numerous ponds, lakes, and rivers; slope 2 m/km
4. The Vindhya Hills and plateau in the south - Hard rock Strata; varied topography of mountains, hills, plains, valleys, and plateau; limited water availability.
5. The
   Shivalik Range which forms the southern foothills of the Himalayas, slopes down into a boulder bed called Bhabar
   .

The transitional belt running along the entire length of the state is called the Terai and Bhabar area. It has rich forests, cutting across it are innumerable streams that swell into raging torrents during the monsoon. The Bhabar tract gives place to the terai area which is covered with tall elephant grass and thick forests interspersed with marshes and swamps. The sluggish rivers of the Bhabar deepen in this area, their course running through a tangled mass of thick undergrowth. The terai runs parallel to the Bhabar in a thin strip. The main crops are wheat, rice, and sugar cane. Jute also is grown.

The most important area for the

is the chief cash crop of the region. • The southern fringe of the Gangetic is demarcated by the rivers join the Yamuna from the south-west in this region. It has four distinct kinds of soil, two of which are agriculturally difficult to manage. They are black cotton soil. Rainfall is scanty and erratic and water-resources are scarce. Dry farming is practical on a large scale.

Climate

The climate of the state is tropical monsoon. The average temperature varies in the plains from 3 to 4 °C in January to 43 to 45 °C in May and June. There are three distinct seasons - winter from October to February, summer from March to mid-June, and the rainy season from June to September.

The rainfall in the plains is heaviest in the east and decreases towards the north-west. Floods are a recurring problem in the state, causing damage to crops, life, and property. The worst floods were in 1971, when 51 of the 54 districts of the state were affected — an area of nearly 52,000 square kilometres. The eastern districts are the most vulnerable to floods, the western districts slightly less and the central region markedly less. The eastern districts susceptibility to floods is ascribed, among other things, to heavy rainfall, low flat country, high subsoil water level and the silting of beds which causes river levels to rise. The problem in the western districts is mainly poor drainage caused by the obstruction of roads, railways, canals, new built-up areas etc. There is water logging in large areas. The major flood-prone rivers are the Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Ghaghara, Rapti, Sharda and Ramganga. The inadequate drainage capacity of the smaller western Sirsa, Kali and the Aligarh drain is also a cause of floods.

Flora and fauna

Recorded Forest Area constitute about 6.88% of the total geographical area of the state and Total Forest and Tree cover is 9.01% of total geographical area.

have no forest land, while 31 other districts have less forest area.

Forests

The existing flora in Uttar Pradesh can be classified into three categories-

• Wet tropical deciduous forests.
• Dry tropical deciduous forests.
• Tropical thorny forests.[2]

On the

leaves are used in making bidis (Indian cigarettes), and cane is used in baskets and furniture.

Species of grasses have been collected from the Gangetic plain. Herbs include medicinal plants like Rauvolfia serpentina, Viala serpens, podophyllum, hexandrum and Ephecra gerardiana.

Animal life

Corresponding to its variegated topography and climate, the state has a wealth of animal life. Its

. The most common birds include the crow, pigeon, dove, jungle fowl, black partridge, house sparrow, peafowl, blue jay, parakeet, kite, mynah, quail, bulbul, kingfisher and woodpecker.

Certain species are found in special habitats. The elephant is confined to the terai and the foothills. The gond and para also found in this region. The chinkara and the sandgrouse prefer a dry climate, and are native to the Vindhyan forests. Among the game birds resident in the state are the snipe, comb duck, grey duck, cotton teal and whistling teal.

Several species of wildlife have become extinct in Uttar Pradesh. Among them are the

are poached for their skin.

To preserve its wildlife the state has established one National Park; Dudhwa National Park and 12 game sanctuaries..

See also

• Geography of India

References

• About Uttar Pradesh
• Uttar Pradesh

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