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RBSE Secondary Social Science study materials
RBSE Secondary Social Science study resources

RBSE Secondary Social Science: Geography: Physiography, Drainage and Climate of Rajasthan

RBSE Secondary Social Science · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

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Geography: Physiography, Drainage and Climate of Rajasthan

Geography questions here are locate-and-explain: identify a feature, then account for it. Almost everything in Rajasthan follows one line - the Aravalli - which divides a sand-dominated northwest from a plateau-and-plain southeast.

Physiographic divisions

  • Western arid plain (Marusthali and Bagar): sand dunes, internal drainage, roughly the western half of the state.
  • Aravalli range: among the world's oldest fold mountains, running southwest to northeast; the highest point is Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) on Mount Abu, Sirohi district.
  • Eastern plateau and plain: Hadoti plateau and the Banas basin, more fertile and better watered.
  • Southern hilly region: Mewar, Banswara and Dungarpur, with Vindhyan and Deccan-trap edges.

Drainage

  • Bay of Bengal system: Chambal, Banas - the only large river flowing entirely within Rajasthan, Kali Sindh, Parvati, Banganga.
  • Western/inland system: Luni, which drains the west and fades towards the Rann of Kutch; below Balotra its water turns saline.
  • Mahi and Sabarmati run to the Arabian Sea through Gujarat.

Lakes and climate

  • Sambhar is the state's great inland saline lake and a salt source; Jaisamand (Dhebar), Pichola, Rajsamand, Ana Sagar and Pushkar are fresh-water or artificial lakes.
  • Rainfall decreases sharply from east to west - above 800 mm in Jhalawar to under 200 mm in Jaisalmer - partly because the Aravalli creates a rain-shadow to its west.
  • May and June are the hottest months; the monsoon arrives in late June and withdraws by September.

Worked example

"Why is farming in western Rajasthan mainly pastoral?" Reason in steps: rainfall below 250 mm, sandy soil that holds little water, high evaporation, and sparse thorny vegetation - but good pasture after rain. Hence sheep, goats and camels rather than cereal farming.

Traps

Banas is a tributary of the Chambal, not an independent sea-going river. Luni is neither perennial nor fresh in its lower course. Guru Shikhar lies in Sirohi district, not Udaipur. Sambhar is saline, not a fresh-water lake.