CLIMATE

Question 1

What type of climate does India have?

Answer 1

India has a TROPICAL MONSOON type of climate

Question 2

Why does India have a tropical monsoon type of climate?

Answer 2

• India lies in the tropical belt (the TROPICS)
• Her climate is influenced by the monsoon winds
• The monsoon winds are confined to the Tropics (20ºN and 20ºS)

Question 3

What are the characteristics of a Tropical Monsoon climate?

Answer 3

• High temperatures
• Dry winters
• Wet summers

Question 4

What type of climate does Northern India experience, specifically?

Answer 4

CONTINENTAL CLIMATE

Question 5

What two main factors give India its distinct climate- differentiate South India from North India?

Answer 5

The Himalayas in the North and Indian Ocean in the South

Question 6

How do the Himalayas give North India its continental-type climate?

Answer 6

• ## Protect North India from the cold winds of central Asia and Siberia

Question 7

Without the Himalayan Range, what would be the average temperature across the Indian plains?

Answer 7

Very low- India would have become a cold desert

Question 8

What are the characteristics of continental climate? [LDL]

Answer 8

• Land wind prevalence
• Dryness of air
• Large diurnal temperature

Question 9

What is diurnal range of temperature?

Answer 9

The difference between the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature attained in that place.

Question 10

What is the mnemonic for the examples of temperature variations?

Answer 10

BaPa Kept Pudding called k^2 along the malabar coast from the island

Question 11

Mnemonic for precipitation variations

Answer 11

M2C2IT

Question 12

Does snowfall occur everywhere in the country?

Answer 12

No- it only snows in the Himalayan range area- the rest of the country receives rainfall.

Question 13

Mnemonic for precipitation variations.

Answer 13

M2C2IT

Question 14

Define “climate”.

Answer 14

The average weather conditions prevailing over a long period over a large area.

Question 15

What colours and designs aid the picturing of factors affecting the climate of India?

Answer 15

1. Highlighter
2. Purple Seas
3. Orange Marker
4. Dotted Lines

Question 16

List the 10 factors affecting the climate of India.

Answer 16

1. The Himalayas
2. Varied Relief
3. Monsoons
4. Latitude
5. Altitude
6. Western Disturbances
7. Jet Streams
8. Influence of surrounding seas
9. Distance from the sea
10. El-niño Effect

Question 17

How do the Himalayas affect the climate of India?

Answer 17

• Form a climatic barrier separating the Indian subcontinent from the rest of Asia
• Prevent the Cold Siberian winds that blow from Central Asia from entering the Indian region
• They force the moisture-laden SW Monsoon winds blowing from the Arabian Sea to shed rainfall in India (or else India would be a dry region)
• Since Central Asia lies in the rain shadow region of the Himalayas, they do not receive much precipitation from these winds.

Question 18

How does Varied Relief affect the climate of India?

Answer 18

• The Western Ghats receive heavy rainfall of their western side because they block the SW Monsoons which come from the Arabian Sea; The Deccan Plateau gets less rainfall since it lies in the rain-shadow region os the Western Ghats
• The Aravali Range in Rajasthan, being parallel to the direction of the SW Monsoon winds is unable to stop the moisture-laden winds- therefore, Rajasthan is a dry area.
• The southern hills of Assam block the oncoming winds and force them to shed moisture before carrying on northwards- therefore, the northern hills of Assam are comparatively drier.

Question 19

How do the Monsoon Winds affect the climate of India?

Answer 19

BUTTON 1: The monsoons bring rainfall over the entirety of South Asia
BUTTON 2: During Summers (June, July, August) winds move quickly into the Indian Peninsula towards the low-pressure system of NW India from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. This moisture brings rainfall to the entire subcontinent, leaving TIBET dry in the rain-shadow region of the Himalayas.
BUTTON 3: The SW Monsoons begin to retreat by the end of SEPTEMBER from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, by OCTOBER from Central India and by the end of November from South India.
BUTTON 4: During winter time, there are DRY, OFFSHORE NE Monsoon Winds blowing to the low pressure system of the Bay of Bengal. These winds originate in Mongolia and NW China. As they blow over the landmass, they’re cold and dry, but after joining the trade winds and passing over the Bay of Bengal, they pick up moisture and bring rain to Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast.

Question 20

How does Latitude affect the climate of India?

Answer 20

• The Tropic of Cancer divides the Indian subcontinent into 2 parts- the northern part lies in the Temperate Zone and the Southern part lies in the Tropical Zone.
• ## The WARM temperate or sub-tropical climate of the northern zone gives the region a cold winter season and a hot summer season. The southern tropical zone of India is much warmer and does not have a distinguished winter season.