7 Ch. 8 Land and the People

7 S.St.

Ch. 8 Land and the People 

Something to know

A. Tick the correct option:

1. Which one of the following is a features of the Sahara desert ?

(a) the summers are short and warm.(b) it is the world's largest and the hottest desert. (c) it is surrounded by lofty and high mountains. (d)  the climatic conditions are very moderate.

2. Which river passes through the world's largest rainforest, located in South America ? 

( a) Mississippi  (b) Amazon (c) Nile  (d)orange 

3. The prairies are also known as the 'Granaries of the world' due to the practice of -

(a) extensive farming (b) dairy farming (c) intensive farming (d) subsistence farming.

4. In which continent is the Kalahari Desert located ?

(a) South America (b) North America(c ) Asia

 (d) Africa 

5.  Rice, jute and tea are important crops of -

(a) Indus basin (b) Nile basin (c) Ganga Brahmaputra basin (d) Amazon Basin

B. Fill in the blanks:

1. Sand dunes are the common features formed by winds in the hot deserts.

2. The opening of Srinagar- Leh Road has made Ladakh a big tourist centre.

3. The prairies produce huge surplus of wheat. 4. Nile is world's longest river.

5. Sundarban Delta is known as the world's largest delta.

C. Write true or false for the following statements:

1.  Sahara receives heavy rainfall in the winter season. False 

2. Rhinoceros is the common animal of the Amazon basin. False

3.  The top layer of the Amazon forests is known as canopy. True 

4.  Deserts are the areas of low vegetational cover. True 

5. The yak and the sheep are the common animals of Ladakh Desert. True

D. Answer the following question in brief :

1. What are the various uses of date palm tree for the inhabitants of the Sahara desert?

Ans. Date is the most common fruit here. Both animals and people eat dates. The sap  of date tree is used to make wine. The seeds of date fruit are crushed and used as fodder for the camels and goats.

2.  Name the two types of deserts according to their locational zones.

Ans. Sahara desert (hot desert)and Ladakh desert (cold desert )are the two types of deserts according to their locational zones.

3.  Name the important rivers found in the Veld grasslands.

Ans. Limpopo and Orange are the important rivers found in the Veld grasslands.

4.  Why is Ganga Brahmaputra Delta known as Sundarban? 

Ans. The lowest part of the Ganga delta is covered with mangrove forests. These forests are dominated by the plant species, locally known as the Sundari, that's why this area is named as a Sundarban.

5.  Mention the three layers of foliage of the equatorial  forests.

Ans. The top most layer of foliage of the equatorial forests is known as canopy. Below this there are two more layers of foliage consisting of shrubs and bushes. The forests are so dense that the sunlight hardly reaches  the ground.

E. Answer the following questions:

1.  Distinguish between the Sahara desert and the Ladakh Desert with respect to location, climate and vegetation .

Ans. Sahara desert - the Sahara desert is the world's largest and hottest desert on the earth. It lies between the Atlantic Ocean in the West, Red Sea in the East, Mediterranean sea in the north and  sand dunes in the south. Sahara is a region of hot and dry climate. The annual rainfall is less than 20 cm. Sahara is covered with vegetation like grasses shrubs and bushes .

Ladakh desert - Ladakh situated in the North Eastern part of the Jammu Kashmir, is one of the coldest deserts in the world. Ladakh is surrounded by the the lofty and high mountain ranges. The land of Ladakh is covered with snow for many months. The average rainfall is only 8 cm . Willow tree which are the mainly used for making bats.

2. Why are the rainforests of the Amazon basin disappearing ?

Ans. The rainforests of the Amazon basin are disappearing due to  the increase in population many rainforests have been cleared for various purposes. People are moving towards this area because of economic potential for the Amazon basin. The forest areas were cleared for setting up camp and constructing roads.

3. Why is the density of population in the Sahara desert low?

Ans. The density of population in Sahara Desert is low because most of the land is barren and uninhabited. Population is mainly concentrated near the water bodies. The cultivation of crops is  possible around the oases.

4.  Differentiate between the Prairies and the Velds. 

Ans. The Prairies - the grasslands in the North America are known as the Prairies. The basin is very fertile and important for agriculture. They have a continental type of climate. The temperature in summer goes as high 38℃ and the winter it is as low as -40℃.

             Extensive farming is common in  this areas. The farms are very big in size the work is mostly done with the help of Machines.

The Velds - The grasslands are called Veld in South Africa.  A veld is situated near the coast. It has a moderate type of climate. The summers are very short and warm .The winter are long and cool.

             Agriculture is not possible in veld as it is plateau and the soil is infertile. The veld grasslands are rich in various minerals like gold, diamond etc.

5. Why is Ganga- Brahmaputra region thickly populated?

Ans. The Ganga Brahmaputra region is thickly populated because the soil of Ganga Brahmaputra basin is very fertile and suitable for cultivation of various crops like rice wheat sugarcane jute and tea. 

          With the development of good irrigation facilities farmers are able to cultivate more than two crops in a year.