Hinglish

The Gangetic Plains

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 1: Geographical Diversity of India · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 1.2

Learn

Flying south from the mountains, the map turns green: the vast Gangetic (Northern) Plains. The Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra and their many tributaries bring water and minerals that make the soil very fertile. Farmers grow several crops a year, and a large share of India's people live here. Seen from space at night, the plains glitter with the lights of towns and cities.

The land is flat, so building roads and railways is easy, and goods and people move over long distances. For thousands of years the rivers themselves carried travellers and trade. The Brahmaputra ("son of Brahma") is unusual: it swells in summer as Himalayan snow melts. The plains are home to grey langurs, peacocks, tigers (brought back from the brink by Project Tiger) and the endangered gharial.

Explore: why live in the plains?

  1. Sort each feature.

Remember

  • The Gangetic Plains are flat and fertile, watered by Himalayan rivers.
  • They support dense farming, transport networks and a large population.

Quick check

Why do so many people live in the Gangetic Plains?

  1. fertile soil, plenty of water and flat land
  2. it is the coldest region
  3. it has the highest mountains
  4. it never rains
Answer

fertile soil, plenty of water and flat land. Good farming and easy transport attract people.

Think about it

Why might the satellite photo of the plains at night be so bright?

One answer

Many people and big cities are packed into the plains, and each town's lights add up.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.