Olympiad Test Level 2: Indian Geography- 2

• The length of the Brahmaputra is 2900 km, but in India, Brahmputra length is only 916 km. 
• The Ganges is the longest river in India if we consider the total distance covered by a river within India. 
• The length of the Ganga river is about 2510 km.
• Two major rivers of the Indian subcontinent – Brahmaputra and Indus – are longer than the Ganges in total length.

The vast and dream-like Chilika Lagoon is situated on the east-coast of India. It is the largest brackish Water Lagoon with estuarine character that sprawls along the east coast.

• The Himalayas, which literally means the abode of snow, is the youngest and the highest range of fold mountains in the world.
• The Himalayas mountain range began to form between 40 and 50 million years ago.
• 225 million years ago India was a large island situated off the Australian coast and separated from Asia by the Tethys Ocean.
• The two large landmasses, India and Eurasia, driven by plate movement, collided.

Mahendragiri is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats which is situated in Paralakhemundi, Gajapati district. It is situated amongst the Eastern Ghats at an elevation of 1,501 metres. This is the second highest mountain peak of Odisha, after Deomali in Koraput.

The Himalayas save our country from the cold and dry winds of Central Asia. It also prevents the rain-laden monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean from crossing over to Northern countries and causes heavy rainfall in Northern India. Almost all the great rivers of India have their sources in the Himalayan ranges.

Down south, across the sea, India has two neighbouring island countries, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The Andaman and Nicobar islands lie to the southeast of the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal. To the southwest of the Indian mainland lie the Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea.

Mountain Vegetation: At a height between 1500 to 2500 metres, most trees are conical in shape and are known as coniferous trees, and chir, pine and deodar are the most common coniferous trees.

Desertification is the process by which the biological productivity of land gets lost and land become barren like desert. Desertification may be caused because of natural or human reasons. Deforestation, climate change, overgrazing, unsustainable irrigation practices, etc are factors that convert a healthy land into a desert.

The ocean holds about 97 percent of the Earth's water; the remaining three percent is distributed in many different places, including glaciers and ice, below the ground, in rivers and lakes, and in the atmosphere. At any given time only about 0.001 percent of Earth's water is in the form of atmospheric vapour, a surprisingly small number given its crucial role in weather.

• The Mandovi River has a length of 77 kilometres out of which 29 kilometres are situated in Karnataka and 52 kilometres are in Goa. It originates from a cluster of 30 springs at Bhimgat located in the Western Ghats of the Belgaum district in Karnataka. 
• The river basin in Goa comprises approximately 42% of Goa’s total geographical area. 
• The Mandovi River is also known as Mahadayi or Mhadei river and is often described as the lifeline to the State of Goa.