Physical Geography of Maharashtra: Relief, Rivers, Climate, Soils & Forests — Practice

Question 1

Which is the highest peak in Maharashtra, and in which range does it lie?

Accepted Answer

Kalsubai, at 1,646 m, in the Sahyadri (Western Ghats).

Question 2

Where does the Godavari rise, and which dam forms the Nath Sagar?

Accepted Answer

At Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district. The Jayakwadi dam at Paithan forms the Nath Sagar.

Question 3

What is Maharashtra's state animal, and which sanctuary protects it?

Accepted Answer

The Indian giant squirrel (shekru), protected in the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary among other areas.

Question 4

What is the Lonar crater, and why is it unusual?

Accepted Answer

A meteorite impact crater in Buldhana district holding a saline, alkaline lake. It is unusual because very few impact craters formed in basalt are known.

Question 5

Which rivers join to form the Pranhita, and where does it end?

Accepted Answer

The Wainganga and the Wardha (which has already received the Penganga) join to form the Pranhita, which flows into the Godavari.

Question 6

Match the soil to the region: black soil, laterite soil, red soil.

Accepted Answer

Black soil: the Deccan plateau. Laterite soil: the Konkan and Ghat tops. Red soil: eastern Vidarbha.

Question 7

Explain the geographical basis of recurrent drought in Marathwada. (~150 words)

Accepted Answer

Marathwada lies in the rain shadow of the Sahyadri. The south-west monsoon winds shed their moisture on the western slopes and descend, warming, over the plateau, so annual rainfall is low, often 500 to 700 mm, and highly variable from year to year. The basalt of the Deccan Traps stores little groundwater, and the black soils crack and lose moisture in the dry months, so recharge is weak. Human use intensifies this: sugarcane, a water-hungry crop, is grown widely, groundwater is over-extracted, and much of the cultivated area is rain-fed. The response must match the causes: watershed development and recharge structures, drip irrigation, a shift away from cane, and fair sharing of reservoir water between regions.

Question 8

Describe the physiographic divisions of Maharashtra and their influence on human activity. (~250 words)

Accepted Answer

Maharashtra has four physical divisions. The Konkan is a coastal lowland 30 to 60 km wide between the Sahyadri and the Arabian Sea, with creeks, estuaries and laterite plateaus. Its heavy rainfall and laterite soils suit rice, coconut, cashew and mango, and its creeks support fishing and ports from Mumbai and the JNPA to small harbours. The Sahyadri is a steep scarp on the west and a gentle slope on the east. It is the main watershed and the source of the major rivers and hydroelectric power, as at Koyna, and its passes, such as the Thal and Bor ghats, carry the road and rail links between Mumbai and the plateau. The Deccan plateau, built of basalt lava flows, has black soils that support cotton, jowar and soybean, but it lies partly in a rain shadow, which makes drought and irrigation the central issues of its farming. The Satpuda in the north is forested and home to Adivasi communities and the Melghat tiger reserve. Eastern Vidarbha, on older rocks, holds coal and manganese, which explains its thermal power and mining. Relief thus shapes crops, water, energy and settlement across the state.

Question 9

Assess the state of forests and protected areas in Maharashtra. (~150 words)

Accepted Answer

Recent India State of Forest Reports put Maharashtra's forest cover at roughly one-sixth of its area, concentrated in Gadchiroli and eastern Vidarbha, the Ghats and the Satpuda. The protected-area network includes six tiger reserves, from Melghat, one of the first under Project Tiger, to Tadoba-Andhari, Pench, Sahyadri, Nawegaon-Nagzira and Bor, as well as Sanjay Gandhi National Park inside Mumbai and three Ramsar sites. The strengths are a growing tiger population in Vidarbha and legal protection for mangroves. The pressures are mining and linear projects in forest areas, human-wildlife conflict around Tadoba, and the loss of mangroves and Ghat forests to urban growth. Conservation needs landscape-level corridors, community rights under the Forest Rights Act, and strict scrutiny of projects in eco-sensitive areas.

Practice — Physical Geography of Maharashtra: Relief, Rivers, Climate, Soils & Forests

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