Landforms and Life Class 6 Notes

Landforms and Life Class 6 Notes

Landforms and Life Class 6 Notes

Exploring Landforms

1. Landforms are physical features on Earth’s surface, shaped over millions of years.
2. They are divided into three categories: mountains, plateaus, and plains.
3. These landforms have different climates and diverse flora and fauna.
4. Humans have adapted to all landforms, but the number of people living on different landforms varies globally.

Mountain

1. Mountains are higher landforms with broad bases, steep slopes, and narrow summits.
2. Some mountains are covered with snow, which melt in summer and feed rivers.
3. Other highlands with less steep slopes and rounded tops are called hills.
4. Most mountains are grouped into mountain ranges like the Himalayas in Asia, the Alps in Europe, and the Andes in South America.
5. Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga are the two highest peaks of the Himalayan range.
6. Mount Aconcagua in South America is the highest peak of the Andes.
7. Mount Kilimanjaro in eastern Africa is an isolated mountain not part of any range.
8. Mont Blanc in Western Europe is the highest mountain of the Alps.
9. Some mountains, like the Himalayas, are relatively ‘young’, formed millions of years ago.
10. Shorter, more rounded mountains and hills, like the Aravalli Range, are older and have been rounded by erosion.

Mountain Environment

1. Mountain slopes are often covered with m ontane forest, dominated by conifer trees like pines, firs, spruce, and deodar.
2. Trees grow tall, cone-shaped, thin, pointed leaves at higher altitudes.
3. At higher altitudes, trees give way to grasses, mosses, and lichen.
4. Deep forests, rivers, lakes, grasslands, and caves host diverse fauna like golden eagle, peregrine falcon, Canadian lynx, snow leopard, ibex, Himalayan tahr, mountain hare, yak, grey fox, and black bear.

Mountain Life

1. Mountain terrain is rugged and steep, limiting farming to certain valleys.
2. Terrain farming, involving cutting steps into the slope, is practiced.
3. Herding is the preferred occupation in many mountainous regions.
4. Tourism is a significant income source, with mountain air and scenic beauty attracting tourists.
5. Sports like skiing, hiking, mountaineering, and paragliding are popular activities.
6. Pilgrimages to holy sites have been a tradition for centuries.
7. Excessive visitor inflow can strain the fragile mountain environment.

Plateaus

1. Plateaus are landforms rising from the surrounding land with a flat surface and steep slopes.
2. Examples include the Tibetan Plateau and the Deccan Plateau.
3. Height of plateaus can range from a few hundred metres to several thousand metres.
4. Like mountains, plateaus are rich in mineral deposits, making them storehouses of minerals’.
5. Mining is a major activity on plateaus, with many of the world’s largest mines found in these areas.
6. The environment of plateaus is diverse, with many having rocky soil, making them less fertile than plains.
7. Plateaus are home to many spectacular water-falls, including Victoria Falls, Hundru Falls, and Jog Falls.

Plains

1. Plains are extensive flat or gently undulating landforms with no large hills or deep valleys.
2. These are generally not more than 300 meters high above sea level.
3. Floodplains, formed by rivers from mountain ranges, collect sediments.
4. Sediments are carried to plains, making soil fertile.
5. Ideal for growing crops, agriculture is a major economic occupation in plains.
6. Plains support variety of flora and fauna.

Life in the Plains

1. The first civilizations developed around rivers in fertile plains thousands of years ago.
2. Today, over 40 crore people live in India’s Ganga plain, a significant part of the world’s population.
3. Major occupations include river fishing and agriculture, with crops like rice, wheat, maize, barley, millets, cotton, jute, and hemp grown.
4. Traditional agriculture has been rainfed, but recent irrigation has increased production but also contributed to groundwater depletion.
5. High population and pollution are other issues affecting the Ganga plains.
6. Rivers carry immense cultural value, with many communities considering their source and confluence sacred.
7. River navigation is easy due to the gentle slope of plains, supporting economic activities.
8. Deserts, large, dry expanses with unique flora and fauna, have adapted to humans despite harsh living conditions.
9. Communities in the Thar Desert in India hold rich cultural traditions related to the desert, demonstrating human adaptability and resilience.

IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

1. Montane forest: A type of forest that grows in mountainous regions is called montane forest.

2. Moss: A small green plant without flowers or true roots, often spreading in a cushion-like cover.

3. Lichen: A plant-like organism that generally clings to rocks, walls, or trees.

4. Terrain: A piece or stretch of land, from the point of view of its physical features.

5. Precipitation: Water from the atmosphere reaching the ground in any form — rain, snow, and hail are the most common forms of precipitation.

6. Valley: A lower area between hills or mountains, often with a river or stream flowing through it.

7. Mountain environment: The natural surroundings found in mountainous regions, including flora and fauna specific to these areas.

8. Snow: Precipitate in the form of ice crystals that fall from the atmosphere due to freezing of water vapour.

9. Highlands: Areas of elevated terrain, often characterized by steep slopes and rugged landscapes.

10. Plateaus: A plateau is a landform that rises up from the surrounding land and has a more or less flat surface. Some of its sides often have steep slopes.

11. Plains: Plains are landforms that have an extensive flat or gently undulating surface. They don’t have any large hills or deep valley.

12. Mountain: The landforms that are much higher than the surrounding landscape are called mountains.

13. Hills: The highlands with a lower height, less steep and rounded top are called hills.

14. Mountain ranges: A series of mountains that are close together and Connected by high ground are called mountain ranges.

15. Erosion: The loss of land or rocks, soil by natural forces like water, rain or wind, sea.

16. Upliftment: A rise in the level of something, an improvement.

17. Fauna: The animal life of a particular region or period of time.

18. Flora: The plant life of a particular region or period of time.

19. Conifer trees: The trees that grow tall and cone shaped, with thin, pointed leaves are called conifer trees.

20. Glacier: A large mass of ice that moves slowly over land, formed from compacted snow.

21. Herding: The practice of raising and managing livestock, often in mountainous regions.

22. Terrace farming: Cultivation on steps of land that are cut into mountain slopes.

23. Sea level: The average level of the surface of the oceans is called sea level. It is also called main sea level.