Answer the
following questions briefly.
(a)
What are the major landforms?
(b)
What is the difference between a mountain and a plateau?
(c)
What are the different types of mountains?
(d)
How are mountains useful to man?
(e)
How are plains formed?
(f)
Why are the river plains thickly populated?
(g) Why
are mountains thinly populated?
Answer the following questions briefly.
(a) What are the major landforms?
(b) What is the difference between a mountain and a plateau?
(c) What are the different types of mountains?
(d) How are mountains useful to man?
(e) How are plains formed?
(f) Why are the river plains thickly populated?
(g) Why are mountains thinly populated?
(a)
The major landforms are: mountains, plateaus and plains.
(b)
Mountain
Plateau
A mountain is any natural
elevation of the Earth’s surface. It is considerably higher
than the surrounding area.
A plateau is an elevated flat
land. It is a flat-topped table land standing above the
surrounding area.
Mountains have peaks.
Plateaus are flattened highlands.
(c)
The different types of mountains are: fold, block and volcanic.
(d)
Usefulness of
Mountains
Mountains are a storehouse of
water. Many rivers have their source in the glaciers. Reservoirs
are made to harness this water for consumption, irrigation and
generating electricity.
River valleys and terraces are
ideal for cultivation of crops.
Mountains have a rich variety of
flora and fauna.
Mountains provide an idyllic site
for tourists.
(e)
Most of the plains are formed by rivers and their tributaries. The
rivers flow down the slopes of mountains and erode them. They carry
forward the eroded material. Then they deposit their load (consisting
of stones, sand and silt) along their courses and in their valleys.
It is from these deposits that plains are formed.
(f)
A lot of flat lands are available in plains. Also, the available land
is generally fertile. Hence, plains are the most useful areas for
human habitation as well as for cultivation. Transport network can
also be easily constructed in plains. Thus, plains are very thickly
populated regions of the world.
(g)Mountains have very harsh cold climate.
The slopes of the mountains are very steep. Also, mountains offer
very little land for farming. For these reasons, mountains are thinly
populated.
(a) The major landforms are: mountains, plateaus and plains.
(b)
|
Mountain |
Plateau |
|
A mountain is any natural elevation of the Earth’s surface. It is considerably higher than the surrounding area. |
A plateau is an elevated flat land. It is a flat-topped table land standing above the surrounding area. |
|
Mountains have peaks. |
Plateaus are flattened highlands. |
(c) The different types of mountains are: fold, block and volcanic.
(d)
|
Usefulness of Mountains |
|
Mountains are a storehouse of water. Many rivers have their source in the glaciers. Reservoirs are made to harness this water for consumption, irrigation and generating electricity. |
|
River valleys and terraces are ideal for cultivation of crops. |
|
Mountains have a rich variety of flora and fauna. |
|
Mountains provide an idyllic site for tourists. |
(e) Most of the plains are formed by rivers and their tributaries. The rivers flow down the slopes of mountains and erode them. They carry forward the eroded material. Then they deposit their load (consisting of stones, sand and silt) along their courses and in their valleys. It is from these deposits that plains are formed.
(f) A lot of flat lands are available in plains. Also, the available land is generally fertile. Hence, plains are the most useful areas for human habitation as well as for cultivation. Transport network can also be easily constructed in plains. Thus, plains are very thickly populated regions of the world.
(g)Mountains have very harsh cold climate. The slopes of the mountains are very steep. Also, mountains offer very little land for farming. For these reasons, mountains are thinly populated.
