Geog Ch 1 - Resources and Development

Answer the following questions:

1. Define Resources.
Ans. Everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs, provided it
is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable is termed as
resources. .

2. Define biotic and abiotic resources with examples.

Ans. Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere and have life such as human beings, flora,
fauna, fisheries and livestock etc.
All those things which are composed of non-living things are called abiotic resources such as
water, sunlight, soil etc.

3. What do you understand by the term International resources?

Ans. International resources means the resources which belong to all the countries of the world.
Example: seas and oceans etc. International Resources are regulated by some International
institutions. For instance, every country is given some rights over the oceans to a specific range.
This range is called the ‘exclusive economic zone’, which is set to a distance of 200km. Beyond
200 km, the oceanic resources are called open ocean and no country has a right over it without
the permission of international institutions.

4. Define the term Potential Resources. (Give examples)

Ans. Resources which are found in a region but have not been utilized. Example –the western
parts of India particularly Rajasthan and Gujarat have enormous potential for the development of
wind and solar energy but so far these have not been developed.

5. Explain giving examples of Community Owned Resources.

Ans. These are resources which are accessible to all the members of the community. In teh rural
areas village commons, grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds etc. In urban areas public
parks, picnic spots, playgrounds in urban areas which are available to all the people living in
urban areas.

6. Define gross cropped area?

Ans. Area sown more than once in an agricultural year, plus net sown area is known as gross
cropped area.

7. State the factors that influence the land use pattern in our country.
Ans. The use of land is determined both by physical factors such as topography, climate, soil
types as well as human factors such as population density, technological capability, cultural
tradition, etc.

9. What is the total geographical area of India?

Ans. 3.28 million square kilometers.
10. What is the available percentage of the land use data and why?
Ans. Land used data is available for only 93% of the total area because the land used reporting
for most of the north-east states except Assam has not been done fully. Moreover some areas of
Jammu & Kashmir occupied by Pakistan and China have also not been surveyed.

11. Give examples of waste land?

Ans. Waste land includes rocky, arid and desert areas.

12. Give examples of land put to other non-agricultural uses.

Ans. Settlements, roads, railways and industries.

13. Name some human activities that have led to land-degradation.

Ans. Human activities such as deforestation, overgrazing, mining and quarrying.

14. Define the term Reserves.

Ans. Reserves are the subset of the stock which can be put into use with the help of existing
technical know-how but their use has not been started. These can be used for future
requirements. River water can be used for generating hydroelectric power but presently it is
being utilized only to a limited extent. Thus the water in dams, forests etc is a reserve which can
be used in the future.

15. Define the term Sustainable development.

Ans. Sustainable economic development means development should take place without
damaging the environment and development of the present should not compromise with the
needs of the future generation.

16. State the major objective of Agenda 21.

One major objective of Agenda 21 is that every local government should draw its own local
Agenda 21.

17. Why is resource planning essential in a country like India?

Ans. India has enormous diversity in the availability of resources. There are regions which are
rich in certain types of resources but are deficient in some other resources. There are some
regions which can be considered self-sufficient in terms of the availability of resources and some
have acute shortage of some vital resources. For example, the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
and Madhya Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits. Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of
water resources but lacks in infrastructural development. The state of Rajasthan is very well
endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks in water resources. The cold desert of Ladakh is
relatively isolated from the rest of the country. It has a very
rich cultural heritage but it is deficient in water, infrastructure and some vital minerals. This
calls for balanced resource planning at the national, state, regional and local levels.

18. What is the percentage of forest degraded area?

Ans. 28% of 130 million hectares of degraded land belongs to the category of forest-degraded
area.

19. What is the percentage of water-eroded areas?

Ans. 56%

20. How is mining a cause of land degradation?

Ans. Mining sites are abandoned after excavation work is complete, leaving deep scars and
traces of over-burdening.

21. In which states is over-irrigation responsible for land degradation, and how?
Ans. In Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh over-irrigation is responsible for land
degradation due to water logging, leading to increase in salinity and alkalinity in the soil.

22. How does mineral processing lead to pollution and land degradation?
Ans. Mineral processing like grinding of limestone for the cement industry, and calcite and
soapstone for the ceramic industry generate huge quantities of dust in the atmosphere. It retards
the process of infiltration of water into the soil, after it settles down on the land. Industrial
effluents as waste have become a major source of land and water pollution in many parts of the
country.

23. How can we solve the problems of land-degradation?

Ans. a. Afforestation and proper management of grazing can help to some extent.
b. Planting of shelterbelts of plants
c. Control on overgrazing
d. Stabilization of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes
e. Proper management of waste-lands
f. Control of mining activities
g. Proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents and waste after treatment can reduce land
and water degradation, in industrial and suburban areas.
24. What are the major problems caused by indiscriminate use of resources?
Ans. a. Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of few individuals.
b. Accumulation of resources in a few hands, which in turn, divided the society into two
segments i.e. haves and have not or rich and poor.
c. Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crisis such as global
warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.

25. Explain the stages of Resource planning in India.

Ans. Resource planning is a complex process which involves -
i) identification and inventory of resources across the region of India. This involves surveying,
mapping and qualitative and quantitative estimation and measurement of the resources.
ii) Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill and institutional
set up for implementing resources development plans.
iii) Matching the resource development plans with overall national development plans.

26. Why is resource conservation essential?

Ans. Resources are vital for any developmental activity, but irrational consumption and over
utilization of resources may lead to socio-economic and environmental problems. To overcome
these problems, resource conservation at various levels is important.

27. What were Gandhiji’s views on resource conservation?

Ans. Gandhiji was very apt in voicing his concerns about resource conservation in these words:
“There is enough for everybody’s needs, and not for everybody’s greed.” He placed the greedy
and selfish individuals and exploitative nature of modern technology as the root cause for
resource depletion, at the global level. He was against mass production and wanted to replace it
with production of the masses.

28. Define soil.

Ans. Soil is the most important renewable, natural resource. It is the medium of plant-growth and
supports different types of living organisms on the earth. It is a living system, and takes millions
of years to form up to a few centimeters in depth.

29. State the factors responsible for soil formation. What does soil consist of?
Ans. Relief, parent-rock or bed-rock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life, and time are
important factors in the formation of soil. Various forces of nature such as change in temperature,
actions of running water, wind and glaciers, activities of decomposers, etc. also contribute to the
formation of soil. Chemical and organic changes which take place in the soil are equally
important. Soil consists of organic (humus) and inorganic materials.
30. Classify soil based on the factors responsible for its formation.
Ans. On the basis of the factors responsible for soil formation: color, thickness, texture, age,
chemical and physical properties: the soils of India can be classified as alluvial, black soil, red &
yellow soil, laterite soil, arid soil, and forest soil.

31. State the factors of soil [Link] can we do to conserve soil? Explain giving examples
of places where certain methods of soil conservation are mainly practiced.
Ans. Soil erosion is mainly caused due to human activities like mining, deforestation,
overgrazing, wrong ploughing methods i.e. ploughing up and down the slope, construction and
sometimes through natural forces like wind, glaciers and water. Ploughing along the contour
lines called contour ploughing can decelerate the flow of water down the slopes. Steps can be cut
on the slopes making terraces. Terrace cultivation restricts erosion. Western and central
Himalayas have well developed terrace farming. Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of
grass are left to grow between the crops. This breaks up the force of wind. This method of soil
conservation is mainly called strip cropping. Planting lines of trees is another way similar to strip
cropping to control soil erosion. Rows of trees controlling soil erosion are called shelter belts.
These shelter belts have contributed significantly to the stabilization of sand dunes and in
stabilizing the desert of western India.

32. Why is it important to use available land with careful planning?

Ans. We live on land, perform our economic activities on land, and use it in different ways. This
land is a natural resource of utmost importance. It supports natural vegetation, wildlife,
human-life, economic activities, transport and communication systems. However, land is an asset
of a finite magnitude, and it is therefore important to use the available land for various purposes
with careful planning.

33. What is the percentage of various relief features of India and state their importance.
Ans. India has land under a variety of relief features namely mountains, plateaus, plains and
islands. About 43% of the land area is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture and
industry. Mountains account for 30% of the total surface area of the country and ensure perennial
flow of some rivers, providing facilities for tourism and ecological aspects. About 27% of the
area of the country is plateau regions: it possesses rich reserves of minerals, fossil fuels and
forests.

34. What is current-fallow land?

Ans. Current fallow land is land left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year.

35. Why does soil along the piedmont zone of the western ghats appear reddish and yellow in
color?
Ans. These soils develop a reddish color due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic
rocks. It looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.

36. What are ravines?

Ans. When running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels as gullies. The
land becomes unfit for cultivation and is known as bad land. In the Chambal basin such lands are
called ravines.

37. Where do laterite soils develop? Why are they low in Humus content?
Ans. Laterite soils develop in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall. Humus content is
low because most of the microorganisms, particularly the decomposers, like bacteria, get
destroyed due to high temperature.