Impacts on Human Activities in India | A1 Sample Answer
Describe how soils and climate influence human activities in
a continental/sub-continental region you have studied (2006
Q 5B)
A sub-continental region I have studied is India in Asia. Over one billion people live there which is 17% of
the world’s population. It is part of the developing world. Physical factors like climate and soil impact
human processes there.
The most common soil in India is the tropical red soil. These are also called laterite soils. However they are
heavily leached due to the heavy monsoon rainfall. Leaching is when minerals and nutrients are washed out
of the reach of plant roots. All the minerals in the region are therefore washed out except for iron which
gives the soil its red colour. This leaching happens most often in the raised plateaus of the eastern and
western Ghats as they receive the highest level of rainfall. This means they tend to be infertile and unsuited
for growing many crops. Black soils are more common in the Deccan plateau to the south. They are formed
from the weathered remains of basalt which is local to the area after previous volcanic eruptions. These soils
have higher clay content than usual and therefore hold moisture very well. This is why people choose to
grow most of the cotton here. Most of India’s rice is grown in the floodplains of the River Ganges because
the soil here is alluvial and rich in minerals. It is extremely important as rice makes up 90% of the local diet.
Indians have to decide what is suitable for them to grow depending on what soil they have available to them.
India has a monsoon climate. There are only three seasons that are defined by strict changes in weather.
Mid-June to September is a hot, wet season. This is when low pressure brings rain clouds from the southwest over the Indian Ocean. These cause heavy rainfall which sometimes results in flooding. It brings 75%
of India’s annual rainfall. Tropical cyclones are common and often cause tidal waves. This is called the
South-West Monsoon. October to February is a cool and dry season. This occurs when low pressure brings a
dry northeast wind. There is some moderate rainfall. This is called the retreating monsoon. March to midJune is hot and dry with land temperatures sometimes exceeding 45 degrees celsius. Humidity levels are
high and rise and the warmest temperatures are always recorded in this season. India depends on the
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Impacts on human activities in India | Sample answer
monsoon for the human process of agriculture. If the monsoon rainfall is too heavy, it can cause flooding
and destroy the crops. If it is too little, the plants will die in the ensuing drought. A regular and reliable
monsoon is vital for agricultural needs as without it the crops would fail and people would starve.
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Impacts on human activities in India | Sample answer