CONSTITUTION OF INDIA - Fundamental Rights
INDIA
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XI

INDIA
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XI

राष्ट्रीय शैक्षिक अनुसंधान और प्रशिक्षण परिषद्
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING
11094 - INDIA: PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Textbook in Geography for Class XI
ISBN 81-7450-538-5
First Edition
March 2006 Phalguna 1927
Reprinted
November 2006, December 2007, December 2008, January 2010, January 2011, January 2013, January 2014, December 2014, February 2016, February 2017, January 2018, January 2019, January 2020, January 2021, July 2021 and November 2021
Revised Edition
February 2022, Phalguna 1944
Reprinted
March 2024 Chaitra 1946 January 2025 Pausha 1946 March 2026 Phalguna 1947
PD 80T+50T+25T GS
© National Council of Educational Research and Training, 2006, 2022
₹ 55.00
Printed on 80 GSM paper with NCERT watermark
Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi 110 016 and printed at Manipal Technologies Limited, Udayavani Building, Press Corner, Manipal, Karnataka-576104
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
OFFICES OF THE PUBLICATION
DIVISION, NCERT
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Phone : 0361-2674869
Publication Team
Head, Publication : M.V. Srinivasan Division
Chief Editor : Bijnan Sutar
Chief Business : Amitabh Kumar Manager
Chief Production : Deepak Jaiswal Officer (In charge)
Editor : R.N. Bhardwaj
Assistant Production : Sayuraj A.R. Officer
Cover
Shweta Rao
Illustration
Dilip Kumar
Cartography
Cartographic Design
Agency
FOREWORD
The National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005, recommends that children's life at school must be linked to their life outside the school. This principle marks a departure from the legacy of bookish learning which continues to shape our system and causes a gap between the school, home and community. The syllabi and textbooks developed on the basis of NCF signify an attempt to implement this basic idea. They also attempt to discourage rote learning and the maintenance of sharp boundaries between different subject areas. We hope these measures will take us significantly further in the direction of a child-centred system of education outlined in the National Policy on Education (1986).
The success of this effort depends on the steps that school principals and teachers will take to encourage children to reflect on their own learning and to pursue imaginative activities and questions. We must recognise that, given space, time and freedom, children generate new knowledge by engaging with the information passed on to them by adults. Treating the prescribed textbook as the sole basis of examination is one of the key reasons why other resources and sites of learning are ignored. Inculcating creativity and initiative is possible if we perceive and treat children as participants in learning, not as receivers of a fixed body of knowledge.
These aims imply considerable change in school routines and mode of functioning. Flexibility in the daily time-table is as necessary as rigour in implementing the annual calendar so that the required number of teaching days are actually devoted to teaching. The methods used for teaching and evaluation will also determine how effective this textbook proves for making children's life at school a happy experience, rather than a source of stress or boredom. Syllabus designers have tried to address the problem of curricular burden by restructuring and reorienting knowledge at different stages with greater consideration for child psychology and the time available for teaching. The textbook attempts to enhance this endeavour by giving higher priority and space to opportunities for contemplation and wondering, discussion in small groups, and activities requiring hands-on experience.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) appreciates the hard work done by the textbook development committee responsible for this book. We wish to thank the Chairperson of the advisory committee for textbooks in Social Sciences, at the higher secondary level, Professor Hari Vasudevan and the Chief Advisor for this book, Professor M.H. Qureshi for guiding the work of this committee. Several teachers contributed to the development of this textbook; we are grateful to their principals for making this possible. We are indebted to the institutions and organisations which have generously permitted us to draw upon their resources, material and personnel. We are especially grateful to the members of the National Monitoring Committee, appointed by the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development under the Chairpersonship of Professor Mrinal Miri and Professor G.P. Deshpande, for their valuable time and contribution. As an organisation committed to systemic reform and continuous improvement in the quality of its products, NCERT welcomes comments and suggestions which will enable us to undertake further revision and refinement.
New Delhi
20 December 2005
Director
National Council of Educational
Research and Training
RATIONALISATION OF CONTENT IN THE TEXTBOOKS
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to reduce content load on students. The National Education Policy 2020, also emphasises reducing the content load and providing opportunities for experiential learning with creative mindset. In this background, the NCERT has undertaken the exercise to rationalise the textbooks across all classes. Learning Outcomes already developed by the NCERT across classes have been taken into consideration in this exercise.
Contents of the textbooks have been rationalised in view of the following:
This present edition, is a reformatted version after carrying out the changes given above.
THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
PREAMBLE
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a [SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC] and to secure to all its citizens :
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the [unity and integrity of the Nation];
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949 do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.
TEXTBOOK DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
CHAIRPERSON, ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR TEXTBOOKS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AT THE HIGHER SECONDARY LEVEL
Hari Vasudevan, Professor, Department of History, University of Calcutta, Kolkata
CHIEF ADVISOR
M. H. Qureshi, Professor, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
MEMBERS
Aparna Pandey, Lecturer, DESSH, NCERT, New Delhi
Ashok Diwakar, Lecturer, Government P.G College, Sector 9, Gurgaon
B. S. Butola, Professor, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Beena Srikumar, PGT, CRPF Public School, New Delhi
Noor Mohammad, Professor, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, Delhi
MEMBER-COORDINATOR
Tannu Malik, Lecturer, DESSH, NCERT, New Delhi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The National Council of Educational Research and Training acknowledges the contribution of Bhagirathy Jhingran, Teacher, Pathways World School, Gurgaon in the development of this textbook; the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Landuse Planning (under ICAR), Government of India, for providing input for the chapter on Soils. Special thanks are due to Savita Sinha, Professor and Head, Department of Education in Social Sciences and Humanities for her valuable support at every stage of preparation of this textbook.
The Council is thankful to the Survey of India for Certification of Maps given in the textbook. It also gratefully acknowledges the support of individuals and organisations as listed below for providing various photographs used in this textbook - M.H. Qureshi, Professor, CSRD, JNU for Figure 5.4 and 5.5; B.S. Butola, Professor, CSRD, JNU for Figure 6.1, 6.5, 6.7 and 6.9; M.V. Srinivasan, Lecturer, DESSH, NCERT for Figure 6.3; ITDC/Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for Figure 2.1, 2.3, 2.8, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 3.1, 3.3, 4.4, 5.7; Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India for Figure 5.1 and 5.6; Social Science Textbook for Class VII, Part II (NCERT, 2005), for Figure 5.3 and Social Science Textbook for Class VIII, Part II (NCERT, 2005), for Figure 2.10.
The Council also gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Anil Sharma and Arvind Sharma, DTP Operators; Sameer Khatana and Amar Kumar Prusty, Copy Editors; Bharat Sanwaria, Shreshtha and Deepti Sharma, Proof Readers; Dinesh Kumar, Computer Incharge, who have helped in giving a final shape to this book. The contribution of the Publication Department, NCERT is also duly acknowledged.
The following are applicable to all the maps of India used in this book
© Government of India, Copyright 2006
CONTENTS
FOREWORD V
RATIONALISATION OF CONTENT IN THE TEXTBOOKS vii
UNIT I : INTRODUCTION 1-6
1. India - Location 2
UNIT II : PHYSIOGRAPHY 7-26
UNIT III : CLIMATE AND VEGETATION 27-51
UNIT IV : NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS: CAUSES, 52-69
CONSEQUENCES AND MANAGEMENT
6. Natural Hazards and Disasters 53
GLOSSARY 70-71
CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
Part III (Articles 12 - 35)
(Subject to certain conditions, some exceptions and reasonable restrictions)
guarantees these
Fundamental Rights
Right to Equality
Right to Freedom
Right against Exploitation
Right to Freedom of Religion
Cultural and Educational Rights
Right to Constitutional Remedies
- by issuance of directions or orders or writs by the Supreme Court and High Courts for enforcement of these Fundamental Rights.
