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CBSE Notes Class 7 Geography Chapter 6 – Human Environment Interaction : The tropical and subtropical region

CBSE Notes Class 7 Geography Chapter 6 – Human Environment Interaction : The tropical and subtropical region 

LIFE IN THE AMAZON BASIN

The Amazon basin is a tropical region that lies close to the equator, between 10°N and 10°S. It is formed by the Amazon River, which flows from the mountains to the west and reaches the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Numerous tributaries join the river to form the basin, which drains portions of Brazil, parts of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Columbia and a small part of Venezuela. The equator passes through the basin through which the Amazon passes.

CLIMATE

The Amazon Basin has a hot and humid environment, with day and night temperatures nearly equally hot and humid. It rains virtually every day, and the daytime temperatures are hot and humid. The temperature drops at night, but the humidity stays excessive.

RAINFORESTS

The biodiversity in this area's rainforest is diverse and includes species like the flesh-eating Piranha fish as well as toucans, hummingbirds, macaws, monkeys, sloths, and tapirs that eat ants. Only plants that can thrive in shade can grow because the dense "roof" of leaves and branches prevents sunlight from penetrating the ground. The rainforest supports thousands of different species of insects and fish, including the flesh-eating Piranha fish, and orchids and bromeliads develop as plant parasites. Thus, the variety of life in this region is very rich.

PEOPLE OF THE RAINFORESTS

The Amazon basin's people raise the majority of their food in small plots after cutting some forest trees. Women tend to the crops, which primarily include tapioca, pineapple, and sweet potato. Manioc, commonly known as cassava, is the major meal, and they also consume queen ants and egg sacs. Coffee, maize, and cocoa are also farmed as cash crops. The Amazon basin's people's lives are gradually changing, with the Trans Amazon highway connecting all regions of the rainforest.

The indigenous population was pushed out of the area and forced to relocate to new areas where they continued to practice their unique farming methods. Because topsoil is destroyed when forests are destroyed, the consequences are far-reaching. 

Slash and Burn

a method of farming land in which farmers clear a plot of land by slashing or cutting down trees and plants. These are subsequently burned, releasing nutrients into the soil. For the next five years, crops will be planted in this cleared field. The soil loses nutrients after being used repeatedly on the same plot of land. As a result, it has been abandoned. They then clear another patch of ground for planting. In the meantime, fresh trees sprout in the old field. Soil fertility is regenerated in this manner. People might then return to it and begin growing it once more.

LIFE IN THE GANGA-BRAHMAPUTRA BASIN

The Ganga-Brahmaputra basin is a subtropical region in the Indian subcontinent located between 10°N and 30°N latitudes. It has a monsoon climate, with rainfall falling from mid-June to mid-September. The area has various topography, with the primary crops being paddy, wheat, maize, sorghum, gram and millets, cash crops including sugarcane and jute, banana and tea plantations, and silk production through silk worm farming in portions of Bihar and Assam. 
With tropical deciduous trees like teak, sal, and peepal, thick bamboo groves, the delta area covered in mangrove forests, and coniferous trees like pine and deodar in portions of Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, the vegetation cover of the region varies depending on the kind of landforms. Elephants, tigers, deer, and monkeys are among the many species of fauna that call the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin home. 

The Brahmaputra plain is home to the one-horned rhinoceros, while the delta region is home to the Bengal tiger and crocodiles. Fresh river waters, lakes, and the Bay of Bengal Sea are rich with aquatic life. The locals eat primarily fish and rice as their main meals. Numerous large cities and towns having a population of more than ten lakhs can be found in the plain.  

The basin's four modes of transportation, including roads, trains, waterways, and airports, are all extensively developed. Another prominent activity in the basin is tourism, with the Taj Mahal, Allahabad, Buddhist stupas, Lucknow with its Imambara, Assam with Kaziranga and Manas with wildlife sanctuaries, and Arunachal Pradesh with a distinct tribal culture among the locations worth visiting.