Geography of Rajasthan



Rajasthan, situated at the northwestern part of India is the biggest state in the country of India and lies between 23°30' and 30° 11' North latitude and 69° 29' and 78° 17' East longitude. The state shares its north-western and western boundary with the Indo-Pakistan international border that extends about 1,070 km and touches the major districts Barmer, Bikaner, Ganganaga and Jaisalmer. Rajasthan is bordered by Pakistan in the west and northwest, the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in the north and northeast. The state of Madhya Pradesh lies in the southeast and Gujrat in the southwest.

The huge portion of the state of Rajasthan is desiccated and houses the biggest Indian desert- the Thar Desert known as the 'Maru-kantar'. The oldest chain of fold mountains- the Aravali Range splits the state into two geographical zones- desert at one side and forest belt on the other. Only 9.36% of the total geographical region lies under forest vegetation. The Mount Abu is the only hill station of the state and houses the Guru Shikhar Peak that is the highest peak of the Aravali range with an elevation of 1,722 m. The capital city of Rajasthan is Jaipur.

Area

The north-western state of Rajasthan is the largest Indian state with an area of 3, 42,239sq.km comprising of the 11% of the total geographical area of the country. This state has a type of rhomboid shape and stretches lengthwise 869 km. from west to east and 826 km. from north to south.

Topography

Rajasthan has varying topographic features though a major part of the state is dominated by parched and dry region. The extensive topography includes rocky terrain, rolling sand dunes, wetlands, barren tracts or land filled with thorny scrubs, river-drained plains, plateaus, ravines and wooded regions. In a more broad way the topography of Rajasthan can be divided in the following regions- the Aravalli or the Hilly regions, the Thar and the other arid regions, the Plateaus including Vindhaya and the Malwa, the Fertile plains including the Mewar, the Forest Regions and the Waterbodies including Rivers and Salt Lakes.

Soil & Vegetation

Like its varying topography, Rajasthan has varying climate. The weather or climate of the Rajasthan can be broadly classified into four distinct seasons. They are - Pre-monsoon, which is the hot season preceding the monsoon and extends from April to June, the Monsoon that occurs in the month of June in the eastern region and mid- July in the western arid regions, the Post-monsoon that commences from mid-September and continues till November and the Winter that extends from December to March, January being the coldest month of the year. The average temperature in winter ranges from 8° to 28° C (46° to 82° F) and in summer the average temperature range from 25° to 46° C (77° to 115° F).


Last Updated on : February 4, 2020