Source: VII NCERT Geography Chapter 8
AMAZON BASIN
- When Spanish Explorers discovered the Amazon river, they were attacked by a group of local tribes wearing headgears and grass skirts. These people reminded them of the fierce tribes of women warriors known in ancient Roman Empire as the Amazons. Hence the name Amazon.
- The tropical region lies very close to the equator; between 10°N and 10°S. So, it is referred to as the equatorial region. The river Amazon flows through this region. Numerous tributaries join the Amazon River to form the Amazon basin.
- The river basin drains portions of Brazil, parts of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Columbia and a small part of Venezuela.
- The Amazon Basin stretches directly on the equator and is characterized by hot and wet climate throughout the year. Both day and nights are almost equally hot and humid.
- It rains almost everyday. As it rains heavily in this region, thick forests grow.
- Orchids, bromeliads grow as plant parasites. Bromeliads are special plants that store water in their leaves. Animals like frogs use these pockets of water for laying their eggs.
- Birds such as toucans, humming birds, are found here.
- Animals like monkeys, sloth and ant-eating tapirs are found here.
- They practice “slash and burn agriculture”. The staple food is manioc, also known as cassava that grows under the ground like the potato. They also eat queen ants and egg sacs. Cash crops like coffee, maize and cocoa are also grown.
- Some families live in thatched houses shaped like beehives. There are other large apartment-like houses called “Maloca” with a steeply slanting roof.
- In 1970 the Trans Amazon highway made all parts of the rainforest accessible.
GANGA
BRAHMAPUTRA BASIN:
- The tributaries of rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra together form the Ganga Brahmaputra basin in the Indian subcontinent.
- The tributaries of the River Ganga like the Ghaghra, the Son, the Chambal, the Gandak, the Kosi and the tributaries of Brahmaputra drain it.
- The plains of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra, the mountains and the foothills of the Himalayas and the Sundarbans delta are the main features of this basin.
- The monsoon brings rains from mid-June to mid-September.
- The summers are hot and the winters cool.
- The main crop is Paddy. Wheat, maize, sorghum, gram and millets are the other crops that are grown.
- Cash crops like sugarcane and jute are also grown.
- Banana plantations are seen in some areas of the plain.
- In West Bengal and Assam tea is grown in plantations.
- Silk is produced through the cultivation of silk worms in parts of Bihar and Assam. Thick bamboo groves are common in the Brahmaputra plain.
- In parts of Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, coniferous trees like pine, deodar and fir can be seen because the climate is cool and the slopes are steep.
- The one-horned rhinoceros is found in the Brahmaputra plain.
- In the delta area, Bengal tiger, crocodiles and alligator are found.
- The most popular varieties of the fish are the rohu, catla and hilsa.
- In the fresh waters of River Ganga and River Brahmaputra, a variety of dolphin locally called Susu (also called blind dolphin) is found.