The Gir forest, the only natural home of the Asiatic lion, lies in which biogeographic zone?
- A.Indian Desert
- B.Semi-Arid
- C.Deccan Peninsula
- D.Western Ghats
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Semi-Arid. Gir in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat falls in the Gujarat-Rajwara province of the Semi-Arid zone, a belt of thorn and dry deciduous forest between the desert and the Deccan, which also holds Ranthambore, Sariska and the blackbuck grasslands of Velavadar. Option A is wrong, and it is the usual trap, because the Indian Desert zone covers the Thar and Kachchh, not the Saurashtra forests where the lion survives. Option C is wrong because the Deccan Peninsula begins further south and east and is the zone of the central Indian tiger reserves. Option D is wrong because the Western Ghats zone starts along the hills of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala and has evergreen rather than thorn forest. Fix the trio: Asiatic lion in Semi-Arid, wild ass in Desert, tiger heartland in Deccan Peninsula.
Read the full article: Biogeographic Zones of India: All 10 Zones and Wildlife
Practice Questions
View allThe division of India into ten biogeographic zones was given by which pair of scientists?
- A.Champion and Seth
- B.Rodgers and Panwar
- C.Hooker and Thomson
- D.Salim Ali and Ripley
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W. A. Rodgers and H. S. Panwar of the Wildlife Institute of India proposed the ten-zone biogeographic classification in 1988 while planning a representative wildlife protected area network for the country, and the ten zones with their biotic provinces are still the official framework.
Read the full explanation →Which is the largest biogeographic zone of India by area?
- A.Semi-Arid zone
- B.Deccan Peninsula
- C.Gangetic Plain
- D.Himalaya
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The Deccan Peninsula zone covers about forty-two per cent of the country, roughly two-fifths, stretching over the central highlands, Chota Nagpur, the eastern highlands and the Deccan plateau, and it carries most of India sal and teak forests and tiger reserves.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following biosphere reserves of India is situated in Meghalaya?
- A.Panna
- B.Simlipal
- C.Manas
- D.Nokrek
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Nokrek lies in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya and represents the North-East India biogeographic zone in the network of biosphere reserves; it is known for the wild citrus relative called the Indian wild orange and for the hoolock gibbon.
Read the full explanation →The cold desert of Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti belongs to which biogeographic zone of India?
- A.Himalaya
- B.Trans-Himalaya
- C.Indian Desert
- D.Semi-Arid
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The Trans-Himalaya is the belt lying beyond the Great Himalaya in Ladakh, Lahaul-Spiti and northern Sikkim; it is a cold desert because it stands in the rain shadow of the high ranges, and it is the one Indian zone whose fauna, such as the kiang, wild yak and black-necked crane…
Read the full explanation →Where in India are the Sundari trees that provide durable and hard timber found?
- A.Tropical Deciduous Forests
- B.Mangrove Forests
- C.Montane Forests
- D.Tropical Evergreen Forests
Show answer
The sundari is a mangrove tree of the tidal deltaic forests of the Coasts biogeographic zone, and the Sundarbans of the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta take their name from it; its wood is hard and durable, and like other mangroves it has salt tolerant roots and breathing roots in the waterlogged mud.
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