Which biogeographic zone of India is the smallest in area but very rich in endemic species?
- A.Coasts
- B.Islands
- C.Western Ghats
- D.Trans-Himalaya
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Islands. The Islands zone, made up of the Andaman and Nicobar group and Lakshadweep, accounts for only about 0.03 per cent of the area of India, the smallest share of any zone, yet it holds coral reefs and species found nowhere else, such as the Narcondam hornbill and the Nicobar megapode, because long isolation favoured endemism. Option A is wrong because the Coasts zone, at about 0.3 per cent, is the second smallest and ten times the island share. Option C is wrong because the Western Ghats zone covers nearly six per cent and, although it is also rich in endemics, it is far larger. Option D is wrong because the Trans-Himalaya covers about 5.7 per cent of the country. Keep the two ends of the table ready: Deccan Peninsula largest, Islands smallest.
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
Show answer
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
Show answer
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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