Sir Basit Notes

Pakistan Studies Class 9 Unit 4: The Natural Topography and Vegetation of Pakistan Notes

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Key notes

Short questions 5 marks, 5 points each

1. [Model] Identify the importance of the mountain ranges of Pakistan for economic development. (Five points)

  1. Water source. They are the main source of water: glaciers feed the Indus and its tributaries, giving drinking water, irrigation and hydropower.
  2. Tourism. Tourism: they attract mountaineers and trekkers and generate jobs for local people (Murree, Galiyat, Gilgit-Baltistan).
  3. Raw materials. They provide raw materials for the chemical, pharmaceutical, paper and furniture industries (forests, minerals).
  4. Local livelihood. Local communities earn from agriculture, livestock, forestry and handicrafts.
  5. Climate and wildlife. They shield Pakistan from cold Siberian and Central Asian winds, regulate climate and shelter wildlife such as the snow leopard.

2. [School] Safed Koh: describe its location, important features and passes. (5 points)

  1. Location. Location: in the west of Pakistan, south of the Kabul River, along the border with Afghanistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  2. Height. Height: it has snow-capped peaks, the highest being Mount Sikaram (about 4,700 m).
  3. Features. Features: limestone ridges and pine vegetation.
  4. Settlements. Settlements: Peshawar and Kohat are important urban centres at its foot.
  5. Passes. Passes: the Khyber Pass (Peshawar to Afghanistan, a historic trade route) and the Kurram Pass connect Pakistan with Afghanistan.

3. [School] Name any two valleys and two glaciers located in the Karakoram range. Explain their importance. (5 points)

  1. Names. Valleys: Hunza and Shyok (also Baltoro). Glaciers: Baltoro and Siachen (also Biafo and Batura).
  2. Water supply. Glaciers store water and feed the Indus River, giving water for irrigation and drinking.
  3. Hydropower. Glacier water supports hydropower generation.
  4. Tourism. The valleys and glaciers attract tourists and climbers (K2, the second highest peak, is here).
  5. Livelihood. Valleys support farming and livestock for local people, who are subsistence farmers and herders. The glaciers also help cool the planet.

4. [Model] Interpret in five points the cultural variations among communities living in different landforms of Pakistan.

  1. Northern mountains. Northern mountains: people are subsistence farmers and herders, practise transhumance and earn from tourism and handicrafts.
  2. Western mountains. Western mountains: a nomadic and subsistence lifestyle with low density (below 100 persons per sq km) and few facilities.
  3. Balochistan. Balochistan Plateau: scattered settlements, livestock rearing, karez irrigation, orchards and fishing on the coast.
  4. Indus Plain. Indus Plain: dense population, irrigated farming, cities and industries (Lahore, Faisalabad), a settled life.
  5. Deserts. Deserts: nomadic herders of sheep, goats and camels, skilled artisans making ajrak, rallis, pottery and leather goods, and tourism (Cholistan, Thar).

5. [School] How is Balochistan a trading gateway? (5 points)

  1. Location. Location: it borders Iran and Afghanistan and has a long Arabian Sea coast (about 70 percent of Pakistan's coastline).
  2. Gwadar. Gwadar port gives sea access to landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia.
  3. Land routes. Goods from Gwadar can go by land routes to Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
  4. Roads and rail. Roads and railways are being built linking Gwadar with Afghanistan and Iran, with border crossings planned.
  5. CPEC. Gwadar is part of CPEC. The Bolan Pass and the Quetta region connect the plateau with the Indus Plain.

6. Explain the topographical features of the Pothwar Plateau. (5 points)

  1. Location. It lies south of Islamabad between the Indus and Jhelum rivers.
  2. Erosion. It has badland topography formed by erosion and faulting.
  3. Landforms. Features: ridges and residual hills (Kala Chitta, Khairi), faulted land, troughs and depressions, and ravines.
  4. Soan River. The Soan River forms productive alluvial plains.
  5. Minerals and rain. It is rich in gypsum, limestone, marble, coal and oil (Attock oil refinery). Farming depends on rain, so it is called barani.

7. Why is the Indus Plain the most productive region of Pakistan? (5 points)

  1. Fertile soil. It has fertile alluvial soil deposited by rivers.
  2. Irrigation. A well-developed canal irrigation system supplies water.
  3. Flat land. It is flat and well drained, ideal for farming and settlement.
  4. Transport and minerals. Good transport (roads, rail, air) and minerals encourage industry.
  5. Cities. Major cities (Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Gujranwala) provide markets and labour.

8. Describe the deserts of Pakistan and their economic potential. (5 points)

  1. Desert names. Thal lies between the Indus and Jhelum (Sindh Sagar Doab). Thar lies in the south-east in Sindh with Cholistan, Nara and Tharparkar. Kharan is a sandy and mountainous desert in Balochistan.
  2. Features. Features: sand dunes, bare rock, dry soil and strong winds. Vegetation is shrubs and succulents.
  3. Cholistan minerals. Cholistan has lignite, gypsum and silica sand.
  4. Thar coal. Thar coal can generate electricity, and iron ore can be used to make steel.
  5. Farming and tourism. Canals from Sukkur Barrage have turned parts of Thar into farmland, and tourism (camel safaris) is growing.

Long questions 10 marks, 10 points each

1. [School] Compare the topographical features of the Balochistan Plateau and the Pothwar Plateau.

Location and Size

The Balochistan Plateau forms the south-western half of Pakistan. It is bordered by the Hindu Kush mountains in the north, the Arabian Sea in the south and the Iranian border in the west. It is a large high-altitude area with a total area of about 347,190 sq km. The Pothwar Plateau is much smaller. It lies to the south of Islamabad between the Indus and Jhelum rivers, and it is a land of changing scenery because of constant erosion.

Landforms and Drainage

The Balochistan Plateau has many mountain ranges, such as the Central Brahui, Hala, Siahan, Toba Kakar and Ras Koh ranges. These ranges are poor in vegetation but have rich deposits of coal, gold, copper and sulphur. There are basins such as Zhob and Loralai in the north, with the Quetta valley to the south-west, and the western basins lie between the Chagai hills, Siahan and central Makran. Balochistan has inland drainage, so the rain water of the basins goes into rivers and streams which sink into the ground or form temporary salty lakes called hamuns. The largest hamun is in the Kharan desert. On the coast, the Hab, Hingol, Porali and Dasht rivers flow into the Arabian Sea.

The Pothwar Plateau has a badland topography, which means that the land is cut up, eroded and broken. Its main features are ridges and residual hills such as Kala Chitta and Khairi, faulted land, troughs and depressions, and ravines which carry water in the rainy season. The Soan River makes alluvial plains which are good for farming.

Climate and Vegetation

Balochistan has a dry climate and gets less than 250 mm of rain in a year. So most of it is bare, with very little vegetation, and water is a problem throughout the year. The Pothwar Plateau gets 500 to 1,000 mm of rain. Farming depends on this rain, so the area is called barani (rain-fed) land. Its natural vegetation is a dry temperate forest of mixed trees and shrubs.

Minerals and Economy

Balochistan is rich in minerals such as gas, coal, copper, antimony and gold. People there depend on fruit orchards, livestock, fishing and the karez system of irrigation. Gwadar port can become a trading gateway to Central Asia. Pothwar and the Salt Range have gypsum, rock salt, limestone, marble, dolomite, coal and oil, and there are oil and gas fields such as the Attock Oil Refinery.

2. Describe the differences between the Northern Mountains and the Western Mountains.

Height and Snow

The Northern Mountains include the Himalayas, the Hindukush and the Karakoram. They are very high. The Himalayas reach about 4,000 m, the Hindukush about 5,000 m (Tirich Mir is 7,690 m) and the Karakoram has an average height of 6,000 m with K2, the second highest peak in the world. The highest peaks are covered with snow throughout the year, and there are huge glaciers such as Baltoro, Siachen and Biafo. The Western Mountains are a chain of low mountains that run parallel to each other. They are Safed Koh, the Waziristan Hills, the Suleman Range and the Kirthar Range, and their heights are much lower, ranging from about 2,000 m to 4,700 m.

Climate and Vegetation

The north gets a lot of rain and snow. Its natural vegetation includes evergreen coniferous forests, deciduous forests and alpine meadows. Above the tree line there are grasses, shrubs and wild flowers. The Western Mountains get little rain, so the landscape is rugged and mostly without natural vegetation, with only some pine trees and shrubs in places.

Water and People

The Northern Mountains are the main source of water for the country. The Indus River, which supplies water to millions of people, begins there, and the glaciers give water for drinking, irrigation and hydropower. In the Western Mountains canal irrigation is not possible because of the difficult land. The population is low in the north because of the harsh climate, and most people are subsistence farmers and herders. In the Western Mountains most people live in small towns and villages in a nomadic or subsistence way of life, and the density is less than 100 persons per sq km.

Economy and Passes

The north offers tourism, farming and forestry, and provides raw materials to industries such as chemicals, medicines, paper and furniture. The Western Mountains have a lot of minerals, but they have not been taken out because of the tough land, and there are few roads, railways and air links. Important passes in the north are the Shandur, Shangla and Lowari passes. In the west the main passes are the Khyber, Kurram and Tochi passes and the Bolan Pass, which connects the Kachhi-Sibbi plain to Quetta.

3. Describe the natural topographical features of the Indus Plain and its economic activities.

Rivers

The Indus Plain is drained by the River Indus and its tributaries. The eastern tributaries are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej (with the Beas joining the Sutlej). The western tributaries are the Shyok, Gilgit, Kabul and Kurram. The plain is formed by the river Indus, and it is divided into two parts, the Upper Indus Plain and the Lower Indus Plain.

Main Features

The active flood plain is a narrow strip of land with rich alluvial soil on both sides of almost all the rivers. It floods almost every year. It is useful for crops and fish farming, and it has features such as meanders and ox-bow lakes. The old flood plain is a high, flat area which was once flooded by a river. It lies between the active flood plain and the alluvial terraces and is valuable for farming and settlement. Alluvial terraces or bars are flat and higher lands found between the rivers (doabs). They are formed when a river changes its course and leaves its old flood plain behind. They are made of sand, silt and clay and are very fertile. Famous examples are Nili Bar in Bari Doab, Sandal Bar in Rachna Doab and Kirana Bar in Chaj Doab.

Piedmont plains or alluvial fans are formed by rivers as soon as they come out of the mountains, at the foothills of Kirthar, Suleman and the Siwaliks. They are fan shaped and good for farming. The tidal delta of the Indus lies to the south of Thatta. Cuestas or escarpments are limestone ridges that slope gently on one side and steeply on the other, such as the Rohri Cuesta and Gango Takkar. They give firm ground for the building of barrages.

Economic Activities

The Indus Plain is the most productive region of Pakistan. It has fertile soil and plenty of water through a well-developed system of canals, so it is ideal for farming. The land is flat and well drained, so it is good for settlements. Minerals, and roads, railways and airports, encourage industry. The main urban centres are Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad and Gujranwala.