SOCIAL STUDIES

CLASS-IV

Learning Objectives:
 Location and extent of the northern plains
 Why are they fertile?
 The three basins of northern plains

The northern plain lies to the south of Himalayas. It extends from Punjab
in the west to Assam in the east. The states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and parts of Assam lie in
this plain. They are the largest and most fertile plains of the world. The
alluvium brought by the rivers over millions of years has deposited in
this plain and has made it very fertile. The northern plain is formed by
the Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their tributaries. These rivers
divide it into three river basins ( a basin is a region drained by a river
and its tributaries).

 The western part of the northern plain is referred to as the Punjab

plain.
 The Bhakra Nangal Dam built on river satluj is one of the largest
dams of India.
 Wheat is the main crop in this basin.

 It is drained by the rivers Yamuna, Ganga, Ghaghara, Gandak,

Kosi and Teesta from the Himalayas in the north.
 The river Ganga originates from the Gangotri glacier.
 The rivers Bhagirathi, Mandakini and Alaknanda join the
Ganga while it flows down the mountains.
 The river Ganga meets the river Yamuna at Prayagraj.
 On reaching West Bengal, the Ganga splits into two main
branches- the Hooghly and the Padma.
 Hooghly flows through the city of Kolkata.
 The river Padma flows through Bangladesh.
 Due to the deposition of silt, these rivers split into a number of
channels known as Distributaries.
 Triangular formation of small islands of sand in water are called
the delta.
 Sunderbans is the largest delta in the world.
 People are engaged in agriculture.
 The Ganga Basin produces a large quantity of food crops like rice,
wheat, sugarcane and jute, it is called the food bowl of India.
 Delta

 This basin lies in Assam.

 The main river of this basin is Brahmaputra.
 It originates in Tibet where it is called Tsangpo.
 It enters India through Arunachal Pradesh.
 This basin gets the highest rainfall in the world.
 The main crops are rice and jute.
 Tea is grown on the hill slopes.

Ganga is the most important river of India and is considered as sacred

river. The famous kumbh mela is held at Prayagraj once in every 12
years.

A. Answer the following:

1. List the states that lie in the northern plain.
Ans. The states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand,
West Bengal and parts of Assam lie in this plain.
2. Name the three river basins of the northern plains.
Ans. The three river basins of the northern plains are the Punjab Plain,
the Ganga Basin and the Brahmaputra Basin.
3. Why are the northern plains so fertile?
Ans. The alluvium brought by the rivers over millions of years has
deposited in this plain and has made the plain very fertile.
4. Name five important cities in the Ganga Basin.
Ans. Five important cities in the Ganga Basin are Rishikesh, Haridwar,
Delhi, Agra and Kanpur.
5. Why is Ganga Basin called the food bowl of India?
Ans. Ganga Basin is called the food bowl of India because it produces a
large quantity of food crops like rice, wheat, sugar cane and jute.
6. What are the main crops of the Brahmaputra Basin?
Ans. The main crops of the Brahmaputra basin are rice and jute. Tea is
grown on the hill slopes.
B. Name the following:
1. Largest delta in the world – Sunderbans
2. A dam built on Satluj river – Bhakra Nangal Dam
3. Capital of Assam – Dispur
4. Sacred river of India – Ganga
C. Fill in the blanks:
1. A basin is a region drained by a river and its tributaries
2. River Hooghly flows through the city of Kolkata.
3. A branch of river Ganga which flows through Bangladesh is called
Padma
4.Tea is grown on the hill slopes of Assam.
Define the following:
1. Tributary
2. Distributary
3. Basin
4. Delta