Page 134 - SST Class 08
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eruptions or floods. Gradual changes take place Importance of Mountains
continuously and affect large areas. (a) The mountains are a storehouse of water.
1. Mountains : Mountains all over the world (b) Many rivers have their source in the glaciers
(for example, the Himalayas) were largely a in the mountains.
source of attaining rainfall and rivers. (c) Reservoirs are made and the water is
Extreme cold and lack of vegetation made harnessed for the use of people.
them coated sparsely. They lead to shortage
(d) Water from the mountains is also used for
of agriculture as there was lack of cultivable
irrigation and generation of hydro-
soil and lack of transport facilities. The
electricity.
major mountains of the world — the Alps in
(e) Mountains have a rich variety of flora and
Europe, the Rockies in North America and
fauna.
the Himalayas in Asia-abounded in snow,
(f) The forests provide fuel, fodder, shelter and
glaciers and deep gorges. Beyond a certain
other products like gum, raisins, etc.
height no vegetation was available.
(g) Mountains provide an idyllic site for tourists.
(h) Several sports like paragliding, hang gliding,
river rafting and skiing are popular in the
mountains.
2. Plateaus : Plateau is an area which is
elevated compared to near by areas. It has
large area on its top compared to moun-
tains. The rock strata of these mountains are
layered with sandstones, shales and lime-
stones. It is this arrangement gives it a large
Alps in Europe even surface.
The forests and scenic beauty of mountains are
centre of attraction for tourists. However, now
man is using mountains as a resource.
Some major mountain ranges of the world are :
(a) The Rockies (North America)
(b) The Andes (South America)
(c) The Alps (Europe)
(d) The Pyrenees (Europe)
(e) The Atlas (Africa)
(f) The Drakensberg (Africa) Plateau
(g) The Himalayas (Asia) Some major plateaus of the world are as follows :
(h) The Kunlun Shan (Asia) (a) The Ganga- Brahmaputra Plain (India)
(i) The Khingan Shan (Asia) (b) The Prairies (North-America)
(j) The Great Diving Range (Australia) (c) The Steppes (Europe)
(d) The Yangtze-Kiang Plains (China)
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