How does Regional Geography depend on Local topography?

Introduction 2) Topography and Desert / Riverine/ Plains

Region
Regional geography is the study of the world’s
regions. It is a field of geography that deals with Desserts are vast and open. There is lack of water,
the description, analysis, and interpretation of tree cover or vegetation extreme temperatures in
natural and man-made landscapes. The study day and night. As a result the population density is
of regional geography can be divided into two low with very few towns and villages. There is
main categories: physical geography and human lack of roads and vehicles cannot move on loose
geography. Physical geography is concerned with sand.
the natural features of a region, such as its climate,
landforms, vegetation, and wildlife. Human Unlikely in case of Indo-Gangetic plains,
geography is concerned with the way people the 300m contour line divides the Himalayas and
interact with the region, including its economy, the Gangetic Basin. The plains are extremely flat
politics, culture, and history. with a slope of nearly 1:1000 to 1:2000. This one-
The topography is the study of the earth's surface fourth of the land of the country hosts half of the
to find out relief, elevation, latitude, longitude, Indian population. Fertile alluvial soils, flat
shape, and features. Topography terms used to surface, slow-moving perennial rivers, and
describe the details study of the earth's surface. favorable climate facilitate intense agricultural
Topography can be both natural and artificial. In activity. The entire plain except the Thar Desert
the mountain topography, the study factor has a close network of roads and railways which
includes height, slope, steep, the direction of the has led to large-scale industrialization and
slope. In the soil topography, the study factor urbanization
includes soil type, water holdings nature,
chemical properties, etc. 3) Topography and Snow Clad & Glaciated
A) Influence of Local Topography on Region
geographical Regions
Snow clad mountains are areas in
Geography and topography are two very common Greater Himalayas which experiences snowfall
terms that are often used interchangeably, but they and has snow cover for several months in the year.
actually refer to two different things. Such mountains are found in UT of J&K, Ladakh
and state of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
The topography includes more than just the Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. On the regional
surface of the earth. It also includes natural scale, the snow cover pattern is influenced by
elements on the surface, including water, elevation and other topographical parameters such
vegetation and minerals. So in many aspects the as aspect and slope which collectively influences
local topography plays an imperative role in the livelihood of mountain people and also affect
transforming the regional geographic features. on the tourism.
Such as: Local Topography and Jungle Region
Such region has serious challenges in construction
of means of transportation and communication,
1) Topography and Mountainous Region
and as a result, the area remains sparsely
populated with limited economic development.
Mountainous terrain as the name suggest Absence of roads, communication links and other
has mountains of varying heights, which in case of infrastructure also adversely affect and hamper the
India range from 9,000 ft to about 20,000 ft. The easy and rapid movement of the people. Densely
terrain in mountains region is rugged & forested areas are difficult to inhabit.
inhospitable and weather is inclement. It poses a B) Influence of local topography on
challenge for construction, development of means Regional Climate
of transportation & communication. Difficulty in The topography of a region is its physical
holding ground, surveillance, logistics and features, including the height of the land, the
requirement of special clothing and equipment shape of the surface, and how high it is above
further aggravates the complexity. Ex: Darjeeling, sea level.
Gangtok, Shillong etc.
 First, low-lying topography can contribute to E) Influence of local topography on disaster
the formation of extreme weather events such (Landslide)
as floods, and hurricanes. In contrast, high- In case of Darjeeling, we can see that the soil
rising topography is more likely to experience in these hills is mostly composed of sandstone
a temperate climate because of the cooler and other conglomerate formations. However,
temperatures that tend to be found at higher in most areas the soil is not properly
altitudes. In addition to being influenced by consolidated and hence the area is not only
topography, atmospheric patterns can have a unsuitable for agriculture, but it is also prone
significant impact on climate. to landslides. Although heavy rainfall during
the monsoon is held responsible for such
The climate depends on many factors, disasters geolithology of the area is indeed an
including latitude, elevation, proximity to an important aspect. Elevation as well as degree
ocean or large body of water, mountain ranges of the hill slope and lack of green coverage too
near or far from the region in question. The can also be held responsible for such rampant
height of land can have an effect on climate landslides.
because it affects temperature and
precipitation levels. Regions that are located at
lower elevations are more likely to have
warmer climates than regions that are located
at higher elevations because they are closer to
the Earth’s surface and therefore absorb more
heat from sunlight.

C) Influence of local topography on the

regional distribution of Vegetation

Topography is one of the most important factors

affecting the distribution of and does so in various
ways. For example, topography influences
climatic conditions, soil formation, infiltration,
runoff, erosion, and seed migration, all of which
contribute to the distribution of vegetation. The
patterns of vegetation are consequently indirectly
controlled by topography at different scales. The
distribution of vegetation is mainly constrained by
slope gradient or aspect on hill slopes, but by
elevation on regional scales. The distribution of
vegetation under specific climatic conditions is
commonly controlled by one or two topographic
factors. Topography, however, varies widely
amongst regions. Combinations of these
topographic factors determine the conditions for
the growth and thus the distribution of vegetation.
D) Influence of local topography on
Settlement
The topography of an area was important for
early human settlement. Farmers usually
settled in flat, open areas such as plain and
valleys where they can grow crops. Mountains
and deserts were less friendly to human
settlement. Steep mountains were hard to
cross. Their jagged peaks and rocky land made
farming difficult. Deserts were dry and hot.
They contained very little water for farming.