India has a monsoon climate: winds change direction with the seasons and bring most of the year's rain in June to September. That rain decides which crops grow where, together with the soil. Under the land lie coal, iron ore, oil and other minerals. Exams ask about local winds, soil types, forest trees, crop seasons and where each mineral is found.
On this page you will learn:
- What controls India's climate, and how the monsoon works
- The four seasons, local winds and where rain falls
- The six main soils of India
- Forest types and their trees
- Kharif, rabi and zaid crops
- Minerals, coal, oil and nuclear power
1 June
Monsoon reaches Kerala
Normal onset date
Mawsynram
Wettest place
Khasi hills, Meghalaya
3
Crop seasons
Kharif, rabi, zaid
What controls the climate, and how the monsoon works
Rule in one line: land heats faster than sea, so in summer the wind blows from the sea onto India.
Six things shape the climate of a place: latitude, altitude (height), pressure and winds, distance from the sea, ocean currents and relief. Air gets colder with height — about 6.5 °C for every 1,000 m. So Kashmir is colder than Delhi: it is much higher, and also further north.
HOW THE SOUTH-WEST MONSOON WORKS
- 1Land heats upIn April–May north-west India becomes very hot; a low-pressure area forms. The sea stays cooler, with higher pressure.
- 2Winds cross the equatorSouth-east trade winds of the southern half are pulled north. The Earth's spin turns them right; they become south-west winds.
- 3Moist winds hit KeralaThey pick up water over the ocean and reach the Kerala coast and the Western Ghats around 1 June.
- 4Two branches spreadThe Arabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengal branch cover the country by early to mid-July.
- 5Monsoon retreatsIn October–November the land cools, pressure reverses and the winds withdraw.
KEY TERM
Relative humidity
Humidity is the water vapour in the air. When it is given as a percentage of the most vapour the air could hold at that temperature, it is called relative humidity. 100% means the air is full and rain or dew can form.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police Constable 2021 — Assertion (A): Kashmir is colder than Delhi. Reason (R): Kashmir is at a higher altitude as compared to Delhi. Mark your answer as per the codes in options.
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Answer: A — Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Air cools with height, and the Kashmir valley lies far higher than Delhi. So R explains A. (Latitude adds a little too.)
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · PSSSB Clerk 2021 — Which region gets the first monsoon in summer?
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Answer: A — Western Ghats
The Arabian Sea branch strikes the Kerala coast and the Western Ghats first, around 1 June.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police SI 2023 — Which of the following statements about the Indian monsoon is/are correct? 1. Monsoon is that axis around which revolves the entire agricultural cycle of India. 2. Regional variations in monsoon are beneficial to grow various types of crop. 3. Winter rainfall in north India is beneficial for rabi crops.
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Answer: D — 1, 2 and 3 are correct.
All three are NCERT lines: farming moves with the monsoon, different rain suits different crops, and winter rain from western disturbances helps wheat.
Seasons, local winds and rainfall
Rule in one line: summer rain comes from the south-west monsoon; north India's winter rain comes from the Mediterranean.
| Season | Months | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Cold weather | Mid-November to February | Clear skies; western disturbances bring rain and snow to the north-west |
| Hot weather | March to May | Hot dry loo in the north; pre-monsoon storms in the east and south |
| Advancing monsoon (rainy) | June to September | Most of India's yearly rain falls |
| Retreating monsoon | October to November | 'October heat' (hot, humid days) comes in this period of the retreating south west monsoons; the Tamil Nadu coast gets its main rain now from north-east winds |
Winter, north-west
Western disturbances
Low-pressure systems from the Mediterranean region. Rain in Punjab, Haryana and nearby; good for wheat.
Summer, north
Loo
Hot, dry, dusty afternoon winds of May–June over the northern plains.
Summer, south
Mango showers
Pre-monsoon rain in Kerala and Karnataka that helps mangoes ripen. 'Blossom showers' make coffee flower.
Summer, east
Nor'westers (Kalbaisakhi)
Violent evening storms with wind, heavy rain and sometimes hail in West Bengal and Assam; good for tea, jute and rice.
Local winds and rains that papers ask by name.
Where the rain falls: over 400 cm a year on the west coast and in the north-east; Mawsynram in the Khasi hills of Meghalaya gets the highest average rainfall in the world. Below 60 cm falls in western Rajasthan and nearby parts of Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab, and in Ladakh. The eastern (leeward) side of the Western Ghats is a rain-shadow area, so the interior Deccan is drier.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police SI 2016 — The westerly disturbances causing winter rains in northern India originate in
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Answer: D — the Mediterranean Region
They form over the Mediterranean Sea and travel east with the westerly winds to north-west India.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police SI 2023 — The localised downpours, accompanied by severe winds, torrential precipitation, rarely carried by the hail storm that occur in West Bengal is known as:
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Answer: D — nor'westers
Nor'westers, called Kalbaisakhi in Bengal, strike in the evenings of April–May. Mango and blossom showers belong to the south.
Soils of India
Rule in one line: rivers make alluvial soil, lava makes black soil, heavy rain makes laterite.
| Soil | Where | Features | Crops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alluvial | Mostly the Indo-Gangetic plains; also the Brahmaputra plain and east-coast deltas | Most widespread; very fertile; potash, phosphoric acid and lime | Wheat, rice, sugarcane |
| Black (regur) | Deccan lava area: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh | Holds moisture; deep cracks when dry; rich in lime, potash, magnesium | Cotton — so 'black cotton soil' |
| Red and yellow | Eastern and southern Deccan: Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Chota Nagpur, Chhattisgarh | Red from iron; yellow when wet (hydrated) | Millets, pulses, groundnut |
| Laterite | Heavy-rain hills: Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, hilly Odisha and the north-east | Rain washes out nutrients (leaching); poor in humus | Tea, coffee, cashew (with manure) |
| Arid (desert) | Western Rajasthan | Sandy and salty; kankar lower down | Bajra; more crops with irrigation |
| Forest (mountain) | Himalaya and other hills | Thin; humus-rich in valleys | Hill crops such as tea and fruit |
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · PPSC DDSWO 2023 — Match List I (major soils of India: A. Alluvial soils, B. Black soils, C. Red soils, D. Laterite soils) with List II (main states/areas: 1. Tamil Nadu, Chota Nagpur Plateau, Orissa, Manipur, Mizoram; 2. Indo-Gangetic and Brahmaputra plains; 3. Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, western Karnataka, eastern Orissa; 4. Maharashtra, M.P., Gujarat).
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Answer: C — A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
Alluvial – the river plains (2); black – Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat (4); red – Tamil Nadu, Chota Nagpur, Odisha (1); laterite – the rainy hills of western Karnataka and Meghalaya (3).
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · PPSC ICS 2016 — The term 'Regur' refers to
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Answer: C — Black cotton soil
Regur is the local name of black soil, best known for cotton.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · PSSSB Excise Inspector 2026 — The 'Khadar' and 'Bhangar' soils are subtypes of alluvial soil. Which of the following statements is pedologically accurate?
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Answer: C — Bhangar represents the upland alluvial tracts and is less fertile than Khadar
Bhangar is the old alluvium of the higher land, with kankar; Khadar is the new, more fertile alluvium of the flood plains. Both are typical of the Northern Plains.
Natural vegetation: forest types
Rule in one line: more rain, thicker and greener forest; height adds the mountain forests.
| Forest type | Rain / place | Typical trees |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical evergreen | Over 200 cm; Western Ghats, north-east, Andaman and Nicobar | Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber, cinchona |
| Tropical deciduous (monsoon) | 70–200 cm; most widespread in India | Teak, sal, bamboo, shisham, sandalwood, khair |
| Thorn and scrub | Under 70 cm; Rajasthan, Gujarat, dry Deccan | Acacia, palms, euphorbia, cactus |
| Montane (mountain) | Himalaya, by height | Oak, chestnut; then pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce; high up juniper, birch |
| Mangrove (tidal) | River deltas of the east coast | Sundari tree; roots stand in salty water |
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police SI 2023 — Identify the INCORRECT pair of forest type and its related trees from the following options.
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Answer: B — Mangrove Forests – Juniper
Juniper grows high in the Himalaya (alpine zone), not in salty tidal deltas. The mangrove tree to remember is the Sundari.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police SI 2023 — Mangrove forests are mainly found along the sea face of deltas created by which of the following rivers?
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Answer: D — Ganga
The Ganga–Brahmaputra delta holds the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest. The Narmada makes no delta, and the Yamuna joins the Ganga inland.
Agriculture: crop seasons and crops
Rule in one line: kharif comes with the monsoon, rabi with winter, zaid in the short summer between.
KEY TERM
Subsistence and cash crops
Crops that the farmer's own family uses, or sells only in the local market, are subsistence crops — for example the grain of a small farm. Crops grown mainly for sale, such as cotton, sugarcane or tea, are cash crops.
A food crop and a plantation crop
Transplanting paddy (rice), the main kharif crop, in a flooded field in Tamil Nadu
Thamizhpparithi Maari, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
A tea garden at Munnar, Kerala. Tea needs warm, wet hills with well-drained soil; Assam and Darjeeling are the other famous regions.
Ruben Joseph, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police SI 2021 — The Kharif crop is grown with the onset of which of the following seasons?
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Answer: B — Monsoon
Kharif crops are sown when the monsoon rains begin in June–July and cut in September–October.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · PPSC ICS 2016 — Which of the following is a Rabi crop?
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Answer: A — Wheat
Wheat is sown in winter and harvested in spring. Jowar, bajra and rice are kharif crops.
Minerals and energy resources
Rule in one line: the old plateau holds the metals; the young rocks of the coasts and Assam hold the oil.
KEY TERM
Iron ores
Magnetite is the finest iron ore, with up to 70% iron. Haematite is the most used, with 50–60% iron. Limonite is another iron ore. Bauxite is different: it is the ore of aluminium.
Magnetite→Haematite→Limonite→all give iron
| Mineral | Where | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Iron ore | Odisha–Jharkhand belt; Bailadila (Chhattisgarh); Kudremukh (Karnataka) | Feeds the steel plants |
| Coal | Damodar valley: Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro | Mostly Gondwana coal, about 200 million years old |
| Lignite | Neyveli, Tamil Nadu | Low-grade brown coal |
| Mica | Koderma–Gaya–Hazaribagh belt, Jharkhand | Used in electrical goods |
| Bauxite | Amarkantak plateau; Panchpatmali (Koraput, Odisha) | Ore of aluminium |
| Uranium | Jaduguda, Jharkhand | Nuclear fuel; Kerala's monazite sands give thorium |
| Energy source | Key places |
|---|---|
| Oil — Assam (oldest oil state) | Digboi, Naharkatiya, Moran–Hugrijan, Galeki |
| Oil — elsewhere | Mumbai High (offshore); Ankleshwar (Gujarat); Kharsang (Arunachal Pradesh) |
| Oldest refinery | Digboi, Assam (1901) |
| Nuclear power | Tarapur (Maharashtra, the first), Rawatbhata (Rajasthan), Kalpakkam and Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu), Narora (Uttar Pradesh), Kakrapar (Gujarat), Kaiga (Karnataka) |
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police SI 2016 — Which of the following is different from the remaining three?
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Answer: D — Bauxite
Haematite, magnetite and limonite are ores of iron; bauxite is the ore of aluminium.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police SI 2023 — Which coalfield of Jharkhand is the largest and most important coal producing mine?
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Answer: B — Jharia coalfield
Jharia, near Dhanbad in the Damodar valley, is the largest and most important; it gives coking coal for steel. SI 2023 also asked which plateau is the 'Ruhr of India': the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · Punjab Police SI 2023 — The following oil fields are located in Assam, EXCEPT:
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Answer: D — Kharsang
Kharsang is in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The other three are Assam fields.
QUICK CHECK
PYQ · PPSC JE 2021 — Match the following: List I (Nuclear Power Project): (A) Narora (B) Kakrapar (C) Kudankulam (D) Kaiga; List II (State): 1. Uttar Pradesh 2. Karnataka 3. Gujarat 4. Tamil Nadu. Codes: A B C D
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Answer: B — 1 3 4 2
Narora – Uttar Pradesh (1); Kakrapar – Gujarat (3); Kudankulam – Tamil Nadu (4); Kaiga – Karnataka (2).
Traps and practice
Last revision — where the options try to fool you.
COMMON TRAPS
- Western disturbances come from the Mediterranean, not the Arabian Sea or the Himalaya.
- Nor'westers = Bengal and Assam; mango showers = Kerala and Karnataka; loo = northern plains.
- Khadar is new and more fertile; Bhangar is old, with kankar.
- Regur = black soil (cotton). Laterite = heavy-rain soil (tea, coffee, cashew, bricks).
- Juniper and silver fir are mountain trees; the mangrove tree is the Sundari.
- Bauxite gives aluminium, not iron.
- Kharsang oil field is in Arunachal Pradesh, not Assam.
CHECK YOURSELF
Why does Punjab get some rain in winter when the monsoon has gone?
Show answer
Western disturbances — low-pressure systems from the Mediterranean — travel east with the westerly winds and bring winter rain to north-west India. This rain helps the rabi wheat crop.
FLASHCARDS
Climate and resources flashcards
- Monsoon reaches Kerala
- About 1 June
- Wettest place in the world
- Mawsynram, Meghalaya
- Kalbaisakhi
- Nor'westers of Bengal
- Regur
- Black cotton soil
- Sundari tree
- Mangrove, Sundarbans
- Kharif is sown with
- The monsoon
- Main rabi crop
- Wheat
- Largest coalfield
- Jharia, Jharkhand
- 'Ruhr of India'
- Chota Nagpur Plateau
- Oldest oil refinery
- Digboi, Assam
QUICK BYTES
- Land heats faster than sea → low pressure → south-west monsoon
- Kerala about 1 June; Western Ghats get it first
- Winter rain in the north-west: western disturbances (Mediterranean)
- Alluvial most widespread; black = regur = cotton; laterite = leaching
- Evergreen over 200 cm; deciduous 70–200 cm; thorn under 70 cm
- Kharif = monsoon; rabi = winter (wheat); zaid = short summer
- Iron ores: magnetite, haematite, limonite; bauxite = aluminium
- Jharia coal; Digboi oil; Kharsang in Arunachal