Geography of Bihar- Area, Soil, Vegetation, Topography, Climate, Major Rivers

Geography of Bihar: Bihar is one of the largest States in India. Situated in the Eastern Region of the country, it covers an area of approximately 94164 square kilometres. Let’s learn a lot more about the geographical features of the state of rivers in this blog.

Geography of Bihar

Following is an overview of the Geographical details of Bihar:

–    Area – 94,163 square kilometres.

–    Latitude – 21°58’10” and 27°31’15” North.

–    Longitude – 82°19’50” and 88°17’40” East.

–    State Borders with – Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, the Himalayas and Nepal.

–    State Capital – Patna.

–    Population – 8,28,78,796.

–    River – Ganga, Sone, Falgu, Poonpoon, Karmanasa, Kosi,  Durgawati, Ghaghara, etc.

Area of Bihar

The 94164 square kilometres of the area which falls under the state is politically divided into 9 divisions and 37 districts. The capital of the state is Patna. The population of the state is 82.88 million and the sex ratio is 100:92. Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the state, while Urdu and Santhali are also prominent languages.  The language as do the customs and traditions change from region to region but as the people have embraced the customs and traditions of each other, they love together in harmony. The literacy rate of the state is 47.53 per cent. 

The area of the state consists of rich planes, hilly regions, and valleys of the Ganges. Topographically the area of Bihar is a rich alluvial plain of the Gangetic valley located in the Northern region of the State. These plains lie from the foothills of the Himalayas and reach to the South of the river Ganges. 

Soil and Vegetation of Bihar

The soil and vegetation of Bihar are two very significant natural resources of the state. As the nature of the soil and vegetation play an important hand in the upliftment or downfall of economic activity. The soil and vegetation together are the foundation of the agricultural and industrial prosperity of a State. Most of the land in Bihar is covered with thick alluvium. The soil is mostly fresh loam. Different rivers carrying silt, clay, and sand leave rich deposits on the land. So, the soil remains ever fresh. Although the soil lacks nitrogen, humus, and phosphoric acid,, there is an abundance of lime and potash found in it. There are three types of soil found in different regions of Bihar. They are:

• Piedmont Swamp Soil:This soil is found in the North-Western areas of the West Champaran district.
• Terai Soil: It is found in the Northern area of the state along the Indo-Nepal border.
• Gangetic Alluvium: This soil is found in the plains of Bihar.

As Bihar falls within the tropical to sub-tropical zone it has a monsoon climate. The average annual rainfall of the state is 1200 mm. Due to this climate, the foothills of Someshwar and Fun ranges of Champaran have stretches of wet deciduous forests. The tree found in these forests comprises Sal (Shorea Robusta), Semal, Shisham, Khair, and Cedrwla Toona.

Owing to the fertile alluvial plain extending from the Himalayan foothills in the North to the South of river Ganga, vast tracts of farmland and fruit orchards can be seen around the state. The crops grown here are paddy, lentils, wheat, jute, and sugarcane. Cane grows naturally in the marshes of Western Champaran. The main fruits are mangoes, jack fruit, banana, and litchis. 

Topography of Bihar

The topography of Bihar is of three types:

1. The lower terraces or the lowlands having heavily textured soils. The low lands although the most fertile retain excessive moisture and hence, the variety of crops grown is limited. Because of the excessive retention of moisture and poor drainage this soil is used for growing rice only. 
2. The middle terraces or the medium lands having heavily textured soils. Also known as Ajan or Kanali are fit for growing different varieties of rice. 
3. The upper terraces or the uplands having light-textured soil. These lie near the home States and can be watered from the dug wells. High yielding varieties of rice, potatoes, wheat, and others crops are grown here. 

Climate of Bihar

Being a part of the Indian Sub-continent, Bihar has a continental monsoon climate. Since Bihar lies between 22 degrees north to 27 degrees latitude, within a tropical to sub-tropical zone the Himalayan mountains and is situated to the North and its connectivity with the Ganga delta and Assam, Bihar suffers freezing winters, burning hot summers and dripping monsoon.

The climate of Bihar is represented by the following seasons :

1. Cold- weather season – From December to February
2. Hot- weather season – From March to May
3. Southwest monsoon – From June to September
4. Retreating south-west monsoon – From October to November

The monsoon may be set in Bihar as early as the last week of May or might arrive in the first or second week of July. January is usually the coldest month. The average minimum temperature drops to between 7.56 degrees C to 10.6 degrees C. Like most of North India Bihar too suffers thunderstorms and dust storms in summer. The Loo or hot winds blow in April and May at an average speed of 8 to 16 kilometres per hour. The monsoon begins in June and retreats by early October. 

Major Rivers of Bihar

The rivers of Bihar are:

Ganga

• The main river of the state is Ganga. It enters Bihar from Chausa which forms the border of Saran and Bhojpur district.
• Tributaries of Ganga-  Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati, Sone, Kali, Punpun, and Karmanasa.
• The Mahatama- Gandhi Setu was built for connecting Northern Bihar with the rest of the state and was made a part of  NH19 (national highway 19)

Ghaghra/Saryu

• This river originated from Nampa in Nepal and enters the state  at Gopalgunj 
• The Ghaghra river joins the river Ganga at Chhapra district.
• It is a sacred river for Buddhists and Hindus. 

Gandak

• The river originated from Northern Dhaulagiri in Tibet and enters the Indian Territory near the Triveni township.
• It flows in the southern direction and forms a border between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. It drains its water in the East and West Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Saran, Gopalgunj, Vaishali, and Siwan districts of Bihar.
• The Treveni – Canal receives water from river Gandak.

Burhi Gandak

The river originates at the Someshwar Hills.

• it flows parallel to the river Gandak.
• Burhi Gandak river enters the state from Chautarwa- Chaur in Western Champaran.
• It flows  East and West Chamaparan, Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, and Samastipur.
• It joins the River Ganga near Khagaria.

Bagmati

• The river originates from  Shivpuri Hills in Nepal.
• Bagmati river enters the state at Shorwatia village located in Sitamarhi.
• The river flows from Muzaffarpur, Samstipur, and Darbhanga.
• Tributaries of Bagmati-  Lalbakeya and Lakhendei.
• River Bagmati joins the River Kosi at Badlaghat.

Kamla

• The river originates from the Mahabharta Hills in Nepal near Sindhuliagarhi.
• It enters the state from Jainagar in Madhubani district. 
• Kamala Barrage has been constructed by the Bihar State Govt. near the Jainagar town.
• Tributaries of river Kamla- Dhauri, Trisula, Soni, and Balan.

Mahananda

• The Mahananda River originates from Sikkim.
• It enters the state from Purina
• Tributaries of Mahananda Riber- Balason, Janaki, and Ratwa.
• Mahananda River joins river Ganga in the Nawabgunj district in Bangladesh.

Sone

• The river originates from Amarkantak Hills in M.P. ( Madhya Pradesh)
• It joins the river Ganga at Maner.
• Tributaries of Sone river- the North Koel and Rihand
• Anicut in Dehri on Sone and  Indrapuri Barrage was built to check the floods.

Kosi

• It has been given the name Saptakoshi due to its 7 upper tributaries.
• The river enters India at Hanuman Nagar of Nepal.
• Sone river joins the river Ganga near Kursela in the district of Kathihar.

Punpun

• The river originates from the Hazaribagh Plateau.
• The punpun river joins the River Ganga at Fatuha.
• Tributaries of Punpun river: Dordha, Madar, Butane, and Morhar.
• The river originates from the Palamu district in Jharkhand.
• It flows through the Chatra, Gaya, Aurangabad, and Patna districts of Bihar and Jharkhand.
• The Punpun River is mentioned in the Vayu and the Padma Puranas in connection with the Gaya Mahatmya as the punah-punah of which Pun-Pun is the conversational form.

Phalgu

• It is also known as the Niranjana river.
• Phalgu is a sacred river for Hindus and Buddhists. 
• According to the Hindu belief, the pindadan (annual ritual for the salvation of ancestors) is performed at the bank of the river for the salvation of the dead from the cycle of rebirth.
• Tributary of river Phalgu- Mohane.

Karmanasa

• The river originates from the Rohtas Platea.
• It joins the river Ganga near Chausa forming Bihar and Uttar Pradesh border for a long distance.
• Tributaries of river Karmanasa: Durgavati, Nadi, Chandraprabha, Karunuti, and Khajuri

Conclusion:

In this article, we have provided the details of the Geographical structure of the state of Bihar. We have put all relevant information regarding the soil, topography, vegetation, Crops, climate, and rivers of the state. We hope this article will be of help to you.

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