Geographical background

For 6th sem SU students

1. GEOGRAPHICAL
REGIONALIZATION
SIKKIM

2. INTRODUCTION
•Country: India
•Neighbouring State : West Bengal
•Neighbouring Countries : Nepal ,China, Bhutan
•Location : 27°04’ –28°7’ North latitude
88°00’ 58’’ –88°55’ 25’’ East longitude
•Area : 7096 km
2
•Capital: Gangtok

3. •Sikkim : derived from Tibetianname “DENJONG, DEMOJONG AND
DEMO SHONG” meaning “THE COUNTRY OF VALLEY OF RICE”
•Lepchas-this was"Nye-mae-el" (Paradise),
•Tsong'sword "Sukhim"meaning (New or Happy Home).
•Essentially mountainous with no flat piece of land
•Merged as 22
nd
Indian state since 1975
•No. of Districts : 4 (East, North , South & West)
(Gangtok,Mangan,Namchi, Geyzing)
•No.ofVillages:450
•No. of Towns : 09 ( Namchi, Geyzing, Mangan, JelepLa,
Pemayangtse, Lachen, Yunthang, Tashiding, Rumtek)

5. •Elevation range : 280m –8,585m (920 ft –
28,000 ft)
•North –South Stretch : 112.70 km
•East –West Stretch : 64.40 km

6. 112.7 km
64.40 km

7. •NORTH–Tibetan plateau
•SOUTH–Darjeeling ridge, Teestavalley
•Mountain range between Sikkim and Bhutan-Pangolarange.
•NORTH-WEST-SingalilaRange and chewabhanzang–Sikkim-Nepal
border; includes highest SikkimeseSummit, The KANCHENZUNGA-
8,586 m (28,150 ft.)
•NORTH EAST -DonkhyaRange –NE Sikkim-Tibet border
•The DongkyaRangeforms the tri-junction of theBhutan-Sikkim-Tibet
border
•EAST –Cholarange/ridge & Chumbivalley of Tibet & Bhutan

9. PHYSIOGRAPHY
•GLACIAL ZONE: North and North-West
(Zemu glaciar and Kanchanjunga)
•HIGH MOUNTAIN AREA :
-ridges run from North-South (Singalila & Chola)
-Neinamridge ( seperates Rangeet from Tista
valley)
-North –south ridge caused by southern slope of
Himalayas

11. •MainphysiographicofEastSikkimis
culminatinginDonkoyapeak(6870m)
•Easternsikkim–Jelapeak(4350m)
•DistinctcharacteristicofEasternSikkimis
NATHULA (4335m)ANDTANGKARLA
peak(4800m)

12. Assignment
•28 mountain peaks
•80 glaciers
•227 high altitude lakes
•5 major hot springs
•> 100 rivers & streams
•8 mountain passes

13. KANCHENGZONGA

14. •Mt.Kanchenzunga-isthethirdhighestmountainsin
theworldandanelevationof8,586m(28,169feet).
•Thenameitselfliterallymeans“TheFiveTreasuresof
Snow”inTibetanlanguage,owingtothefivemajor
peaksintheregion.
•Thecenter,mainandsouthpeaksaresituatedin
Taplejung,NepalwhilethenorthpeakliesinSikkim-
India.
•Alargeportionofthemountainiscoveredwithsnow
glaciersfeedingthroughalargenetworkofriversin
bothNepalandIndiaside.
•ThemajorriversaretheSaptaKoshiRiverinNepal
andTeestaRiverinIndia.

16. Conti..
•However, major climbing peak routes and best
trekking trails including the Kanchenjunga
trekking lies on Nepal’s side.
•MakeanoteonclimbinghistoryofMt.
Kanchendzonga

17. GEO-MORPHOLOGY

18. •Sikkimencompassesorsurroundedbythelesser
Himalaya,CentralHimalaya,andtheTethys
Himalaya.
•Amountainousstatewithoutflatpieceoflandof
anyextentanywhere.Themountainsrisein
elevationnorthward.
•Thenorthernportionofthestateisdeeplycutinto
steepescarpments(along,steepslope),andexcept
intheLachenandLachungvalleys,isnotpopulated.
•SouthernSikkimislower,moreopen,andfairlywell
cultivated.ThisconfigurationoftheStateispartly
duetothedirectionofthemaindrainagefacilitiesin
southern..

19. •ThephysicalconfigurationofSikkimisalso
partlyduetogeologicalstructure.Major
portionoldstateiscoveredbyPrecambrian
rockandismuchyoungerinage.
•TheNorthern,EasternandWesternportionof
thestateareconstitutedofhardmassive
gneissoserockscapableofresisting
denudation.
•Thecentralandsouthernportionisformedof
comparativelysoft,thinandhalf-schistore
rockswhichdenudesveryeasily.

20. Gneissoseandhalf-schistoserocks,producinggenerallypoor
andshallowbrownclaysoils.
Largeconcentrationsofironoxide;neutraltoacidic&ispoor
inorganicandmineralnutrients.
Precambrianrock,whichismuchyoungerinagethanthe
hills.Therockconsistsofphyllites(foliatedmetamorphic
rock)andschists(medium-grademetamorphicrock),is
highlysusceptibletoweatheringanderosion.

21. GNEISS

22. SCHISTS

23. SOIL
•North –mountainous skeletal soil
•Foothills –Gravelly, Sandy soil
•Lower areas -Clayey soil
•River beds –Alluvial soil
•Zone of tropical forest –leached, but rich in
humus

25. CLIMATE
•Warmerandmorehumidthanwestern
Himalayas
•MosthumidplaceinHimalayasbecauseof
proximitytoBayofBengalanditsexposureto
moisturebearingsouthwesternmonsoon
winds
•1.Topical
•2.Temperate
•3.Alpine

27. •Tundraregioniscladwithsnowforfourmonthsevery
year,andthetemperaturedropsbelow0°C(32°F)
almosteverynight
•MostoftheinhabitedregionsofSikkim,however,
experienceatemperateclimate,withthe
temperaturesseldomexceeding28°C(82°F)in
summerordroppingbelow0°C(32°F)inwinter;the
meanmonthlysummertemperatureis18°C.

29. •Fiveseasons:winter,summer,spring,autumn,and
amonsoonseason.
•TheaverageannualtemperatureformostofSikkimis
around18°C(64°F).
•Duringthemonsoon,heavyrains(500cmaverage)
increasetheriskoflandslides.Therecordforthe
longestperiodofcontinuousraininSikkimis11days

30. DRAINAGE
•TheSikkimbasinisdrainedbytheTEESTARIVER&it’s
tributaries(ariverorstreamflowingintoalargerriveror
lake),suchasRangit,Lhonak,Talung,&Lachung.
•Othertributaries-Lachen,Zeum,Rongni,Rungpo-chu
•TeestariveroriginatesfromZemuglacierintheNE,near
Tibetanborder(TsoLhamulake)
•Teestariverdescendssteeply,droppingabout15,700ft(4800
m)toRangpo
•CutsagorgethroughDarjeelingridge,beforeemergingonto
theIndo-Gangeticplain.

31. TEESTA-RANGEET

32. River Rangeet
•TheRangeetorRangitisatributaryoftheTeesta
river,whichisthelargestriverin
theIndianstateofSikkim.TheRangeetriver
originatesintheHimalayanmountainsinWest
Sikkimdistrict.Theriveralsoformstheboundary
betweenSikkimandDarjeelingdistrict.Theriver
flows past the towns
ofJorethang,PellingandLegship.Duringitsfinalfew
kilometres,itjoinstheTeestaRiverataconfluence
knownasTribeni,whichisapopularpicnicspot.The
RangeetriverhasanNHPChydropowerplantwitha
capacityof60megawatts(80,000hp)capacityin
Sikkim.

33. Teesta -Rangeet

34. BIODIVERSITY & BIORESOURCES
•Sikkimhasaround5,000floweringplants,515rareorchids,
60primulaspecies(herbaceousfloweringplantsinthefamily
Primulaceae),36rhododendronspecies,11oakvarieties,23
bamboovarieties,16coniferspecies,362typesoffernsand
fernsallies,8treeferns,andover424medicinalplants.
•AvariantofthePoinsettia,locallyknownas"ChristmasFlower",
canbefoundinabundanceinthemountainousstate.
•TheorchidDendrobiumnobileistheofficialflowerofSikkim,
whiletherhododendronisthestatetree,(Rhododendron
niveum).

35. State flower -Dendrobium nobile

36. State tree-Rhododendron niveum

37. Flora of Sikkim may be divide into three zones:
1.Tropical zone-ranging from lowest level upto
1500m
2.Temperate zone-from 1500-3900m
3.Alpine zone –till 4800m

38. •Orchids,figs,Baylaurel,bananas,saltrees,bamboo,andfirsaregrow
intheHimalayantropical&subtropicalbroadleafforestsofthelower
elevation(altitudes)ofSikkim(upto1500m).
•Inthetemperateelevationsabove1,500metres(4,900ft)there
are Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests,
whereoaks,chestnuts,maples,andmagnoliagrowinlargenumbers,
aswellasHimalayansubtropicalpineforests,dominatedbyChirpine.
•Thealpine-typevegetationistypicallyfoundbetweenanaltitudeof
3,500to5,000metres(11,500to16,000ft).andrhododendronsfrom
theEasternHimalayansub-alpineconiferforests.HigherupareEastern
Himalayanalpineshrubandmeadows,hometoabroadvarietyof
rhododendronsandwildflowers.

41. •THEFAUNAincludethesnowleopard,themuskdeer,
theHimalayanTahr,theREDPANDA(Ailurusfulgens)(State
animal),theHimalayanmarmot,theserow,thegoral,thebarking
deer,thecommonlangur,theHimalayanBlackBear,theclouded
leopard,leopardcat,thewilddog,theTibetanwolf,thehog
badger,thebinturong,thejunglecatandthecivetcat.Amongthe
animalsmorecommonlyfoundinthealpinezoneareyaks,mainly
rearedfortheirmilk,meat,andasabeastofburden.

42. State Animal-RED PANDA

45. •THEAVIFAUNAofSikkimincludeoftheImpeyanpheasant,
thecrimsonhornedpheasant,thesnowpartridge,thesnow
cock,thelammergeierandgriffonvultures,aswellasgolden
eagles,quail,plovers,woodcock,sandpipers,pigeons,OldWorld
flycatchers,babblersandrobins.
•Sikkimhasmorethan550speciesofbirds,someofwhichhave
beendeclaredendangered.
•StateBird–Bloodpheasant(Ithaginiscruentus)

46. State Bird –Blood Pheasant

49. •Sikkimalsohasarichdiversityofarthropods,manyof
whichremainunstudied.AswiththerestofIndia,the
moststudiedgroupisthatofthebutterflies.Of
approximately1,438butterflyspeciesfoundin
theIndiansubcontinent,695havebeenrecordedfrom
Sikkim.TheseincludetheendangeredKaiser-i-
hind,YellowGorgonandtheBhutanGlory.

53. GLACIERS IN SIKKIM
Aslowlymovingmassorriveroficeformedbytheaccumulationand
compactionofsnowonmountainsornearthepoles.Therearemore
than80glaciersinSikkim,someimportantarelistedbelow.
•Zemuglacier,
•Rathongglacier,
•Lonakglacier,
•Zemathangglacier
•Talukglacier,
•Tistakhangseglacier,
•Hidden glacier

54. •ZEMUGLACIER–largest&mostfamousineastern
himalayas
•26kminlength
•SituatedinU-Shapedvalleyatbaseof
Kanchendzonga
•OriginofTEESTAriver

55. ZEMU GLACIER

56. •RATHONGGLACIER–WestdistrictofSikkim
•Totallengthandaveragewidthofabout4kmand800m
•OriginofRANGITriver
•Chaurikhangfalls
•LONAKGLACIER–atanaltitudeofabout4720minNorth
Sikkim.
•ZemuglacierintheNorth,Mt.Lama-ongdenintheEast,Mt.
Narsing&Mt.DamdininSouth,&KanchenjunghainWest.

57. RATHONG GLACIER/LONAK GLACIER

58. ZEMATHANG GLACIER
Zemathang glacier, near Kangchenjunga mountain range.

59. LAKES IN SIKKIM
•Khecheopalri lake
•Gurudongmar lake
•Tsongmo lake
•Tso Lhamu lake
•Menmecho lake
•Green lake
•Karthok lake

60. •Khecheopalrilake–Westsikkim,25kmsfromPelling.
SacredlakebothforBuddhists&Hindus.
•Gurudongmarlake–NorthSikkim,at17,800ftNorthEast
ofKanchenzunga.Oneportionofthelakeneverfreezesin
winter

61. KHECHEOPALRI LAKE

62. GURUDONGMAR LAKE

63. •TsoLhamolakeorChhoLhamoorCholamulakeisoneofthe
highestlakesintheworld,locatedapproximatelyatan
altitudeof17,100ft(5,210m).ItissituatedinNorthSikkim-
India,onlysome4km(2.5miles)south-westofChinese
border.
•Thisisaglacial,fresh-waterlakeislocatednorth-eastof
theKangchenjungarangeinahighplateauareaconnected
withtheTibetanPlateau.

65. •Tsomgolake–12,400 ft. (East Sikkim)
•“source of the lake”
•1km long,15 mtsdeep, oval in shape

66. TSOMGO LAKE

67. HOT SPRINGS
•A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of
geo-thermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust.
•Phurchachu
•Yunthang
•Borang
•Ralang
•Yumey Sandong
Highinsulphurcontent–medicinalvalue–average
temperatureofwateris50°CandSomeemithydrogen.

68. PURCHACHUHOTSPRING–situatedon
thebankofRiverRangeetsouthvillageoftikutamnearReshi.
Thewaterofthesespringshasmedicinalvalueasitcontains
sulphurandcancuresomeskindiseases.

69. YUMTHANG HOT SPRING
•Yumthangissituatedabout135kmsfromGangtokin
NorthSikkim.Itiswellknownforitshotsprings.
TheroutetoYumthangfromLachunghasavery
picturesquelandscapeandislinedwith
Rhododendrons.Yumthangfallsintherestrictedarea.

70. Borong and Ralong Hot Springs
•SituatednearRavanglainSouthSikkim,theBorongand
Ralonghotspringsarelocatedwithinaradiusof7KMfrom
eachother.Ittakesclosetoanhour-longtrektoarriveat
RalongTsachufromthefamedRalongMonasteryatRavangla.
•BorongTsachuhasarelativelylessdifficultaccessasthefirst
7KMhasmotorableroads.Aftertheinitialdrive,ittakesa
further40minutes'downhillwalktoreachatBorong.

71. Borang/Ralang hot springs

72. YUME SAMDONG HOT SPRING
YumesamdongistheendofYumthangValley.Itissituated
closetoChinaborderandcanbevisitedbyIndiantouristsonly.
ItsoftenreferredastheZeroPointorYumesamdong-Zero
PointSikkim.Situatedat15,500feetsaltitudeintheNorthEast
stateofSikkim(India).ItisveryclosetotheChineseborder.An
hoursdrivebeyondYumthang(26kms).