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Child labour in IndiaChild labour in India and rest of the world, per World Bank data. India is in green with 10-20%

incidence levels, along with countries in red (30-40%) and black (>40%).

Child labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity, on part or full-time

basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mentaldevelopment. Poverty, lack of good schools and growth of informal economy are considered as the

important causes of child labour in India.[1][2]

The 2001 national census of India estimated the total number of child labour, aged 514, to be at12.6 million.[3] Child labour problem is not unique to India; worldwide, about 217 million children

work, many full-time.[4]

Definition

International Labour Organization (ILO) states that child labour may be defined in a number of

different ways, and a different definition yields a different estimate of child labour in India as well

as other countries. According to ILO, children or adolescents who participate in work that does notaffect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling, is not child labour;

rather it may generally be regarded as being something positive. he is also a man who tiheir

parents around the home, assisting family or earning pocket money outside school hours and over

holidays. These kinds of activities, suggests ILO, may contribute to childrens developmentlly,socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children, or work whose schedule interferes with

their ability to attend regular school, or work that affects in any manner their ability to focus

during school or experience healthy childhood.India's Census 2001 office defines child labor as participation of a child less than 17 years of age

in any economically productive activity with or without compensation, wages or profit. Such

participation could be physical or mental or both. This work includes part-time help or unpaidwork on the farm, family enterprise or in any other economic activity such as cultivation and milk

production for sale or domestic consumption. Indian government classifies child laborers into two

groups: Main workers are those who work 6 months or more per year. And marginal child workers

are those who work at any time during the year but less than 6 months in a year.Some child rights activists argue that child labour must include every child who is not in school

because he or she is a hidden child worker. UNICEF, however, points out that India faces major

shortages of schools, classrooms and teachers particularly in rural areas where 90 percent of childlabour problem is observed. About 1 in 5 primary schools have just one teacher to teach students

across all grades.

Child labour laws in IndiaIndia is a federal form of government, and child labour is a matter on which both the central

government and country governments can legislate, and have. The major national legislative

developments include the following:[22]

The Factories Act of 1948:

The Mines Act of 1952:

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986:The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act of 2000:

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009:

CausesInternational Labor Organization (ILO) and spreading smiles through education

organization(OSSE) suggests poverty is the greatest single force driving children into theworkplace.[1] Income from a child's work is felt to be crucial for his/her own survival or for that of
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the household. For some families, income from their children's labour is between 25 to 40% of the

household income.

Bonded child labour in IndiaChild labour in India are employed with the majority (70%) in agriculture[44] some in low-skilled

labour-intensive sectors such as sari weaving or as domestic helpers, which require neither formaleducation nor training, but some in heavy industry such as coal mining.[45]

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), there are tremendous economic benefits

for developing nations by sending children to school instead of work.

[8]

Without education,children do not gain the necessary skills such as English literacy and technical aptitude that will

increase their productivity to enable them to secure higher-skilled jobs in future with higher wages

that will lift them out of poverty.

Diamond industry

Fireworks manufacture

Silk manufacture

Domestic labour

Coal mining

Initiatives against child labourIn 1979, the Indian government formed the Gurupadswamy Committee to find about child labourand means to tackle it. The Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act was not enacted based onthe recommendations of the committee in 1986.[citation needed] A National Policy on Child Labour was

formulated in 1987 to focus on rehabilitating children working in hazardous occupations.[3] The

Ministry of Labour and Employment had implemented around 100 industry-specific NationalChild Labour Projects to rehabilitate the child workers since 1988.[60]

Non-governmental organisationsMany NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, CARE India,Child Rights and You,Global march

against child labor, RIDE Indiaetc. have been working to eradicate child labour in India.[61]

Legal action against child labour in India

There shall be total ban on the employment of children up to the age of 14 years, be ithazardous or non-hazardous industries.

There shall be no forced labour even for children between the age of 14 years to 18 years;

and whenever a child above the age of 14 years is forced to work, it has to be treated as an offence

under Section 374 IPC and it is to be dealt with sternly.

When any matter is brought to the notice of the State Commission (or for that matter suo

motu cognizance taken by the State Commission) involving violation of child rights even where a

child above the age of 14 year is employed, the State Commission under the CPCR Act will have

the jurisdiction to deal with the same and pass necessary directions.

The violators have to be dealt with effectively and in a speedy manner. Therefore,

wherever violations are found, cases under the provisions of Part-IV of the Child Labour

Prohibition Act have to be registered without delay in each and every case. Wherever the officers fail or neglect to take effective action immediately, apart from taking

necessary disciplinary action, action can also be taken, in appropriate cases, under Section 166 IPC

against such officers.

There is also a need for rehabilitation of such children in the society. (Scheme suggested by

Hemant Goswami was adopted by the Court, with the following main points; (a) Moving out the

child from the exploitative environment (b) Ensuring Education (c) Ensuring Food/Meals/Clothes/

Necessities (D) Penalty/Compensation should be for the benefit of the Child (e) RegularMonitoring)
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The Chairperson of State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights should be a person

who has been Judge of the High Court and the process of selection of the other six members of theState Commissions for Protection of Child Rights should entail issuance of public advertisement

for inviting applications, interviewing eligible candidates and recommending a penal of names of

suitable persons.

States of Punjab and Haryana as well as U.T., Chandigarh shall also ensure that the State

Commissions become fully functional by appointing Chairpersons and Members.

Childrens Courts with specialised infrastructure be created.


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Improvement in Food Resources

Introduction

Man is an omnivore. He depends on both plants and animals for food. We know that crops are a major source of

food.Milching Animals

Most zebu cattle (domesticated cattle, Bos indicus) are resistant to Rinderpest. This disease has been controlled

through a National Vaccination Programme.Milch Animal Management - Continued

Indigenous dairy breeds produce 6-8 litres of milk a day where as foreign exotic breeds produce 60 litres of milk a

day.Fish Farming

Fish is a source of high quality animal protein and a rich source of minerals like calcium, phosphorus and iron.India abounds in fish, both fresh water and marine.

Human Dependence on Plants and Animals for Food

Animals are heterotrophs i.e. they are incapable of synthesizing their own food. They depend on plants and other

animals for food. Man also being a heterotroph, gets his food from plants as well as animals.Natural Fertilizers

Constant use of the soil leads to the loss of its important nutrients particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

and thus the soil loses its fertility.

Chemical FertilizersChemical fertilizers contain a higher amount of nutrients as against manures and so are used in very small

quantities.Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainability means keeping an effort going continuously, or the ability to last out and keep from falling.Mixed Farming

While modern day farmers specialize in one agricultural sector, either dairy or growing potatoes, their predecessors

kept a wide array of farm animals and planted many different kinds of field crops.

Salient Features of Mixed Cropping

Mixed cropping is growing of two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land.

Genetically modified food

Genetically modified foods (orGM foods) are foods derived from genetically modified

organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNAby genetic engineeringtechniques. These techniques are much more precise. than mutagenesis

(mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-

specific but stable change. Other techniques by which humans modify food organisms includeselective breeding; plant breeding, and animal breeding, and somaclonal variation.

GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. Typically, genetically modified foods

are transgenic plant products:soybean, corn,canola, and cotton seed oil. Animal products havealso been developed, although as of July 2010 none are currently on the market. In 2006 a pig was

controversially engineered to produceomega-3 fatty acids through the expression of a roundworm

gene. Researchers have also developed a genetically-modified breed of pigs that are able to absorb

plant phosphorus more efficiently, and as a consequence the phosphorus content of their manure isreduced by as much as 60%.

Critics have objected to GM foods on several grounds, including safety issues, ecological

concerns, and economic concerns raised by the fact that these organisms are subject tointellectual

property law.

Method
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Genetic modification involves the insertion or deletion of genes. In the process ofcisgenesis, genes

are artificially transferred between organisms that could be conventionally bred. In the process oftransgenesis, genes from a different species are inserted, which is a form ofhorizontal gene

transfer. In nature this can occur when exogenous DNA penetrates the cell membrane for any

reason. To do this artificially may require transferring genes as part of an attenuated virus genomeor physically inserting the extra DNA into the nucleus of the intended host using a microsyringe,

or as a coating on gold nanoparticles fired from a gene gun. However, other methods exploit

natural forms of gene transfer, such as the ability ofAgrobacterium to transfer genetic material to

plants, and the ability oflentiviruses to transfer genes to animal cells.

Development

The first commercially grown genetically modifiedwhole food crop was a tomato (called

FlavrSavr), which was modified to ripen without softening, by Calgene, later a subsidiary ofMonsanto. Calgene took the initiative to obtain FDA approval for its release in 1994 without any

special labeling, although legally no such approval was required. It was welcomed by consumers

who purchased the fruit at a substantial premium over the price of regular tomatoes. However,

production problems and competition from a conventionally bred, longershelf-life varietyprevented the product from becoming profitable. A tomato produced using similar technology to

the Flavr Savr was used by Zeneca to produce tomato pastewhich was sold in Europe during the

summer of 1996. The labeling and pricing were designed as a marketing experiment, whichproved, at the time, that European consumers would accept genetically engineered foods.

Currently, there are a number of food species in which a genetically modified version exists

(percent modified are mostly 2009/2010 data).

In addition, various genetically engineered micro-organisms are routinely used as sources ofenzymes for the manufacture of a variety of processed foods. These include alpha-amylase from

bacteria, which converts starch to simple sugars,chymosinfrom bacteria or fungi that clots milk

protein for cheese making, andpectinesterase from fungi which improves fruit juice clarity.

Growing GM crops

Between 1997 and 2009, the total surface area of land cultivated with GMOs had increased by a

factor of 80, from 17,000km2 (4.2 million acres) to 1,340,000km2 (331 million

acres).

Although most GM crops are grown inNorth America, in recent years there has been rapid growth

in the area sown in developing countries. For instance in 2009 the largest increase in crop area

planted to GM crops (soybeans) was in Brazil (214,000km2 in 2009 versus

158,000km2 in 2008.) There has also been rapid and continuing expansion of GM cotton

varieties in India since 2002. (Cotton is a major source of vegetable cooking oil and animal feed.)In 2009 84,000km2 of GM cotton were harvested in India.

In India, GM cotton yields in Andhra Pradesh were no better than non-GM cotton in 2002, the first

year of commercial GM cotton planting. This was because there was a severe drought in AndhraPradesh that year and the parental cotton plant used in the genetic engineered variant was not well

suited to extreme drought. Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu had an average 42% increase

in yield with GM cotton in the same year. Drought resistant variants were developed and, with thesubstantially reduced losses to insect predation, by 2009 87% of Indian cotton was GM. Though
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disputed the economic and environmental benefits of GM cotton in India to the individual farmer

have been documented.

In 2009, countries that grew 95% of the global transgenic crops were the United States (46%),

Brazil (16%), Argentina (15%), India (6%), Canada (6%), China (3%), Paraguay (2%) andSouth

Africa


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3. industrial production of nitrogen by the Haber Process uses hydrogen, which is currently derivedfrom natural gas, (but this hydrogen could instead be made by electrolysis of water usingelectricity (perhaps from solar cells or windmills)) or

4. genetically engineering (non-legume) crops to form nitrogen-fixing symbioses or fix nitrogen withoutmicrobial symbionts.

The last option was proposed in the 1970s, but is only recently becoming feasible. Sustainable

options for replacing other nutrient inputs (phosphorus, potassium, etc.) are more limited.

More realistic, and often overlooked, options includelong-term crop rotations, returning to natural

cycles that annually flood cultivated lands (returning lost nutrients indefinitely) such as theFlooding of the Nile, the long-term use ofbiochar, and use of crop and livestocklandraces that are

adapted to less than ideal conditions such as pests, drought, or lack of nutrients.

Crops that require high levels of soil nutrients can be cultivated in a more sustainable manner if

certain fertilizer management practices are adhered to.

Water

In some areas, sufficient rainfall is available for crop growth, but many other areas requireirrigation. For irrigation systems to be sustainable they require proper management (to avoid

salinization) and must not use more water from their source than is naturally replenished,otherwise the water source becomes, in effect, a non-renewable resource. Improvements in water

well drilling technology and submersible pumps combined with the development of drip irrigation

and low pressure pivots have made it possible to regularly achieve high crop yields where relianceon rainfall alone previously made this level of success unpredictable. However, this progress has

come at a price, in that in many areas where this has occurred, such as the Ogallala Aquifer, the

water is being used at a greater rate than its rate of recharge.

Several steps should be taken to develop drought-resistant farming systems even in "normal" years,

including both policy and management actions: 1) improving water conservation and storagemeasures, 2) providing incentives for selection of drought-tolerant crop species, 3) using reduced-

volume irrigation systems, 4) managing crops to reduce water loss, or 5) not planting at all.

Soil

Soil erosion is fast becoming the one of the worlds greatest problems. It is estimated that "morethan a thousand million tonnes of southern Africa's soil are eroded every year. Experts predict that

crop yields will be halved within thirty to fifty years if erosion continues at present rates." Soil

erosion is not unique to Africa but is occurring worldwide. The phenomenon is being calledPeakSoilas present large scale factory farming techniques are jeop
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Physical Features of India

Introduction

India is a vast country with varied landforms. Our country has practically all major physicalfeatures of the earth i.e. mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus and islands. India is a large

landmass formed during different geological periods which has influenced her relief.Besides geological formations, a number of processes such as weathering, erosion anddeposition have created and modified the relief its present form.

The movement of the plates results in the building up of stresses within the plates and thecontinental rocks above, leading to folding, faulting and volcanic activity. Broadly, theseplate movements are classified into three types. While some plates come towards eachother and form convergent boundary. Some plates move away from each other and formdivergent boundary. In the event of two plates coming together they may either collideand crumble, or one may slide under the other. At times, they may also move horizontallypast each other and form transform boundary. The movement of these plates have

changed the position and size of the continents over millions of years. Such movementshave also influenced the evolution of the present landform features relief of India.

The oldest landmass, (the Peninsula part), was a part of the Gondwana land. TheGondwanaland included India, Australia, South Africa and South America as one singleland mass. The convectional currents split the crust into a number of pieces, thus leadingto the drifting of the Indo-Australian plate after being separated from the Gondwana land,towards north. The northward drift resulted in the collision of the plate with the muchlarger Eurasian Plate. Due to this collision, the sedimentary rocks which wereaccumulated in the geosyncline known as the Tethys were folded to form the mountainsystem of western Asia and Himalaya. The Himalayan uplift out of the Tethys sea and

subsidence of the northern flank of the peninsular plateau resulted in the formation of alarge basin. In due course of time this depression, gradually got filled with deposition ofsediments by the rivers flowing from the mountains in the north and the peninsularplateau in the south. A flat land of extensive alluvial deposits led to the formation of thenorthern plains of India. The land of India displays great physical variation. Geologically,the Peninsular Plateau constitutes one of the ancient landmasses on the earths surface.It was supposed to be one of the most stable land blocks. The Himalayas and theNorthern Plains are the most recent landforms. From the view point of geology,Himalayan mountains form an unstable zone. The whole mountain system of Himalayarepresents a very youthful topography with high peaks, deep valleys and fast flowingrivers.The northern plains are formed of alluvial deposits. The peninsular plateau is

composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks with gently rising hills and wide valleys.

MAJOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS


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The physical features of India can be grouped under the following physiographic divisions

(i) The Himalayan Mountains

(ii) The Northern Plains

(iii) The Peninsular Plateau

(iv) The Indian Desert

(v) The Coastal Plains

(vi) The Islands

The Himalayan Mountains

The Himalayas, geologically young and structurally fold mountains stretch over the

northern borders of India. These mountain ranges run in a west-east direction from theIndus to the Brahmaputra. The Himalayas represent the loftiest and one of the mostrugged mountain barriers of the world. They form an arc, which covers a distance ofabout 2,400 Km. Their width varies from 400 Km in Kashmir to 150 Km in ArunachalPradesh. The altitudinal variations are greater in the eastern half than those in thewestern half. The Himalaya consists of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent. Anumber of valleys lie between these ranges. The northern most range is known as theGreat or Inner Himalayas or the Himadri. It is the most continuous range consisting ofthe loftiest peaks with an average height of 6,000 metres. It contains all the prominentHimalayan peaks. The folds of Great Himalayas are asymmetrical in nature. The core of


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this part of Himalayas is composed of granite. It is perennially snow bound, and a numberof glaciers descend from this range.The range lying to the south of the Himadri forms themost rugged mountain system and is known as Himachal or lesser Himalaya. The rangesare mainly composed of highly compressed and altered rocks. The altitude variesbetween 3,700 and 4,500 metres and the average width is of 50 Km. While the Pir Panjalrange forms the longest and the most important range, the Dhaula Dhar and theMahabharat ranges are also prominent ones. This range consists of the famous valley ofKashmir, the Kangra and Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh. This region is well known for

its hill stations. The outer most range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks. Theyextend over a width of 10-50 Km and have an altitude varying between 900 and 1100metres. These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by riversfrom the main Himalayan ranges located farther north. These valleys are covered withthick gravel and alluvium. The longitudinal valley lying between lesser Himalaya and theShiwaliks are known as Duns. Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun are some of the well-known Duns. Besides the longitudinal divisions, the Himalayas have been divided on thebasis of regions from west to east. These divisions have been demarcated by rivervalleys. For example, the part of Himalayas lying between Indus and Satluj has beentraditionally known as Punjab Himalaya but it is also known regionally as Kashmir andHimachal Himalaya from west to east respectively. The part of the Himalayas lying

between Satluj and Kali rivers is known as Kumaon Himalayas. The Kali and Tista riversdemarcate the Nepal Himalayas and the part lying between Tista and Dihang rivers isknown as Assam Himalayas. The Brahmaputra marks the eastern most boundary of theHimalayas. Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply to the south andspread along the eastern boundary of India. They are known as the Purvanchal or theEastern hills and mountains. These hills running through the north-eastern states aremostly composed of strong sandstones which are sedimentary rocks. Covered with denseforests, they mostly run as parallel ranges and valleys. The Purvanchal comprises thePatkai hills, the Naga hills, Manipur hills and the Mizo hills.

Some Highest Peaks of the Himalayas

The Northern Plain

The northern plain has been formed by the interplay of the three major river systems,namely the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries. This plainis formed of alluvial soil. The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying at the foothills ofthe Himalaya over millions of years, formed this fertile plain. It spreads over an area of 7lakh sq. km. The plain being about 2400 Km long and 240 to 320 Km broad, is a densely


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populated physiographic division. With a rich soil cover combined with adequate watersupply and favourable climate it is agriculturally a very productive part of India. The riversin their lower course split into numerous channels due to the deposition of silt. Thesechannels are known as distributaries. The Northern Plain is broadly divided into threesections. The Western part of the Northern Plain is referred to as the Punjab Plains.Formed by the Indus and its tributaries, the larger part of this plain lies in Pakistan. TheIndus and its tributariesthe Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas and the Satlujoriginate in the Himalaya. This section of the plain is dominated by the doabs. The Ganga

plain extends between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers. It is spread over the states of NorthIndia, Haryana, Delhi, U.P., Bihar, partly Jharkhand and West Bengal to its East,particularly in Assam lies the Brahmaputra plain. The northern plains are generallydeseribed as flat land with no variations in its relief. It is not true. These vast plains alsohave diverse relief features. According to the variations in relief features, the Northernplains can be divided into four regions. The rivers, after descending from the mountainsdeposit pebbles in a narrow belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying parallel to the slopes ofthe Shiwaliks. It is known as bhabar. All the streams disappear in this bhabar belt. Southof this belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet, swampy and marshyregion known as terai.. The largest part of the northern plain is formed of older alluvium.They lie above the flood plains of the rivers and present a terrace like feature. This part is

known as bhangar. The soil in this region contains calcareous deposites locally known askankar. The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains are called khadar. They arerenewed almost every year and so are fertile, thus, ideal for intensive agriculture.

The Peninsular Plateau

The Peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous andmetamorphic rocks. It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana landand thus, making it a part of the oldest landmass. The plateau has broad and shallowvalleys and rounded hills. This plateau consists of two broad divisions, namely, theCentral Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.The part of the Peninsular plateau lying to the

north of the Narmada river covering a major area of the Malwa plateau is known as theCentral Highlands. The Vindhyan range is bounded by the Central Highlands on the southand the Aravalis on the northwest. The further westward extension gradually merges withthe sandy and rocky desert of Rajasthan. The flow of the rivers draining this region,namely the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa and Ken is from southwest to northeast, thusindicating the slope. The Central Highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east.The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as the Bundelkhand andBaghelkhand. The Chotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension, drained bythe Damodar river. The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south ofthe river Narmada. The Satpura range flanks its broad base in the north while theMahadev, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range form its eastern extensions. Locate these

hills and ranges in the physical map of India. The Deccan Plateau is higher in the westand slopes gently eastwards. An extension of the Plateau is also visible in the northeastlocally known as the Meghalaya and Karbi-Anglong Plateau. It is separated by a faultfrom the Chotanagpur Plateau. Three Prominent hill ranges from the west to east are theGaro, the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark thewestern and the eastern edges of the Deccan Plateau respectively. Western ghats lieparallel to the western coast. They are continuous and can be crossed through passesonly.The Western Ghats are higher than the Eastern Ghats. Their average elevation is900 1600 metres as against 600 metres of the Eastern Ghats. The Eastern Ghats


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stretch from the Mahanadi Valley to the Nigiris in the south. The Eastern Ghats arediscontinuous and irregular and dissected by rivers draining into he Bay of Bengal.

The Indian Desert

The Indian desest lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. It is an undulatingsandy plain covered with sand dunes. This region receives very low rainfall below 150mm per year. It has arid climate with low vegetatin cover. Streams appear during the rainy

season.

The Coastal Plains

The Peninsular plateau is flanked by stretch of narrow coastal strips, running along theArabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east. The western coast,sandwiche between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, is a narrow plain. It consistsof three sections. The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan (Mumbai Goa), thecentral stretch is called the Kannad Plain while the southern stretch is referred to as theMalabar coast The plain along the Bay of Bengal are wide and level. In the northern part,it is referred to as the Northern Circar, while the southern part is known as the

Coromandal Coast. Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna andthe Kaveri have formed extensive delta on this coast. Lake Chilika is an important featurealong the eastern coast

The Island

Lakshadweep Islands group are lying close to the Malabar coast of Kerala. This group ofislands is composed of small coral isalnds. Earlier they were known as Laccadive,Minicoy and Amindive. In 1973 these were named as Lakshadweep. It covers small areaof 32 sq km. Kavaratti island is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep. Thisisland group has great diversity of flora and fauna. The Pitli island, which is uninhabited,has a bird sanctuary. There is chain of islands located in the Bay of Bengal extendingfrom north to south. These are Andaman and Nicobar islands. They are bigger in size andare more numerous and scattered. The entire group of islands is divided into two broadcategories The Andaman in the north and the Nicobar in the south. It is believed thatthese islands are an elevated portion of submarine mountains. These island groups are ofgreat starategic importance for the country. There is great diversity of flora and fauna inthis group of islands too. These islands lie close to equator, and experience equatorialclimate and has thick forest cover. The northern mountains are the major sources ofwater and forest wealth. The norhtern plains are the granaries of the country. Theyprovide the base for early civilisations. The plateau is a storehouse of minerals, which hasplayed a crucial role in the industrialisation of the country. The coastal region and island

groups provide sites for fishing and port activities. Thus, the diverse physical features ofthe land have immense future possibilities of development.

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