Rainfall Distribution in India

There are five Rainfall zones in India. They are distributed as follows:

1. Excessive Heavy Rainfall Regions: Regions, experiencing 320 cm of rainfall or more, include parts of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and mountainous tracts of the Western Ghats. Heavy wet evergreen forests grow in these areas.

2. Heavy Rainfall Regions: Regions experiencing 200 to 320 cm rainfall include parts Maharashtra (Western Ghats), Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and West Bengal. Wet evergreen forests are found in these regions and the characteristic crops include rice, jute and maize.

3. Moderate Rainfall Region: Regions with 100 to 200 cm of rainfall include major parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of other states. Wet Deciduous forest forms the typical natural vegetations. Rice sugarcane and wheat are grown.

4. Scanty Rainfall Regions: Regions having 50 to 100 cm of rainfall include parts Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh. Wheat, sugarcane, cotton, groundnut, maize, jowar and tobacco are important crops.

5. Desert and Semi desert Regions: Regions having below 50 cm of rainfall include desert and semi-desert parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and adjoining regions. Deserts remain almost uncultivated. Bajra is grown in many parts.