Rajasthan Geography

Rajasthan is the largest state of India as far as the area covered is concerned. Lying in the Great India Desert of Thar, the land is largely inhospitable. However, Rajasthan is also blessed with rivers that pass through it, and a mountain range. The rivers are Chambal, Banas and Luni. Chambal and Banas are tributaries of the holy Ganges River. Gagghar River originates in Haryana and passes through Rajasthan in some places but in the form of a stream. The Aravalli mountain range at a length of nearly 850 km, lies from one end of Rajasthan to the other. The lovely hill station of Mount Abu is in this range and some of the other beautiful towns of Rajasthan such as Udaipur and Jaisalmer also lie in the valleys of Aravalli.

Rajasthan shares an international border with Pakistan. The area covered by this State is 342, 239 sq km. The northwest part of Rajasthan is dry and sandy as it lies mainly in the desert. As the monsoon is intercepted by the Aravalli mountains, Rajasthan does not get much rainfall. The vegetation here is thorn shrub forests in the desert areas and fertile land in the area covered by the mountain range. Being better watered, the ecosystem of Aravalli mountain supports deciduous forests (teak and acacia). The highest peak in Aravalli is Guru Shikhar at 1722 m above sea level and is located in Mount Abu. An alluvial basin forms the basis of Bharatpur and has supported the bird life there in the Keoladeo National Park. Mewar region lies in a hilly tract while Kota and Bundi are in a tableland.