FLORA
With a wide range of climatic conditions from the torrid to the arctic, India has a rich and varied vegetation, which only a few countries of comparable size possess. India can be divided into eight distinct-floristic-regions, namely, the western Himalayas,the eastern Himalayas, Assam, the Indus plain, the Ganga plain, the Deccan, Malabar and the Andamans.
The Western Himalayan region extends from Kashmir to Kumaon. Its temperate
zone is rich in forests of chir, pine, other conifers and broad-leaved temperate trees.
Higher up, forests of deodar, blue pine, spruce and silver fir occur. The alpine zone
extends from the upper limit of the temperate zone of about 4,750 metres or even
higher. The characteristic trees of this zone are high-level silver fir, silver birch and junipers. The eastern Himalayan region extends from Sikkim eastwards and embraces
Darjeeling, Kurseong and the adjacent tract. The temperate zone has forests of oaks,
laurels, maples, rhododendrons, alder and birth. Many conifers, junipers and dwarf
willows also occur here. The Assam region comprises the Brahamaputra and the
Surma valleys with evergreen forests, occasional thick clumps of bamboos and tall
grasses. The Indus plain region comprises the plains of Punjab, western Rajasthan
and northern Gujarat. It is dry and hot and supports natural vegetation. The Ganga
plain region covers the area which is alluvial plain and is under cultivation for
wheat, sugarcane and rice. Only small areas support forests of widely differing types.
The Deccan region comprises the entire table land of the Indian Peninsula and
supports vegetation of various kinds from scrub jungles to mixed deciduous forests.
The Malabar region covers the excessively humid belt of mountain country parallel
to the west coast of the Peninsula. Besides being rich in forest vegetation, this region produces important commercial corps, such as coconut, betelnut, pepper, coffee and tea, rubber and cashewnut. The Andaman region abounds in evergreen, mangrove,
beach and diluvial forests. The Himalayan region extending from Kashmir to
Arunachal Pradesh through Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Meghalaya and Nagaland and
the Deccan Peninsula is rich in endemic flora, with a large number of plants which
are not found elsewhere.
India is rich in flora. Available data place India in the tenth position in the
world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. From about 70 per cent geographical area
surveyed so far, over 46,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical
Survey of India (BSI), Kolkata. The vascular flora, which forms the conspicuous
vegetation cover, comprises 15,000 species. The flora of the country is being studied
by BSI and its nine circle/field offices located throughout the country along with
certain universities and research institutions.
Ethno-botanical study deals with the utilisation of plants and plant products
by ethnic races. A scientific study of such plants has been made by BSI. A number of
detailed ethno-botanical explorations have been conducted in different tribal areas
of the country. More than 800 plant species of ethno-botanical interest have been
collected and identified at different centres.
Owing to destruction of forests for agricultural, industrial and urban
development, several Indian plants are facing extinction. About 1,336 plant species
are considered vulnerable and endangered. About 20 species of higher plants are
categorised as possibly extinct as these have not been sighted during the last 6-10
decades. BSI brings out an inventory of endangered plants in the form of a publication
titled Red Data Book.
FAUNA
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with its headquarters in Kolkata and 16 regional
stations is responsible for surveying the faunal resources of India. Possessing a
tremendous diversity of climate and physical conditions, India has great variety of
fauna numbering over 89,000 species. Of these, protista number 2,577, mollusca
5,070, anthropoda 68,389, amphibian 209, mammalian 390, reptilian 456, members
of protochordata 119, pisces 2,546, aves 1,232 and other invertebrates 8,329.
The mammals include the majestic elephant, the gaur or Indian bison–the largest
of existing bovines, the great Indian rhinoceros, the gigantic wild sheep of the
Himalayas, the swamp deer, the thamin spotted deer, nilgai, the four-horned antelope,
the Indian antelope or black-buck – the only representatives of these genera. Among
the cats, the tiger and lion are the most magnificent of all; other splendid creatures
such as the clouded leopard, the snow leopard, the marbled cat, etc., are also found.
Many other species of mammals are remarkable for their beauty, colouring, grace and
uniqueness. Several birds, like pheasants, geese, ducks, myanahs, parakeets, pigeons,
cranes, hornbills and sunbirds inhabit forests and wetlands.
Rivers and lakes harbour crocodiles and gharials, the latter being the only
representative of crocodilian order in the world. The salt water crocodile is found
along the eastern coast and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A project for
breeding crocodiles which started in 1974, has been instrumental in saving the
crocodile from extinction.
The great Himalayan range has a very interesting variety of fauna that includes
the wild sheep and goats, markhor, ibex, shrew and tapir. The panda and the snow
leopard are found in the upper reaches of the mountains.
Depletion of vegetative cover due to expansion of agriculture, habitat
destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, introduction of toxic imbalance in community structure, epidemics, floods, droughts and cyclones, contribute to the loss of flora and fauna. More than 39 species of mammals, 72 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles, three species of amphibians, two species of fish and a large number of
butterflies, moth and beetles are considered vulnerable and endangered.
DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND
CENSUS
The Census of India 2001, is historic and epoch making being the first census of the
twenty-first century and the third millennium. It reveals benchmark data on the state
of abundant human resources available in the country, their demography, culture
and economic structure at a juncture, which marks a centennial and millenial
transition.
The population enumeration of 2001 census was undertaken during 9-28
February 2001 with a revisional round from 1-5 March 2001. The Census moment,
the referral time at which the snapshot of the population is taken was 00.00 hours of
6 India 2008
the 1 March 2001. Until the 1991 Census, the sunrise of 1 March was taken to be the
census moment. The houseless population, as has been the usual practice, was
enumerated on the night of 28 February 2001.
POPULATION
India’s population as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028 million (532.1 million males
and 496.4 million females). India accounts for a meagre 2.4 per cent of the world
surface area of 135.79 million sq km. Yet, it supports and sustains a whopping 16.7
per cent of the world population.
The population of India, which at the turn of the twentieth century was around
238.4 million, increased to reach 1,028 million at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
The population of India as recorded at each decennial census from 1901 has grown
steadily except for a decrease during 1911-21.
Table 1.2 gives the selected indicators of population growth in different States
and Union Territories. The per cent decadal growth of population in the inter-censal
period 1991-2001 varies from a low of 9.43 in Kerala to a very high 64.53 in Nagaland.
Delhi with 47.02 per cent, Chandigarh with 40.28 per cent and Sikkim with 33.06 per
cent registered very high growth rates. In addition to Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra
Pradesh registered low growth rates during 1991-2001.
POPULATION DENSITY
One of the important indices of population concentration is the density of population.
It is defined as the number of persons per sq km. The population density of India in
2001 was 324 per sq km.
The density of population was increased in all States and Union Territories
between 1991 and 2001. Among major states, West Bengal is still the most thickly
populated state with a population density of 903 in 2001. Bihar is now the second
highest densely populated state pushing Kerala to the third place. Ranking of the
States and Union Territories by density is shown in table 1.3.
SEX RATIO
Sex ratio, defined as the number of females per thousand males is an important social
indicator to measure the extent of prevailing equality between males and females in
a society at a given point of time. The sex ratio in the country had always remained
unfavourable to females. It was 972 at the beginning of the 20th century and thereafter showed continuous decline until 1941.
LITERACY
For the purpose of census 2001, a person aged seven and above, who can both read
and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate. A person, who
can only read but cannot write, is not literate. In the censuses prior to 1991, children
below five years of age were necessarily treated as illiterates.
The results of 2001 census reveal that there has been an increase in literacy in
the country. The literacy rate in the country is 64.84 per cent, 75.26 for males and
53.67 for females. The steady improvement in literacy is apparent from the table 1.5.
Kerala retained its position by being on top with a 90.86 per cent literacy rate,
closely followed by Mizoram (88.80 per cent) and Lakshadweep (86.66 per cent).
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