Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
In India, the Himalayas are spread over five States only.
Western Ghats are spread over five States only.
Pulicat Lake is spread over two States only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 and 2 only
3 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is incorrect
The Himalayas in India are not confined to only five States. The Indian Himalayan Region extends from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to West Bengal and north-eastern India.
It includes Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, along with Assam, West Bengal and other north-eastern hill States.
In 2017, Ladakh was not a separate Union Territory. At that time, the Indian Himalayan Region was generally considered to extend across 12 States. Under the present administrative arrangement, the separate counting of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh takes the number to 13 States and Union Territories.
Therefore, the expression “five States only” is incorrect.
Statement 2 is incorrect
The Western Ghats extend across six States, not five:
Gujarat
Maharashtra
Goa
Karnataka
Kerala
Tamil Nadu
The Western Ghats begin near the Gujarat-Maharashtra border, south of the Tapi River, and extend for approximately 1,600 km before terminating near Kanyakumari.
They are commonly known as the Sahyadris in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The Western Ghats constitute one of India’s four global biodiversity hotspots.
Therefore, Statement 2 is incorrect.
Statement 3 is correct
Pulicat Lake extends across only two States—Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
The larger part of the lake lies in Andhra Pradesh, while a smaller part lies in Tamil Nadu.
It is a lagoon containing a mixture of saline and freshwater.
Sriharikota Island separates it from the Bay of Bengal.
It is regarded as India’s second-largest brackish-water lagoon after Chilika Lake.
The Swarnamukhi, Kalangi and Arani rivers are among its principal sources of freshwater.