Category Geography

The Harappan civilization flourished around which river valley?

The Harappan civilization was located in the Indus River valley. Its two large cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, were located in present-day Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh provinces, respectively. Its extent reached as far south as the Gulf of Khambhat and as far east as the Yamuna (Jumna) River.

Before the excavation of these Harappan cities, scholars thought that Indian civilization had begun in the Ganges valley as Aryan immigrants from Persia and central Asia populated the region around 1250 BCE. The discovery of ancient Harappan cities unsettled that conception and moved the timeline back another 1500 years,situating the Indus Valley Civilization in an entirely different environmental context.

The Indus River Valley Civilization is considered a Bronze Age society; inhabitants of the ancient Indus River Valley developed new techniques in metallurgy—the science of working with copper, bronze, lead, and tin. Harappans also performed intricate handicraft using products made of the semi-precious gemstone Carnelian.

 

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On which river bank is the Taj Mahal situated?

 The Taj Mahal was built on the banks of the river Yamuna, between 1631 and 1643, by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife Arjumand Banu Begum, who was also known by the title Mumtaz Mahal. 

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”. It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India’s rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts 7–8 million visitors a year and in 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.

The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture. Specific inspiration came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings including the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand), Humayun’s Tomb which inspired the Charbagh gardens and hasht-behesht (architecture) plan of the site, Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb (sometimes called the Baby Taj), and Shah Jahan’s own Jama Masjid in Delhi. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. Buildings under his patronage reached new levels of refinement.

 

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Which is the last Indian State the Himalayan River Ganges enters before flowing into Bangladesh and eventually into the Bay of Bengal?

 West Bengal is the last Indian state that the Ganges enters, and, after it flows into Bangladesh, the Mahananda River joins it from the north. In West Bengal in India, as well as in Bangladesh, the Ganges is locally called the Padma. The westernmost distributaries of the delta are the Bhagirathi and the Hugli (Hooghly) rivers, on the east bank of which stands the huge metropolis of Kolkata (Calcutta). The Hugli itself is joined by two tributaries flowing in from the west, the Damodar and the Rupnarayan. As the Ganges passes from West Bengal into Bangladesh, a number of distributaries branch off to the south into the river’s vast delta. In Bangladesh the Ganges is joined by the mighty Brahmaputra (which is called the Jamuna in Bangladesh) near Goalundo Ghat. The combined stream, there called the Padma, joins with the Meghna River above Chandpur. The waters then flow through the delta region to the Bay of Bengal via innumerable channels, the largest of which is known as the Meghna estuary.

The rivers in the West Bengal area are sluggish; little water passes down them to the sea. In the Bangladeshi delta region, the rivers are broad and active, carrying plentiful water and connected by innumerable creeks. During the rains (June to October) the greater part of the region is flooded to a depth of 3 or more feet (at least 1 metre), leaving the villages and homesteads, which are built on artificially raised land, isolated above the floodwaters. Communication between settlements during that season can be accomplished only by boat.

 

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What are famous skyscrapers?

Superman may be able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound, but most people are amazed when they see them from the ground. Skyscrapers first appeared during the late 1800’s in Chicago and New York, U.S.A. Builders could fit more offices in one area by building upward. The 10-storey Home Insurance Building in Chicago, built from 1884 to 1885, was the first skyscraper with a metal frame.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s, German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe became famous for his glass and steel skyscrapers. His most famous structure in the Seagram Building in New York City, U.S.A. This skyscraper has bronze walls and bronze-coloured windows.

 

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What are National Monuments?

Around the world, thousands of buildings, statues, and parks helps us remember the past and honour people who made a difference in the world. These places are called national monuments.

One of the world’s famous monuments is the Statute of Liberty in New York Harbor, U.S.A. This majestic copper sculpture of a woman holding a torch towers 46 metres. A stairway inside the statue lets visitors look through Liberty’s crown. For immigrants who enter the U.S.A. through New York Harbor, the statue is a symbol of freedom and opportunity. The statue was a gift from France to the U.S.A. in 1885.

At Dinosaur National Monument in the U.S.A., tourists can see fossils of prehistoric reptiles. This national monument in Colorado and Utah also has canyons cut by the Green and Yampa rivers.

One of the greatest battles ever won by the British navy is remembered with a huge statue of Admiral Horaito Nelson in Trafalgar Square in London, England. Nelson was killed in the battle, but his statue has become one of the world’s famous landmarks.

In the centre of Hiroshima, Japan, a huge sculpture stands near the ruins of a building destroyed during a nuclear bomb attack. The ruined building, and the sculpture, known as the Atomic Bomb Dome, a part of Peace Memorial Park. The monument serves as a reminder of the atomic bomb that was dropped on the city during World War II.

 

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How people of different continents are connected to each other?

The seven continents are far apart from each other, but they are all part of the earth. No matter how far apart the continents are, the people who live on them are connected because they have the same needs. In addition to needing food, clothing, and a place to live, they all need to learn, to communicate, and to plan for the future.

Years ago, people knew very little about the continents. The only way they could learn about them was by travelling on ships. Today, TV’s and computers send information around the world with the flick of a switch or the click of a mouse. People watching TV in Australia can see a person rafting down the Amazon River in South America. A scientist in North America can send an instant message to a scientist in Antarctica by computer.

Yes, the continents are very far apart. But transport and technology have brought the people who live on them much closer together.

 

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