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The climate ranges from arid deserts in Rajastan, west of Delhi, to the cool highlands of Assam State by the Himalayas. The mountains shelter the country from cold north winds. The seasonal monsoon winds bring about three-quarters of the total annual rainfall but otherwise the climate is dry for about eight months of the year.
There are three main seasons. From mid-June to the end of September monsoon winds bring heavy rain and the weather is hot. From early October to February the weather is cool and dry. From about March to mid-June the dry weather continues but it is hot with high humidity. These seasons may vary by several weeks in different parts of India and from year to year.
Vegetation ranges from tropical and deciduous forests to scrub jungle, grassland and desert. Large-scale areas of forest have been cleared for agriculture. Around 20 per cent of the land still has forest cover and about five per cent is protected within national parks.
India has had abundant wildlife including lions, tigers, leopards, panthers, elephants and rhinoceroses. Extensive hunting in the past, poaching, pesticides, and the ever-increasing human population have had disastrous effects on India’s environment.
Tigers were near extinction but have since increased to several thousand, mostly in reserves and forest regions. There is a rich variety of deer and antelope, wild buffaloes, Indian bison, sloth bears, striped hyenas, wild pigs, jackals and Indian wild dogs. Crocodiles live in the country’s rivers, swamps and lakes. About one-fifth of the many types of snakes are poisonous.
The main grain crops are rice and wheat. Cash crops include sugarcane, jute, tea and cotton. Frequent droughts, floods and lack of irrigation regularly threaten crops.
Common domesticated animals are oxen, buffalo, horses, single-hump camels, sheep, goats and pigs.
For more information about the environment in India, go to http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/indian_subcontinent/india/environment.htm
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