For 6th sem SU students

1. GEOGRAPHICAL
REGIONALIZATION
SIKKIM

2. INTRODUCTION
• Country : India
• Neighbouring State : West Bengal
• Neighbouring Countries : Nepal ,China, Bhutan
• Location : 27° 04’ – 28° 7’ North latitude
88° 00’ 58’’ – 88° 55’ 25’’ East longitude
• Area : 7096 km2
• Capital : Gangtok

3. • Sikkim : derived from Tibetian name “DENJONG, DEMOJONG AND
DEMO SHONG” meaning “THE COUNTRY OF VALLEY OF RICE”
• Lepchas- this was "Nye-mae-el" (Paradise),
• Tsong's word "Sukhim" meaning (New or Happy Home) .
• Essentially mountainous with no flat piece of land
• Merged as 22nd Indian state since 1975
• No. of Districts : 4 (East, North , South & West)
(Gangtok, Mangan, Namchi, Geyzing)
• No. of Villages : 450
• No. of Towns : 09 ( Namchi, Geyzing, Mangan, Jelep La,
Pemayangtse, Lachen, Yunthang, Tashiding, Rumtek )

5. • Elevation range : 280m – 8,585m (920 ft –
28,000 ft)
• North – South Stretch : 112.70 km
• East – West Stretch : 64.40 km

6. 112.7 km
64.40 km

7. • NORTH – Tibetan plateau
• SOUTH – Darjeeling ridge, Teesta valley
• Mountain range between Sikkim and Bhutan-Pangola range.
• NORTH-WEST - Singalila Range and chewabhanzang– Sikkim-Nepal
border; includes highest Sikkimese Summit, The KANCHENZUNGA-
8,586 m (28,150 ft.)
• NORTH EAST - Donkhya Range – NE Sikkim- Tibet border
• The Dongkya Range forms the tri-junction of the Bhutan-Sikkim-Tibet
border
• EAST – Chola range/ridge & Chumbi valley of Tibet & Bhutan

9. PHYSIOGRAPHY
•GLACIAL ZONE: North and North-West
(Zemu glaciar and Kanchanjunga)
•HIGH MOUNTAIN AREA:
- ridges run from North-South (Singalila & Chola)
-Neinam ridge ( seperates Rangeet from Tista
valley)
-North –south ridge caused by southern slope of
Himalayas

11. • Main physiographic of East Sikkim is
culminating in Donkoya peak (6870m)
• Eastern sikkim –Jela peak (4350m)
• Distinct characteristic of Eastern Sikkim is
NATHULA (4335m) AND TANGKARLA
peak (4800m)

12. Assignment
• 28 mountain peaks
• 80 glaciers
• 227 high altitude lakes
• 5 major hot springs
• > 100 rivers & streams
• 8 mountain passes

13. KANCHENGZONGA

14. • Mt. Kanchenzunga- is the third highest mountains in
the world and an elevation of 8,586m (28,169 feet).
• The name itself literally means “The Five Treasures of
Snow” in Tibetan language, owing to the five major
peaks in the region.
• The center, main and south peaks are situated in
Taplejung, Nepal while the north peak lies in Sikkim-
India.
• A large portion of the mountain is covered with snow
glaciers feeding through a large network of rivers in
both Nepal and India side.
• The major rivers are the Sapta Koshi River in Nepal
and Teesta River in India.

16. Conti..
• However, major climbing peak routes and best
trekking trails including the Kanchenjunga
trekking lies on Nepal’s side.
• Make a note on climbing history of Mt.
Kanchendzonga

17. GEO-MORPHOLOGY

18. • Sikkim encompasses or surrounded by the lesser
Himalaya, Central Himalaya, and the Tethys
Himalaya.
• A mountainous state without flat piece of land of
any extent any where. The mountains rise in
elevation northward.
• The northern portion of the state is deeply cut into
steep escarpments (a long, steep slope), and except
in the Lachen and Lachung valleys, is not populated.
• Southern Sikkim is lower, more open, and fairly well
cultivated. This configuration of the State is partly
due to the direction of the main drainage facilities in
southern..

19. • The physical configuration of Sikkim is also
partly due to geological structure. Major
portion old state is covered by Precambrian
rock and is much younger in age.
• The Northern, Eastern and Western portion of
the state are constituted of hard massive
gneissose rocks capable of resisting
denudation.
• The central and southern portion is formed of
comparatively soft, thin and half-schist ore
rocks which denudes very easily.

20. Gneissose and half-schistose rocks, producing generally poor
and shallow brown clay soils.
Large concentrations of iron oxide; neutral to acidic & is poor
in organic and mineral nutrients.
Precambrian rock, which is much younger in age than the
hills. The rock consists of phyllites (foliated metamorphic
rock) and schists (medium-grade metamorphic rock), is
highly susceptible to weathering and erosion.

21. GNEISS

22. SCHISTS

23. SOIL
• North – mountainous skeletal soil
• Foothills – Gravelly, Sandy soil
• Lower areas - Clayey soil
• River beds – Alluvial soil
• Zone of tropical forest – leached, but rich in
humus

25. CLIMATE
• Warmer and more humid than western
Himalayas
• Most humid place in Himalayas because of
proximity to Bay of Bengal and its exposure to
moisture bearing south western monsoon
winds
• 1. Topical
• 2. Temperate
• 3. Alpine

27. • Tundra region is clad with snow for four months every
year, and the temperature drops below 0 °C (32 °F)
almost every night
• Most of the inhabited regions of Sikkim, however,
experience a temperate climate, with the
temperatures seldom exceeding 28 °C (82 °F) in
summer or dropping below 0 °C (32 °F) in winter; the
mean monthly summer temperature is 18 °C.

29. • Five seasons: winter, summer, spring, autumn, and
a monsoon season.
• The average annual temperature for most of Sikkim is
around 18 °C (64 °F).
• During the monsoon, heavy rains (500 cm average)
increase the risk of landslides. The record for the
longest period of continuous rain in Sikkim is 11 days

30. DRAINAGE
• The Sikkim basin is drained by the TEESTA RIVER & it’s
tributaries (a river or stream flowing into a larger river or
lake), such as Rangit, Lhonak, Talung, & Lachung.
• Other tributaries - Lachen, Zeum, Rongni, Rungpo-chu
• Teesta river originates from Zemu glacier in the NE, near
Tibetan border (Tso Lhamu lake)
• Teesta river descends steeply, dropping about 15,700 ft (4800
m) to Rangpo
• Cuts a gorge through Darjeeling ridge, before emerging onto
the Indo-Gangetic plain.

31. TEESTA- RANGEET

32. River Rangeet
• The Rangeet or Rangit is a tributary of the Teesta
river, which is the largest river in
the Indian state of Sikkim. The Rangeet river
originates in the Himalayan mountains in West
Sikkim district. The river also forms the boundary
between Sikkim and Darjeeling district. The river
flows past the towns
of Jorethang, Pelling and Legship. During its final few
kilometres, it joins the Teesta River at a confluence
known as Tribeni, which is a popular picnic spot. The
Rangeet river has an NHPC hydropower plant with a
capacity of 60 megawatts (80,000 hp) capacity in
Sikkim.

33. Teesta - Rangeet

34. BIODIVERSITY & BIORESOURCES
• Sikkim has around 5,000 flowering plants, 515 rare orchids,
60 primula species (herbaceous flowering plants in the family
Primulaceae), 36 rhododendron species, 11 oak varieties, 23
bamboo varieties, 16 conifer species, 362 types of ferns and
ferns allies, 8 tree ferns, and over 424 medicinal plants.
• A variant of the Poinsettia, locally known as "Christmas Flower",
can be found in abundance in the mountainous state.
• The orchid Dendrobium nobile is the official flower of Sikkim,
while the rhododendron is the state tree, (Rhododendron
niveum).

35. State flower -Dendrobium nobile

36. State tree-Rhododendron niveum

37. Flora of Sikkim may be divide into three zones:
1. Tropical zone- ranging from lowest level upto
1500m
2. Temperate zone- from 1500-3900m
3. Alpine zone – till 4800m

38. • Orchids, figs, Bay laurel, bananas, sal trees, bamboo, and firs are grow
in the Himalayan tropical & subtropical broadleaf forests of the lower
elevation (altitudes) of Sikkim (up to 1500m).
• In the temperate elevations above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) there
are Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests,
where oaks, chestnuts, maples, and magnolia grow in large numbers,
as well as Himalayan subtropical pine forests, dominated by Chir pine.
• The alpine-type vegetation is typically found between an altitude of
3,500 to 5,000 metres (11,500 to 16,000 ft). and rhododendrons from
the Eastern Himalayan sub-alpine conifer forests. Higher up are Eastern
Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows, home to a broad variety of
rhododendrons and wildflowers.

41. • THE FAUNA include the snow leopard, the musk deer,
the Himalayan Tahr, the RED PANDA (Ailurus fulgens) (State
animal), the Himalayan marmot, the serow, the goral, the barking
deer, the common langur, the Himalayan Black Bear, the clouded
leopard, leopard cat, the wild dog, the Tibetan wolf, the hog
badger, the binturong, the jungle cat and the civet cat. Among the
animals more commonly found in the alpine zone are yaks, mainly
reared for their milk, meat, and as a beast of burden.

42. State Animal- RED PANDA

45. • THE AVIFAUNA of Sikkim include of the Impeyan pheasant,
the crimson horned pheasant, the snow partridge, the snow
cock, the lammergeier and griffon vultures, as well as golden
eagles, quail, plovers, woodcock, sandpipers, pigeons, Old World
flycatchers, babblers and robins.
• Sikkim has more than 550 species of birds, some of which have
been declared endangered.
• State Bird – Blood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus)

46. State Bird – Blood Pheasant

49. • Sikkim also has a rich diversity of arthropods, many of
which remain unstudied. As with the rest of India, the
most studied group is that of the butterflies. Of
approximately 1,438 butterfly species found in
the Indian subcontinent, 695 have been recorded from
Sikkim. These include the endangered Kaiser-i-
hind, Yellow Gorgon and the Bhutan Glory.

53. GLACIERS IN SIKKIM
A slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and
compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles. There are more
than 80 glaciers in Sikkim, some important are listed below.
• Zemu glacier,
• Rathong glacier,
• Lonak glacier,
• Zemathang glacier
• Taluk glacier,
• Tista khangse glacier,
• Hidden glacier

54. • ZEMU GLACIER – largest & most famous in eastern
himalayas
• 26 km in length
• Situated in U- Shaped valley at base of
Kanchendzonga
• Origin of TEESTA river

55. ZEMU GLACIER

56. • RATHONG GLACIER – West district of Sikkim
• Total length and average width of about 4 km and 800 m
• Origin of RANGIT river
• Chaurikhang falls
• LONAK GLACIER – at an altitude of about 4720 m in North
Sikkim.
• Zemu glacier in the North, Mt. Lama-ongden in the East, Mt.
Narsing & Mt. Damdin in South, & Kanchenjungha in West.

57. RATHONG GLACIER/LONAK GLACIER

58. ZEMATHANG GLACIER
Zemathang glacier, near Kangchenjunga mountain range.

59. LAKES IN SIKKIM
• Khecheopalri lake
• Gurudongmar lake
• Tsongmo lake
• Tso Lhamu lake
• Menmecho lake
• Green lake
• Karthok lake

60. • Khecheopalri lake – West sikkim, 25 kms from Pelling.
Sacred lake both for Buddhists & Hindus.
• Gurudongmar lake – North Sikkim, at 17,800 ft North East
of Kanchenzunga. One portion of the lake never freezes in
winter

61. KHECHEOPALRI LAKE

62. GURUDONGMAR LAKE

63. • Tso Lhamo lake or Chho Lhamo or Cholamu lake is one of the
highest lakes in the world, located approximately at an
altitude of 17,100 ft (5,210 m). It is situated in North Sikkim-
India, only some 4 km (2.5 miles) south-west of Chinese
border.
• This is a glacial, fresh-water lake is located north-east of
the Kangchenjunga range in a high plateau area connected
with the Tibetan Plateau.

65. • Tsomgo lake – 12,400 ft. (East Sikkim)
• “source of the lake”
• 1km long,15 mts deep, oval in shape

66. TSOMGO LAKE

67. HOT SPRINGS
• A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of
geo-thermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust.
• Phurchachu
• Yunthang
• Borang
• Ralang
• Yumey Sandong
High in sulphur content – medicinal value – average
temperature of water is 50°C and Some emit hydrogen.

68. PURCHACHU HOT SPRING – situated on
the bank of River Rangeet south village of tikutam near Reshi.
The water of these springs has medicinal value as it contains
sulphur and can cure some skin diseases.

69. YUMTHANG HOT SPRING
• Yumthang is situated about 135 kms from Gangtok in
North Sikkim . It is well known for its hot springs.
The route to Yumthang from Lachung has a very
picturesque landscape and is lined with
Rhododendrons. Yumthang falls in the restricted area.

70. Borong and Ralong Hot Springs
• Situated near Ravangla in South Sikkim, the Borong and
Ralong hot springs are located within a radius of 7 KM from
each other. It takes close to an hour-long trek to arrive at
Ralong Tsachu from the famed Ralong Monastery at Ravangla.
• Borong Tsachu has a relatively less difficult access as the first
7 KM has motorable roads. After the initial drive, it takes a
further 40 minutes' downhill walk to reach at Borong.

71. Borang/Ralang hot springs

72. YUME SAMDONG HOT SPRING
Yume samdong is the end of Yumthang Valley. It is situated
close to China border and can be visited by Indian tourists only.
Its often referred as the Zero Point or Yume samdong - Zero
Point Sikkim. Situated at 15,500 feets altitude in the North East
state of Sikkim (India).It is very close to the Chinese border. An
hours drive beyond Yumthang (26 kms).