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UTTAR PRADESH

Geographical position and climate

Uttar Pradesh is India's fourth largest and most populous located in the north-central part of the
country. It is situated between 23°52'N and 31°28'N latitudes and 77°3' and 84°39'E longitudes.
It spreads over a large area, and the plains of the state are quite distinctly different from the high
mountains in the north. It can be divided into three distinct hypsographical regions, viz. i)
Shivalik foothills and Terai in the North, ii) Gangetic Plain in the centre - highly fertile alluvial
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soils; flat topography broken by numerous ponds, lakes and rivers; slope 2 m km , and iii)
Vindhya Hills and plateau in the south - hard rock strata; varied topography of hills, plains,
valleys and plateau; limited water availability.The Ganga plain, which dominates the landscape
and nearly covers three fourth of the geographical area of the state, lies between the rocky
Himalayan belt in the north and the southern hilly tract comprised of mainly Pre-Cambrian
rocks. It is filled with recent alluival sediments, which is at places more than 1,000 m thick and
an amalagam of sand, silt, clay in varying proportions.

The climate of this state can also vary widely - primarily due to it being far from the moderating
effect of the sea and the occasional cold air arising due to western disturbances with
temperatures reaching as high as 49 °C in summer, and as low as -1 °C in winter. Retreating
monsoon season, although existent, has a very negligible effect and only occasional mild
showers are experienced in winter. Some of these showers are not even due to the monsoon but
due to western disturbances. The primary temperature, rainfall and wind features of the three
distinct seasons include, i) Summer (March–June): Hot and dry (temperatures rise to 45 °C,
sometimes 47-48 °C); low relative humidity (20%), ii) Monsoon (June–September): 85% of
average annual rainfall of 990 mm (temperature 40-45 °C on rainy days) and iii) Winter
(October–February): Cold (temperatures drop to 3-4 °C, sometimes below -1 °C).

Soils

The soils of the Extra-Peninsula are formed due to the depositional work of rivers and wind.
They are very deep. They are often referred to as transported or azonal soils. Major soil groups
include alluvial soils, black soils, red soils, laterite and lateritic soils, forest and mountain soils,
arid and desert soils, saline and alkaline soils, and peaty and marshy soils. Much of the area of
Uttar Pradesh is covered by a deep layer of alluvium spread by the slow-moving rivers of
the Ganges system. Those extremely fertile alluvial soils range from sandy to clayey loam. The
soils in the southern part of the state are generally mixed red and black or red-to-yellow. The
dominant soil landscapes, representing the northern plains, constitute gently to very gently
sloping lands. In some area the soil is highly calcareous. The soils in general are neutral in
reaction and have moderate clay and low organic carbon content.

Soils of majority of districts of the state are low in available nitrogen and phosphorus. On the
contrary, status of available potassium in soils of the most of the districts belongs to medium to
high category. Among the micro- and secondary nutrients deficiency of sulphur is the mostly