Geography of Bihar- Complete notes for BPSC, BSSC | Geography4u- read geography facts, maps, diagrams

In this article, I will discuss the geography of Bihar along with its administrative zones, climate, soils types river, etc. After reading this article on Bihar Geography, you will easily understand some of the basic information about Bihar, which is very important for the exam perspective like BPSC and BSSC.

Geographically, Bihar is located in the eastern region of India. It is a land-locked statehaving boundaries with three Indian states namely Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West-Bengal. Bihar shares its border with Nepal in the north, Uttar Pradesh in the west, Jharkhand in the south and West Bengal in the south.

Average altitude- 52.73m above the mean sea level.

Bihar Location and Extent

Borders of Bihar

Administrative divisions of Bihar

You can download the maps used in this article under the section of the geography of Bihar maps at the end of this page.

Maps

Physiographic division of Bihar

Geologically, Bihar consists of both the younger and older formation of rocks ranges from the Tertiary Period to Pre-Cambrian Period. The plains of Bihar have come into existence by the sediments deposited by the rivers. Geographically, Bihar is bounded by the Himalayan foothills, the Indo-Gangetic plains, the Vindhyan plateau and the Gondwana Basin. Based on the physical and structural conditions, Bihar is divided into three physiographical units.

• The Shivalik Ranges or Shiwalik Ranges.
• The Bihar plains.
• Southern Plateau regions.

Read a complete article on the Mountain Himalaya, its ranges etc. at Geography4u/Mountain Himalaya.

Its also covers about Shiwalik, Great Himalaya and Middle Himalaya etc.

Best books for BPSC

The Shiwalik Range in Bihar

• The Shiwalik range is located in the north-western part of West Champaran.
• It spreads over an area of 32km in length and 6-8km in width.
• Based on the local variations of topography, it can be further divided into the following parts.

Someshwar Range

Ramnagar Dun

Harha valley

Bihar Plains

The Ganga river flows from west to east in Bihar, dividing the state into two unequal halves namely North Bihar plains and South Bihar plains. The plains of Bihar are formed by the silt carried by the Ganga and its tributaries. They are spread over an area of 45000km².

The North Ganga plains

North Bihar consists of the plains of alluvium north of Ganga, falling between the Ganga and Indo-Nepal border. Generally, the slope of north Bihar is from northwest to southeast. Also, this region has been drained by the rivers of north Bihar.\

You can read a complete article on rivers of Bihar at the link below.

History

geography4u/rivers in bihar

The South Ganga Plains

In terms of the geographical area of Bihar, the South Bihar is spread over 40,070km2. In terms of percentage, it accounts for 42.7% of the total area of Bihar. Demographically, it supports 36.5% of the state’s population. Also, this area is administered under the Magadh, Patna, parts of Munger and Bhagalpur administrative divisions.

The eastern portion of the alluvial plains of South Bihar is interrupted by the Kharagpur Hills. The south plains of Bihar are wider in the west and narrower in the east. Moreover, the western portion of this alluvial plain slopes from southwest to northeast. On the other hand, central and eastern parts of the plain slopes from south to north. The hills of Rajgir have an elevation of 445m. While the Kharagpur range has an elevation of 300m above the mean sea level.

South Hilly region of Bihar

• The south Hilly region of Bihar is marked by hills and ridges.
• Geographically, it extends from the Kaimur district in the west to the Banka district in the east.
• Geologically, this region is made up of hard rocks of Genesis, Schist, and Granite.
• The important hills of this region are Pretshila, Jethian, Ramshila, etc.

Soils of Bihar

Being an agriculture-dominant state, the people of Bihar obtain their livelihood from agriculture. Based on the composition, regional distribution, and features, the soils in Bihar are divided into the soils of North Bihar Plains and South Bihar Plains.

Soils of North Bihar

• Piedmont Swamp Soil.
• Terai Soil.
• Recent Alluvium Soil- Khadar and Bhangar.

Soils of South Bihar

• Old Alluvium Soil.
• Tal Soil.
• Balthar Soil.
• Red Sandy Soil.

Important soils of Bihar

Climate in Bihar

The climate of Bihar is characterized by a humid and subtropical climates. There are three distinct seasons in Bihar (Summer season, Winter Season and Rainy Season). Annual average temperature ranges between 8C in cold winters during December- February to 38C in the hot summer month during April- June.

Agro-Climatic zones of Bihar

The following are the agro-climatic zones of Bihar.

• North-West zone, consisting 13 districts with an annual rainfall of 1040mm-1450mm.
• North-East zone, covering 8 districts having annual rainfall of 1200mm to 1700mm and loam or clay-loam soil.
• South Zone covering, 17 districts, having soil of sandy loam, loamy, clayey or clay-loam and rainfall of 990mm to 1300mm.

Out of the three zones, the north-east zone receives high annual precipitation. Also, the precipitation in this zone is more than 80% during the Kharif season.

Read a full article on types of rainfall and precipitation at – Geography4u/precipitation and rainfall

Frequently asked questions