Landforms and Life | Class 6 Social Science Notes
By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 3 min read
Landforms and Life – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of Landforms and Life from Class 6 Social Science, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.
Life in the mountains
Mountain terrain is rugged with steep slopes, making regular farming difficult. Terrace farming is practiced by cutting steps into slopes to create flat cultivation areas. Herding is often preferred over agriculture due to the terrain. Tourism is a significant source of income, with visitors attracted by the clean air, scenic beauty, and adventure sports like skiing, hiking, and mountaineering. Pilgrimages to holy sites in mountains have been common for centuries. However, challenges include natural hazards like landslides, avalanches, flash floods, and human-made problems such as uncontrolled tourism. Despite these challenges, people live in mountains due to cultural ties, livelihood opportunities, and the beauty of the environment. Notable Indian mountaineers like Bachendri Pal and Arunima Sinha have shown resilience by climbing Mount Everest, inspiring many.
📊 Diagram: Fig. 3.6. Life in the mountains has positives like pure air and scenery, and challenges such as flash floods, landslides, avalanches, and uncontrolled tourism.
🧪 Activity: Discuss in groups the challenges faced by mountain people as shown in images and write paragraphs on each. Discuss reasons why people choose to live in mountains despite challenges.
🔗 Connection: Leads to Cultural Significance of Mountains section explaining spiritual importance.
Frequently asked questions
1. What are the major types of landforms and their significance to life and culture?
The major types of landforms are mountains, plateaus, and plains. Mountains are elevated landforms with steep slopes and high altitudes, often covered with snow at the peaks. Plateaus are elevated flat areas, and plains are low-lying flat lands. These landforms influence climate, vegetation, and human activities. Mountains provide water sources through snowmelt and have unique flora and fauna. Plateaus often have rich mineral resources and support agriculture and settlements. Plains are fertile
2. What are the challenges and opportunities of life associated with each landform?
Mountains: Challenges include difficult terrain, harsh climate, and limited agriculture; opportunities include tourism, hydroelectric power, and unique biodiversity. Plateaus: Challenges include soil erosion and water scarcity; opportunities include mineral resources and agriculture. Plains: Challenges include flooding and overpopulation; opportunities include fertile soil for farming, dense settlements, and trade. Each landform offers unique resources and conditions that shape the lifestyle and
List a few famous pilgrimage spots in India along with the landforms in which they are found.
Some famous pilgrimage spots in India and their landforms are:
- Varanasi: Located on the Gangetic plains.
- Kedarnath: Situated in the Himalayas (mountainous region).
- Tirupati: Located on the Eastern Ghats (hilly region).
- Rameswaram: Situated on the coastal plains.
- Amarnath: Located in the Himalayas.
These pilgrimage spots are found in diverse landforms such as mountains, plains, hills, and coastal areas.
State whether true or false — → The Himalayas are young mountains with rounded tops. → Plateaus usually rise sharply at least on one side. → Mountains and hills belong to the same type of landform. → Mountains, plateaus and rivers in India have the same types of flora and fauna. → Ganga is a tributary to the Yamuna. → Deserts have unique flora and fauna. → Melting snow feeds rivers. → Sediments from rivers deposited in the plains makes the land fertile. → All deserts are hot.
→ The Himalayas are young mountains with rounded tops. — False (They have sharp peaks) → Plateaus usually rise sharply at least on one side. — True → Mountains and hills belong to the same type of landform. — False (They differ in height and formation) → Mountains, plateaus and rivers in India have the same types of flora and fauna. — False (They have different flora and fauna) → Ganga is a tributary to the Yamuna. — False (Yamuna is a tributary of Ganga) → Deserts have unique flora and fauna. —
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