Consider the following statements:

1. In India, the Himalayas are spread over five States only.
2. Western Ghats are spread over five States only.
3. Pulicat Lake is spread over two States only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1 and 3 only

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• The Indian Himalayan Region is spread across 13 Indian States/Union Territories (namely Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Assam and West Bengal), stretching across 2500 km.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• The Ghats traverse the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The Western Ghats are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Statement 3 is correct

• Pulicat is a vast, shallow, brackish-water lagoon covering an area of 759 sq km along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It straddles the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states on the Coromandel Coast in South India. It is the second-largest brackish water lagoon in India after Odisha’s Chilika lake
• The lake receives its water from the Arani River at its southern tip, the Kalangi River from the Northwest, and the Swarnamukhi River at the northern end. The lake runs parallel to the Bay of Bengal and has a sand bar, making it a lagoon of its own kind.
• The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal.
  • Sriharikota is renowned as India’s rocket launch pad and is home to Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
• It supports the largest congregation of Flamingoes in Andhra Pradesh.

Answer: (b) 3 only; Difficulty Level: Medium