Pariksha SaathiLesson 6 of 10 · Uttar Pradesh General Knowledge
Climate, Soils, Forests and Wildlife of Uttar Pradesh
Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked on 28 October 2026; not yet read line by line by a human editor. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Editorial standards & corrections
Climate and seasons
Uttar Pradesh has a tropical monsoon climate. Being far from the sea it is markedly continental, with hot summers, cool winters and a wide range of temperature. The cold season, roughly December to February, brings clear days, fog and cold waves, and western disturbances give light winter rain, mainly in the west, that helps the rabi crops. The hot season, March to mid-June, is ruled by the loo, a hot, dry westerly wind, and temperatures above 45°C are common in Bundelkhand and the south-west. The rainy season, mid-June to September, comes with the Bay of Bengal branch of the south-west monsoon, which moves up the Ganga valley from east to west. October and November are the season of the retreating monsoon.
Rainfall pattern
Most of the year's rain falls in the four monsoon months. Because the monsoon advances from the east, rainfall decreases from east to west, and it is also higher in the north near the Himalayan foothills than in the south-west. The Terai and north-eastern districts such as Gorakhpur and Maharajganj get the most rain, and the western districts around Agra and Mathura are the driest. As a result the east and the Terai suffer floods while Bundelkhand suffers drought, sometimes in the same year.
Soils
Most of the state has alluvial soil. Khadar, the new alluvium of the flood plains, is light and fertile, while bhangar, the older alluvium, is more clayey and contains kankar. The Terai has fine, moist, clayey soil rich in humus. Bhur is a light sandy soil of the west. Usar or reh are saline and alkaline patches found in parts of central and western Uttar Pradesh; they are reclaimed with gypsum. Bundelkhand has four characteristic soils: mar, a black clayey soil like regur; kabar, a heavy sticky clay; parwa, a light brown sandy loam; and rakar, a red, gravelly and poor soil of the uplands. Red soils are also found in the Vindhyan districts of Mirzapur and Sonbhadra.
Forests
Uttar Pradesh has little forest for its size, far below the one-third of area recommended by the National Forest Policy 1988, because the plain has been farmed for thousands of years. The forests that remain are in two belts. The Terai belt along the Nepal border, in districts such as Lakhimpur Kheri, Pilibhit, Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur and Maharajganj, has tropical moist deciduous forest dominated by sal, with tall wet grasslands. The southern belt, in Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Chitrakoot and Lalitpur, has tropical dry deciduous forest with trees such as tendu, mahua, khair and salai, and thorn scrub in the driest parts of the south-west.
Dudhwa and the tiger reserves
Dudhwa in Lakhimpur Kheri, along the Nepal border, is the best-known protected area of the state. It became a national park in 1977, and with the neighbouring Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary it formed the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in 1987 under Project Tiger; the Katarniaghat sanctuary in Bahraich was later added. Its sal forests and wet grasslands are a home of the barasingha (swamp deer), the state animal, and in 1984 the Indian one-horned rhinoceros was reintroduced there from Assam and Nepal. The conservationist Billy Arjan Singh, who lived at Tiger Haven near Dudhwa, campaigned for its protection. The adjoining Pilibhit forests were declared a tiger reserve in 2014.
Wildlife sanctuaries
Katarniaghat in Bahraich, on the Girwa river, protects gharials and Gangetic dolphins. The National Chambal Sanctuary, shared by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, is the main home of the gharial and also shelters dolphins and turtles. Chandraprabha in Chandauli, set up in 1957, is where Asiatic lions from Gir were released in 1958, though they later disappeared; it is also known for the Rajdari and Devdari waterfalls. The Kaimur sanctuary in Mirzapur and Sonbhadra protects blackbuck and chinkara, the Hastinapur sanctuary covers a long stretch of the Ganga floodplain, and Sohagi Barwa in Maharajganj and Sohelwa in Balrampur and Shravasti protect Terai forests. The Kukrail centre in Lucknow breeds gharials for release into rivers.
Bird sanctuaries
The many wetlands of the state support winter migrants and the sarus crane, the state bird and the tallest flying bird in the world. Important bird sanctuaries are Nawabganj in Unnao (now officially the Shaheed Chandrashekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary), Samaspur in Rae Bareli, Sandi in Hardoi, Lakh-Bahosi in Kannauj, Saman in Mainpuri, Patna in Etah, Bakhira in Sant Kabir Nagar, Okhla on the Yamuna in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Sur Sarovar (Keetham) near Agra. The Gangetic dolphin, declared India's national aquatic animal in 2009, lives in the Ganga, Ghaghara, Girwa and Chambal.
Key facts
- Loo: hot, dry westerly summer wind; western disturbances: light winter rain that helps rabi crops.
- Rainfall decreases from east to west and from the Terai southwards; Gorakhpur-Maharajganj wettest, Agra-Mathura driest.
- Bundelkhand soils: Mar (black, like regur), Kabar (heavy sticky clay), Parwa (light sandy loam), Rakar (red, gravelly).
- Usar/Reh: saline-alkaline soil, reclaimed with gypsum; Bhur: sandy soil of the west; Khadar newer and more fertile than Bhangar.
- Forest belts: Terai sal belt (Kheri, Pilibhit, Bahraich) and southern dry deciduous belt (Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Lalitpur).
- Dudhwa (Lakhimpur Kheri): national park 1977, tiger reserve 1987 with Kishanpur; rhinos reintroduced 1984; home of the barasingha.
- Pilibhit was declared a tiger reserve in 2014; Katarniaghat (Bahraich) is part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
- Chandraprabha (Chandauli): sanctuary 1957; Gir lions released 1958; Rajdari and Devdari waterfalls.
- Gharials: National Chambal Sanctuary, Katarniaghat and the Kukrail breeding centre (Lucknow); Gangetic dolphin national aquatic animal (2009).
- Bird sanctuaries: Nawabganj (Unnao), Samaspur (Rae Bareli), Sandi (Hardoi), Lakh-Bahosi (Kannauj), Saman (Mainpuri), Patna (Etah), Bakhira (Sant Kabir Nagar), Okhla.
Quick revision
Tropical monsoon, continental climate; loo in summer, western disturbances in winter; rainfall decreases from east to west; Bundelkhand soils mar, kabar, parwa, rakar; usar reclaimed with gypsum; forest far below one-third target; Terai sal belt and southern dry belt; Dudhwa NP 1977, tiger reserve 1987, rhinos 1984; Pilibhit tiger reserve 2014; Chandraprabha 1957, lions 1958; Chambal and Katarniaghat for gharials; sarus crane state bird; dolphin national aquatic animal 2009.