Editing Maharashtra (section)

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Maharashtra}}
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Maharashtra with a total area of {{cvt|307713|km2|sqmi|0}}, is the [[List of states and territories of India by area|third-largest state]] by area in terms of land area and constitutes 9.36% of India's total geographical area. The State lies between 15°35' N to 22°02' N latitude and 72°36' E to 80°54' E longitude. It occupies the [[West India|western]] and central part of the country and has a coastline stretching {{Convert|840|km}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iasri.res.in/agridata/02data%5Cchapter%204%5Cdb2002tb4_5.htm |title=AgriData |access-date=22 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414161217/http://www.iasri.res.in/agridata/02data/chapter%204/DB2002TB4_5.HTM |archive-date=14 April 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> along the [[Arabian Sea]].<ref name=outline>{{cite web |title=Maharashtra Geography |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.net/geography.html |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140615015912/http://www.maharashtratourism.net/geography.html |archive-date=15 June 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The dominant physical feature of the state is its plateau character, which is separated from the Konkan coastline by the mountain range of the Western Ghats, which runs parallel to the coast from north to south. The [[Western Ghats]], also known as the Sahyadri Range, has an average elevation of {{Convert|1200|m}}; its slopes gently descending towards the east and southeast.<ref name="western ghat">{{cite news |title=Western Ghats as world heritage site |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/UN-designates-Western-Ghats-as-world-heritage-site/articleshow/14595602.cms?referral=PM |access-date=24 January 2014 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=2 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303052832/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/UN-designates-Western-Ghats-as-world-heritage-site/articleshow/14595602.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=3 March 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Western Ghats]] (or the Sahyadri Mountain range) provide a physical barrier to the state on the west, while the [[Satpura Hills]] along the north and Bhamragad-Chiroli-Gaikhuri ranges on the east serve as its natural borders.<ref name=farmer>{{cite web |title=State Farmer Guide |url=http://farmech.gov.in/FarmerGuide/MH/index1.html |website=Government of India |publisher=Ministry of Agriculture |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204000430/http://farmech.gov.in/FarmerGuide/MH/index1.html |archive-date=4 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> This state's expansion from North to South is {{Convert|720|km|abbr=on}} and East to West is {{Convert|800|km|abbr=on}}. To the west of these hills lie the [[Konkan]] coastal plains, {{Convert|50-80|km|abbr=on}} in width. To the east of the Ghats lies the flat [[Deccan Plateau]]. The main rivers of the state are the [[Krishna River|Krishna]], and its tributary, [[Bhima River|Bhima]], the Godavari, and its main tributaries, [[Manjira River|Manjara]], and [[Wardha River|Wardha]]-[[Wainganga River|Wainganga]] and the [[Tapi River, India|Tapi]], and its tributary [[Purna River (tributary of Tapti)|Purna]].<ref name="outline" /><ref name="rivers">{{cite web |title=Maharashtra Rivers |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.net/rivers.html |publisher=Maharashtra Tourism |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209135938/http://maharashtratourism.net/rivers.html |archive-date=9 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Maharashtra is divided into five geographic regions. Konkan is the western coastal region, between the Western Ghats and the sea.<ref name="state divisions">{{cite web |title=Geographical set up |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/2496/9/09_chapter%202.pdf |publisher=Government of Maharashtra |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202092824/http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/2496/9/09_chapter%202.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Khandesh]] is the north region lying in the valley of the Tapti, [[Purna River (tributary of Tapti)|Purna]] river.<ref name=rivers /> [[Nashik]], [[Malegaon]] [[Jalgaon]], [[Dhule]] and [[Bhusawal]] are the major cities of this region.<ref name=cities>{{cite web |title=Cities of Maharashtra |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.net/cities/ |publisher=Maharashtra Tourism |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209055257/http://www.maharashtratourism.net/cities/ |archive-date=9 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Desh, Maharashtra|Desh]] is in the centre of the state.<ref name="Desh region">{{cite web |title=Regions in Maharashtra |url=http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/about-maharashtra/regions-in-maharashtra.htm |publisher=Discover India Portal |access-date=24 January 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202155550/http://www.discoveredindia.com/maharashtra/about-maharashtra/regions-in-maharashtra.htm |archive-date=2 February 2014}}</ref> [[Marathwada]], which was a part of the princely [[state of Hyderabad]] until 1956, is located in the southeastern part of the state.<ref name=outline /><ref name=marathwada>{{cite web |title=United Nations Development Programme |url=http://www.in.undp.org/india/en/home.html?option=com_content&task=view&id=129&Itemid=217 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201214050/http://www.in.undp.org/india/en/home.html?option=com_content&task=view&id=129&Itemid=217 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 February 2014 |publisher=[[United Nations]] |access-date=24 January 2014}}</ref> Aurangabad and [[Nanded]] are the main cities of the region.<ref name=city>{{cite web |title=A Deccan Odyssey destination |url=http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/Default.aspx?strpage=../Maharashtratourism/CitiestoVisits/Aurangabad.html |publisher=Maharashtra Tourism |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201233812/http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/Default.aspx?strpage=..%2FMaharashtratourism%2FCitiestoVisits%2FAurangabad.html |archive-date=1 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Vidarbha]] is the easternmost region of the state, formerly part of the Central Provinces and Berar.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EFDVAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA131 |title=Asian Review |year=1898 |access-date=9 March 2022 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328170659/https://books.google.com/books?id=EFDVAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA131#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

The state has limited area under irrigation, low natural fertility of soils, and large areas prone to recurrent drought. Due to this the agricultural productivity of Maharashtra is generally low as compared to the national averages of various crops. Maharashtra has been divided in to nine agro-climatic zones on the basis of annual rainfall soil types, vegetation and cropping pattern.<ref name="Agro Zones">{{cite web |title=Agro Climatic Zones of Maharashtra |url=http://krishi.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/Upload/Pdf/mwsip.pdf |publisher=[[Ministry of Agriculture]] |access-date=1 April 2022 |archive-date=19 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119044547/http://krishi.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/Upload/Pdf/mwsip.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Further|Manas Rural Development Institute}}

===Climate===
[[File:The Godavari river at Puntamba in January.JPG|right|thumb|Dried up Godavari River at [[Puntamba]], Ahmadnagar district, after a poor [[monsoon]] season]]

Maharashtra experiences a [[tropical wet and dry climate]] with hot, rainy, and cold weather seasons. Some areas more inland experience a hot [[semi arid]] climate, due to a rain shadow effect caused by the Western Ghats.<ref name="IGARSS2017">{{cite book |last1=Swain |display-authors=etal |first1=S. |title=2017 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) |s2cid=26920225 |chapter=Application of SPI, EDI and PNPI using MSWEP precipitation data over Marathwada, India |volume=2017 |pages=5505–5507 |doi=10.1109/IGARSS.2017.8128250 |date=July 2017 |isbn=978-1-5090-4951-6}}</ref> The month of March marks the beginning of the summer and the temperature rises steadily until June. In the central plains, summer temperatures rise to between {{cvt|40|°C|°F|1|disp=or}} and {{cvt|45|°C|°F|1|disp=or}}. May is usually the warmest and January the coldest month of the year. The winter season lasts until February with lower temperatures occurring in December and January. On the Deccan plateau that lies on eastern side of the Sahyadri mountains, the climate is drier, however, dew and hail often occur, depending on seasonal weather.<ref name="Seasonal">{{cite web |title=Climate - ENVIS |url=http://mahenvis.nic.in/Climate.aspx |publisher=Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (Maharashtra) |access-date=1 April 2022 |archive-date=15 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715033926/http://mahenvis.nic.in/Climate.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

The rainfall patterns in the state vary by the topography of different regions. The state can be divided into four meteorological regions, namely coastal Konkan, Western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Vidarbha.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guhathakurta |first1=Pulak |last2=Saji |first2=Elizabeth |title=Detecting changes in rainfall pattern and seasonality index vis-à-vis increasing water scarcity in Maharashtra |journal=Journal of Earth System Science |date=1 June 2013 |volume=122 |issue=3 |pages=639–649 |doi=10.1007/s12040-013-0294-y |bibcode=2013JESS..122..639G |s2cid=132556072 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The [[southwest monsoon]] usually arrives in the last week of June and lasts till mid-September. Pre-monsoon showers begin towards the middle of June and post-monsoon rains occasionally occur in October. The highest average monthly rainfall is during July and August. In the winter season, there may be a little rainfall associated with western winds over the region. The Konkan coastal area, west of the Sahyadri Mountains receives very heavy monsoon rains with an annual average of more than {{Convert|3000|mm}}. However, just {{Convert|150|km|abbr=on}} to the east, in the rain shadow of the mountain range, only 500–700&nbsp;mm/year will fall, and long dry spells leading to drought are a common occurrence. Maharashtra has many of the 99 Indian districts identified by the Indian Central water commission as prone to drought.<ref name="Mall">{{cite journal |last1=Mall |first1=R. K. |last2=Gupta |first2=Akhilesh |last3=Singh |first3=Ranjeet |last4=Singh |first4=R. S. |last5=Rathore |first5=L. S. |title=Water resources and climate change: An Indian perspective |journal=Current Science |date=2006 |volume=90 |issue=12 |pages=1610–1626 |jstor=24091910 }}</ref> The average annual rainfall in the state is {{Convert|1181|mm|abbr=on}} and 75% of it is received during the southwest monsoon from June–to September. However, under the influence of the Bay of Bengal, eastern Vidarbha receives good rainfall in July, August, and September.<ref name=climate>{{cite web |title=Climate of Maharashtra |publisher=Public Library |url=http://164.100.47.134/plibrary/ebooks/Climate_of_Maharashtra/Climate_of_Maharashtra.pdf |access-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219082608/http://164.100.47.134/plibrary/ebooks/Climate_of_Maharashtra/Climate_of_Maharashtra.pdf |archive-date=19 February 2014}}</ref> Thane, [[Raigad district|Raigad]], [[Ratnagiri district|Ratnagiri]], and [[Sindhudurg district|Sindhudurg]] districts receive heavy rains of an average of {{cvt|2000|to|2500|mm|in|-1|disp=or}} and the hill stations of [[Matheran]] and [[Mahabaleshwar]] over {{Convert|5000|mm|abbr=on}}. Contrariwise, the rain shadow districts of [[Nashik district|Nashik]], [[Pune district|Pune]], [[Ahmednagar district|Ahmednagar]], [[Dhule district|Dhule]], [[Jalgaon district|Jalgaon]], [[Satara district|Satara]], [[Sangli district|Sangli]], [[Solapur district|Solapur]], and parts of [[Kolhapur district|Kolhapur]] receive less than {{Convert|1000|mm|abbr=on}} annually. In winter, a cool dry spell occurs, with clear skies, gentle air breeze, and pleasant weather that prevails from October to February, although the eastern Vidarbha region receives rainfall from the north-east monsoon.<ref>Singh, K.S. and Mehta, B.V., 2004. Maharashtra (Vol. 30). Popular Prakashan. page=5 [https://books.google.com/books?id=OmBjoAFMfjoC&q=vidarbha%20%22north-east%20monsoon%22] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404135013/https://books.google.com/books?id=OmBjoAFMfjoC&q=vidarbha%20%22north-east%20monsoon%22|date=4 April 2023}}</ref>