Tarai
The Tarai is an important geographical subregion in the north of India and the south of Nepal that is home to several national parks and the site of a regional Green Revolution in agriculture. The Tarai is a narrow strip of land running along the base of the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. It varies from about two to fifteen miles in width and extends from the Indo-Pakistan border through Nepal and the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.
In the first half of the twentieth century the Tarai consisted of a series of swamps and forests famous for abundant wildlife, including elephants, tigers, and leopards. The Tarai had a small human population that included adivasi, or indigenous groups, such as the Tharus, Buxas, Gujjars, and Gaddis. The size of the human population was limited by the impact of the virulent malaria endemic to the area.
Beginning after 1950, the Tarai in both India and Nepal was subject to a substantial process of economic development. The swamps and forests were cleared and new agricultural technologies were introduced, which led to the initiation of the Green Revolution. As part of this process, India's first land-grant university, G. B. Pant University, was located in the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh. The Tarai is also home to some of the premier national parks and Project Tiger reserves in South Asia, including Corbett National Park and Dudhwa National Park in India and Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal.
Further Reading
Singh, L. R. (1965) The Tarai Region of U.P.: A Study in Human Geography. Allahabad, India: Ram Marain Lal Beni Prasad.
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