The Terai ("moist land") is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests at the base of the Himalaya range in India, Nepal, and Bhutan, from the Yamuna River in the west to the Brahmaputra River in the east. Grasslands (also called greenswards) are areas where the Vegetation is dominated by Grasses ( Poaceae) and other Herbaceous (non-woody A savanna or savannah is a Tropical or Subtropical Grassland or Woodland Ecosystem. A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. For the goddess of the river who is sometimes called Yamuna see Yami The Yamuna (Sanskrit यमुना The Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra is a Trans-boundary river and one of the major Rivers of Asia. Above the Terai belt lies the Bhabhar, a forested belt of rock, gravel, and soil eroded from the Himalayas, where the water table lies from 5 to 37 meters deep. Bhabhar is the region south of the Lower Himalayas where the alluvial grade merges into the Indo- Gangetic Plain The Terai zone lies below the Bhabhar, and is composed of alternate layers of clay and sand, with a high water table that creates many springs and wetlands. A wetland is an area of Land consisting of Soil that is Saturated with Moisture, such as a Swamp, Marsh, or Bog The Terai zone is inundated yearly by the monsoon-swollen rivers of the Himalaya. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months Below the Terai lies the great alluvial plain of the Yamuna, Ganges, Brahmaputra, and their tributaries. An alluvial plain is a relatively flat Landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more Rivers coming from highland regions For the goddess of the river who is sometimes called Yamuna see Yami The Yamuna (Sanskrit यमुना The Ganges (ˈgænʤiːz also Ganga, Devanāgarī: hi गंगा in most Indian languages) is the major river in the Indian subcontinent The Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra is a Trans-boundary river and one of the major Rivers of Asia.

Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands

Main article: Dooars

The Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands is an ecoregion that stretches across the middle of the Terai belt, from Uttarakhand state through southern Nepal to northern West Bengal. The Dooars or Duars (ডুয়ার্স are flood Plains and the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in North-East India around Bhutan Uttarakhand ( Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड or उत्तराखंड Uttar + Akhand i Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. West Bengal ( Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo poʃtʃim bɔŋgo is a state in eastern India. The Terai-Duar savanna and wetlands are a mosaic of tall grasslands, savannas and evergreen and deciduous forests. The grasslands are among the tallest in the world, and are maintained by silt deposited by the yearly monsoon floods. Important grasses include Kans grass (Saccharum spontaneum) and Baruwa grass (Saccharum benghalensis). Kans grass (Saccharum spontaneum is a grass native to South Asia. The ecoregion is home to the endangered Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), as well as elephants, tigers, bears, leopards and other wild animals. The Indian Rhinoceros or the Great One-horned Rhinoceros or the Asian One-horned Rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis) is a large mammal found in Nepal Elephants ( family: Elephantidae) are large land Mammals of the order Proboscidea. The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus The leopard (lɛpɚd Panthera pardus) is an Old World Mammal of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four roaring Much of the ecoregion has been converted to farmland, although Royal Chitwan National Park and Royal Bardia National Park preserve significant sections of habitat, and are home to some of the greatest concentrations of rhinoceros and tiger remaining in South Asia. Chitwan National Park (formerly called "Royal Chitwan National Park(RCNP")(CNP covering an area of 932 km² is the oldest national park of Nepal. Royal Bardia National Park is situated in the mid far western Terai, east of the Karnali River, Nepal.

Terai in Nepal

In Nepal the Terai is differentiated: There is an "outer" and an "inner" Terai.

"Outer Terai" refers to the alluvial, generally forested and often marshy terrain that is transitional between the 1,000 metre Siwalak Range -- the first and lowest range of Himalayan foothills -- and the Gangeatic plain proper. In Nepal, it is conventionally taken to include any extent of Gangeatic Plains proper extending from this transition zone south to the Indian border.

"Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal" refers to various elongated valleys lying between the Siwalak Range and the 2-3,000 metre Mahabharat Range further north. See also Madhesh The phrase Inner Terai Valleys or Bhitri tarai (भित्री तराइ refers to various elongated valleys in Nepal lying between In India these valleys are also called "Duns", e. g. "Dehra Dun". In some places these two mountain ranges lie next to one another, but in other places they are separated by valleys approximately five to ten kilometres wide and tens of kilometres long.

Major examples in Nepal are Chitwan southwest of Kathmandu and the parallel Dang and Deukhuri valleys in western Nepal. Inner Terai valleys were agriculturally productive, but infested with malaria. The indigenous people of the Tharu had a degree of inherited resistance and populated these areas. After an eradication campaign people migrated to the Terai from the mountains and from neighbouring India. Today more than half the population and by far the most cities can be found there.

See also

• Bhabhar

External links

• Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands (World Wildlife Fund)