Geography of Bihar

Bihar is mainly a vast stretch of very fertile flat land. The transitional nature of the climatic zone is reflected in the cropping pattern, which shows a mixture of wet and dry crops. Rice is everywhere the dominant crop, but corn (maize), wheat, barley, gram, oilseeds, and pulses (legumes) are important supplementary crops. Sugarcane is grown in a fairly well-defined belt in the northwest. Jute, a crop of the hot, moist lowlands, is found only in the easternmost plain districts. There are three harvests in a year: bhadai, dominated by corn that is sown from May to June and gathered in Bhado (August to September); aghani, consisting primarily of rice sown in mid-June and gathered in the month of Aghan (December); and rabi, made up largely of wheat that ripens in the plains in spring. Fruits and vegetables are extensively grown. Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga are particularly noted for mangoes, bananas, and litchi fruits. Vegetables are important in the vicinity of large towns. The potato-growing area near Bihar Sharif, in Patna district, produces the best variety of seed potato in India. Chilies and tobacco are important cash crops on the banks of the Ganges. (Interactive map)

Bihar lies in the tropical to sub tropical region. Rainfall here is the most significant factor in determining the nature of vegetation. Bihar has a monsoon climate with an average annual rainfall of 1200 mm.