CLIMATE AND RAINFALL. 95 



in Chittagong, Cachar and Assam. Along this line the rain 

 clouds meet with hill ranges at moderate distances from the 

 shore which cause them to rise and drop their moisture, 

 while the Lower Bengal plain receives a somewhat smaller 

 rainfall. After passing through Lower Bengal and on 

 approaching the Himalayan chain that mountain-range 

 opposes itself to the course of the current and divides it into 

 two parts. The larger part continues its north-easterly 

 course and hits full on the Garo, Khasi and Naga hills, pro- 

 ducing the highest rainfall in the world (about 500 inches at 

 Cherrapunji), and finally giving a considerable rainfall to the 

 Assam valley. The smaller part of the divided current is 

 diverted towards the north-west and west, plentifully waters 

 the face of the mountains and spreads a certain amount of 

 rain over the plains of the United Provinces. 



Lower Burma is plentifully watered, but a part of UjDper 

 Burma, on both banks of the L-awadi, receives but a scanty 

 rainfall ; the latter increases again on approaching the hills in 

 the northern part of Burma. 



On the west coast of the Peninsula the monsoon blows 

 directly athwart the coast line. As the western part of the 

 Peninsula rises very rapidly from the sea to an elevation of 

 up to 8,000 feet at the Ghat range, the clouds are forced to 

 rise, cool and drop an enormous amount of rain. At the same 

 time, the western edge of the peninsular plateau is its highest 

 part, and the clouds or what remains of them, having over- 

 come this, descend again in their north-easterly progress ; 

 hence the rainfall diminishes rapidly on the eastern side of 

 the Ghats to about one-sixth of that on the western slopes ; 

 this extends over a strip of 100 to 200 miles in breadth and 

 comprises part of the Deccan, the Mysore table land and the 

 Carnatic, areas which are much subject to drought. 



Between the north-easterly course of the peninsular mon- 

 soon and the westerly course of the wind which, diverted by 

 the Himalayas, moves up the Gangetic plain, lies a broad 

 belt of debatable ground, comprising part of the Central India 



