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Cherrapunjee: the rain capital of the world!

Many people know that Cherrapunjee in India is the wettest place on the earth. Cherrapunjee holds 2 guiness records for rainfall. One is for receiving the most amount of rainfall in a single year. The record is 909.9 inches (22,987 mm) of rainfall recorded between August 1860 to July 1861. The second is for receiving the maximium amount of rainfall in a single month. The record is 366.14 inches (9300 mm) of rainfall recorded in July 1861.

But how much do you really know about Cherrapunjee? Take the following quiz and test yourself.
1
When, during a day, does it rain the most in Cherrapunjee?
  1. during Morning
  2. during Evening
  3. during Night
  4. All the time
A
 [1]. The answer 'during Morning' is correct. In Cherrapunjee the rain always fall during the morning. This is because the two air masses,northeast and south flowing from Meghalaya,are trapped in the valley of Cherrapunjee during the night. In the morning when the sun arises the warm air masses ascend over the Khasi Hills and condenses into clouds to bring the rains.
Probably it may be preferable to do the chores in the evening and night ;-)
2
Which months of the year does it rain the least?
  1. June,July,August
  2. March,April,May
  3. September,October,November
  4. December,January,February
A

[4].December,January,February, is correct because it is not the monsoon season and Cherrapunjee receives minimal to no rain (yes, ZERO millimeters) during this season! June, July,August is the monsoon season and the maximum rainfall occurs during this period.
3
How do people in Cherrapunjee get their drinking water?
  1. The people collect the rain to use it as their drinking water
  2. The people get their drinking water from the local water treatment plant
  3. The people trek for miles to get their drinking water
  4. The people get their drinking water from the local wells
A

[3].It would be hard to imagine a water problem at the rain capital of the world. However, ironically, people at Cherrapunjee, suffer from lack of availability of drinking water! In fact the people have to trek miles to get their drinking water :-(
Hard to imagine, Huh?
4
How do people cross streams in Cherrapunjee?
  1. using wood bridges
  2. using boats
  3. by swimming/wading
  4. using tree root bridges
A

[4]. To cross the streams of Cherrapunjee people make bridges out of tree roots such as the Ficus Elastica(rubber tree). These bridges are called "living bridges".The roots of the trees are guided across the stream until they take root on the other side. This process is continued until it takes a bridge form. The whole process can take 10-15 years but these bridges can last hundreds of years. The oldest bridges in Cherrapunjee are at least 500 years old!
5
What happens in Khasi's (Cherrapunjee's) culture when a bride gets married?
  1. The bride comes to groom's house
  2. The groom comes to the bride's house
  3. They both stay in their own house
  4. None of the above
A

[2]In most parts of India when people get married the bride comes to groom's house, but in Cherrapunjee, the groom goes over to the bride's house. Khasi's follow a matrilineal culture. In fact the children take on the surname of their mother and not their father!



Hope you had fun playing this quiz!
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