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Glite Dictionary
🌾 A marshy region 🌏 Regional
terai

terai

1 9.9
A low, wet plain at the base of the Himalayas with many plants and animals
  • noun
  • /tɛˈraɪ/
: terai
  • Because no comparable analysis using more recent census information is available, I estimated the 1981 figures from Vigny's and the growth rates in the mountains (1.35%), the hills (1.65%), and the Terai (4.11%) (Shrestha 1989).

Examples

  • The Terai is the part of the Gangetic plain within Nepal that lies south of the mountains.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Interestingly enough, Nepal's geographic division into mountains, hills, and terai (the plain that extends along the southern border with India), which has been crucial in its geopolitics, has a parallel ethnic structure.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The Terai is known for its rich biodiversity and vast grasslands, making it a unique ecological zone.

  • In the Terai region of Nepal, farmers cultivate rice and other crops due to the fertile soil.

  • Many rare species, including the one-horned rhinoceros, inhabit the Terai's lush grasslands.

Surface Forms

terai singular
terais plural

Etymology

The word terai comes from Hindi and Urdu and means 'low land' or 'marsh'. It names the rich, grassy plain at the base of the Himalayas, which is why the terai is a wet, fertile lowland full of plants and animals.