Chapter 2 - Physical Features of India

Process of formation of relief features

1. Internal Processes such as volcanoes, earthquakes, movement of plates

2. External Processes such as weathering, erosion & deposition that have modified the relief to its present form

“The land of India displays great physical variation.” Elaborate.

1. The peninsular plateau is the oldest landmass on the earth’s surface. It is the most stable land block
2. The Peninsular plateau is composed of igneous & metamorphic rocks
3. The Himalayas are the young fold mountains & form an unstable zone
4. The Himalayan system have high peaks, deep valleys & fast flowing rivers
5. The Northern Plains are the recent landforms & are formed of alluvial deposits

Major Physiographic divisions of India

1. The Himalayan mountains 4. The Indian Desert

2. The Northern Plains 5. The Coastal Plains
3. The Peninsular Plateau 6. The Islands

THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS

Important Features-

1. Geologically young and fold mountains

2. One of the most rugged mountain barriers of the world
3. They form an arc and covers a distance of 2400 km
4. Width varies from 400 km in Kashmir to 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh
5. They consist of three parallel ranges (from north to south) in its longitudinal extent – The Himadri, The
Himachal and the Shivalik
6. Regional divisioin of the Himalayas from west to east – The Punjab / Kashmir / Himachal Himalaya, Kumaon
Himalayas, Nepal Himalayas and the Assam Himalayas

Parallel/Longitudinal Divisions of the Himalayas (From North to South)

The Great / Inner Himalayas /The The Lesser Himalaya / The Himachal The Outer Himalayas / The Shiwaliks
Himadri
The northern most range of the The most rugged mountain system lying The outermost range of the Himalayas
Himalayas to the south of the Himadri
Average height of 6000 mts Average altitude 3700 -4500 mts height 900-1100 mts , width of 10-50 kms
Composed of granite Composed of highly compressed and Composed of unconsolidated sediments thus
altered rocks are prone to landslides
It contains prominent Himalayan It contains mountain range like Pir The valleys are covered with thick gravels &
peaks like Mount Everest, Panjal, Dhaula Dhar & the Mahabharat alluvium
Kanchenjunga, Nanda Devi
It is perennially snow covered and Well known for its famous valleys & hill The longitudinal valleys called duns are found
contain glaciers stations between the Himachal & Shivalik

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 Regional Divisions of the Himalayas Demarcated by Rivers (From West to East)

Punjab/Kashmir/Himachal Kumaon Himalaya Nepal Himalaya Assam Himalaya

Himalaya
The part of the Himalayas The part of the Himalayas The part of the Himalayas The part of the Himalayas
lying between Indus & Satluj lying between Satluj & Kali lying between Kali & Tista lying between Tista &
rivers rivers rivers Dihang rivers

Purvachal or the Eastern Himalayas

1. Beyond the Dihang gorge the Himlayas bend sharply to the south & spread along the eastern boundary of
India known as the Purvachal or the Eastern mountains
2. These are composed of strong sand stones which are sedimentary rocks
3. Covered with dense forest
4. It comprises the Patkai hills, The Naga hills, Manipur hills & the Mizo hills

THE NORTHERN PLAINS

Important Features-

1. Formation – This plain has been formed by the depositional work of three major rivers – the Indus, the Ganga
& the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries. The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying at the foothills
of the Himalayas over millions of years formed this fertile plain
2. Total Area – 7 lakh sq. Km.
3. Extends over 2400 km in length & 240 to 320 km in width
4. It is agriculturally a very productive part of India due to fertile soil, adequate water supply & favourable
climate
5. Densely populated area

Three Broad Division or Sections of the Northern Plains-

1. The Punjab Plains

a. The western part of the Northern plains
b. Formed by the Indus & its tributaries like the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas & the Satluj
c. The large part of this plain lies in Pakistan
d. This plain is dominated by Doabs
e. Doabs means the area between two converging rivers. Punjab means the area between 5 rivers.
2. The Ganga Plains
a. Extends between Ghaggar & Tista rivers
b. It is spread over the states of Haryana, Delhi, UP, Bihar, partly Jharkhand & WB
3. The Brahmaputra Plain
a. It is the part of the Northern plain which lies in Assam
b. It is very narrow in width

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Regional Division of the Northern Plains (according to the variation in relief features)

Bhabar Terai Bhangar Khadar

The river deposits It is a wet, swampy & The largest part of the The newer & younger
pebbles in a narrow belt marshy region to the Northern Plain is formed of deposits of the flood
of about 8-16 km in width south of bhabar old alluvium is called plains are called
parallel to the Shivalik is Bhangar khaddar
known as Bhabar
All the streams disappear The streams and rivers They lie above the flood It lies near the river
in this belt re-emerge in this belt plains in the form of terrace banks
Less vegetation found Covered with thick Contains calcareous Contains very fine
here forest full of wild life deposits known as Kankar alluvium particles
Not suitable for The forest have been Comparatively less fertile Very fertile because
agriculture cleared to create than Khadar they are renewed
agricultural land every year

Riverine Islands

1. In the lower course of a river, the velocity of river decreases due to gently slope which results in the
formation of Riverine Islands
2. Majuli in the Brahmaputra river is the largest inhabited riverine island in the world

Tributaries Distributaries
The small rivers which joins the major river The small streams which gets separated from major
rivers
Found in the upper and middle course of a river Found in the lower course of a river
Increases the volume of water in the main river Decreases the volume of water in the main river

THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU

Important Features-

1. It is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks

2. It has broad & shallow valleys & rounded hills
3. It has two broad divisions – The Central Highlands & The Deccan Plateau
4. Formation – It was formed due to the breaking & drifting of the Gondwana land & thus making it a part of the
oldest landmass

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Two broad division of the Peninsular Plateau-

The Central Highlands The Deccan Plateau

The part of the peninsular plateau lying to the north of It is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the
the Narmada river is known as The Central Highlands river Narmada
The Vindhyan range lies on the south & the Aravalis on The Satpura range lies in the north while the Mahadev,
the northwest the Kaimur hills & Maikal range forms it’s eastern
extension
The rivers draining this region are the Chambal, the Sind, Slopes gently from west to east
the Betwa & the Ken indicating the slope from southwest
to northeast
The eastward extension of this plateau are known as The In extension of this plateau in the northeast are locally
Bundelkhand, Baghelkhand & The Chotanagpur plateau known as the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong plateau & North
Cachar hills
Wider in the west but narrower in the east

THE WESTERN GHATS & THE EASTERN GHATS

Important features & difference between-

Western Ghats Eastern Ghats

Marks the western edge of the Deccan plateau Marks the eastern edge of the Deccan plateau
They are continuous & can be crossed through passes like They are discontinuous & dissected by rivers
Thal ghat, Bhor & Pal ghats
Average elevation - 900-1600 metres Average Elevation - 600 metres
The height increases from north to south. Anai Mudi Mahendragiri (1501 metres) is the highest peak
(2695 metres) & Doda Betta (2637 metres) are the
highest peaks
It causes orographic rain Shevroy & Javadi hills are located here

Deccan Trap

1. It is the black soil area of the Deccan plateau

2. It is of volcanic origin hence the rocks are igneous
3. Igneous rocks denuded over time & are responsible for the formation of black soil

The Aravali Hills

1. It lies on the western & north western margin of the peninsular plateau
2. These are highly eroded & broken hills
3. They extend from Gujarat to Delhi in a southwest-northeast direction

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 THE INDIAN DESERT

Important Features-

1. It lies towards the western margin of the Aravali hills

2. It is covered with sand dunes
3. It has arid climate & receives very low rainfall below 150 mm per year
4. Very low vegetation cover
5. Luni is the only river. Streams do not have enough water & they appear during the rainy season
6. Sand dunes like barchans (crescent shaped dunes) cover larger areas but longitudinal dunes are found near
the Indo-Pakistan boundary

THE COASTAL PLAINS

Western Coastal Plains Eastern Coastal Plains

It lies between the Western Ghats & the Arabian Sea It lies between the Eastern Ghats & Bay of Bengal
It is a narrow plain It is wide plain. Rivers like Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna &
Kaveri forms extensive delta on this coast
It consists of three sections – Konkan (the northern part It consists of two sections – the Northern Circar
Mumbai - Goa), Kannad (the central stretch) & the (northern part) & the Coromandel coast (southern part)
Malabar coast (southern part, Kerala)
Lake Chilika (largest salt water lake in India) is found
here. It lies to the south of the Mahanadi delta, Odisha

THE ISLANDS

Lakshadweep Islands Andaman & Nicobar Islands

It lies close to the Malabar coast of Kerala in the Arabian The elongated chain of islands located in the Bay of
Sea Bengal
It covers small area of 32 sq. Km They are bigger in size & are more numerous
Composed of small coral islands These islands are an elevated portion of submarine
mountains
Pitti island – uninhabited & has a bird sanctuary India’s only active volcano is found on Barren island in
Andaman & Nicobar group of islands
It has great diversity of flora & fauna It has great diversity of flora & fauna
These islands lie close to equator & experience equatorial
climate

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“Each physiographic region in India compliments the other & makes the country richer in its natural resources.”
Elaborate the statement.

1. The Himalayan mountains in the north are the major source of water & forest resources
2. The northern plains are the granaries of the country
3. The Peninsula plateau is a store house of minerals, which has played a crucial role in the industrialization of
the country
4. The coastal regions & the island groups provide sites for fishing, port & tourism activities
5. Thus, the diverse physical features of India have immense future possibilities of development.

CONTRAST THE RELIEF OF THE HIMALAYAN REGION WITH THAT OF THE PENINSULAR PLATEAUS

THE HIMALAYAN REGION THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU

Himalayan region are young new fold mountains Peninsular Plateau is a part of the oldest landmass.
Himalayan Region is made up of sedimentary rocks The Peninsular Plateau is made up of old crystalline
igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks.
In the Himalayan Region, the average height of Mountain In the Peninsular Plateau, the average height of
peaks is around 6000 meters. Mountain peaks is around 900 meters.
Not many minerals are found in the Himalayan region The Peninsular Plateau has abundant mineral wealth.
It has deep V-shaped valleys, gorges and high mountain It has broad and shallow valleys and rounded hills
peaks.