GEOGRAPHICALLY, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS OF INDIA IS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST STABLE LAND BLOCKS THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU THE HIMALAYAS THE NORTHERN PLAINS THE COASTAL PLAINS
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Y
ou have already learnt earlier that India
is a vast country with varied land forms.
What kind of terrain do you live in? If
you live in the plains, you are familiar with the
vast str
The largest part of the northern plain is
formed of older alluvium. It lies above the
floodplains of the rivers and presents a terracelike feature. This part is known as bhangar.
The soil in this region contains calcareous
deposits, locally known as kankar. The
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newer, younger deposits of the floodplains
are called khadar. They are renewed almost
every year and so are fertile, thus, ideal for
intensive agriculture.
The Peninsular Plateau
The Peninsular plateau is a tableland
composed of the old crystalline, igneous and
metamorphic rocks. It was formed due to the
breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land
and thus, making it a part of the oldest
landmass. The plateau has broad and shallow
valleys and rounded hills. This plateau consists
of two broad divisions, namely, the Central
Highlands and the Deccan Plateau. The part
of the Peninsular plateau lying to the north of
the Narmada river, covering a major area of the
Malwa plateau, is known as the Central
Highlands. The Vindhyan range is bounded
by the Satpura range on the south and the
Aravalis on the northwest. The further
westward extension gradually merges with the
sandy and rocky desert of Rajasthan. The
flow of the rivers draining this region, namely
the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa and the Ken
is from southwest to northeast, thus indicating
the slope. The Central Highlands are wider in
the west but narrower in the east. The eastward
extensions of this plateau are locally known
as the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
The Chotanagpur plateau marks the
further eastward extension, drained by the
Damodar river.
The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass
that lies to the south of the river Narmada. The
Satpura range flanks its broad base in the north,
while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and the
Maikal range form its eastern extensions. Locate
these hills and ranges in the Physical map of
India. The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west
and slopes gently eastwards. An extension of the
Plateau is also visible in the northeast, locally
known as the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau
and North Cachar Hills. It is separated by a fault
from the Chotanagpur Plateau. Three prominent
hill ranges from the west to the east are the Garo,
the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills.
The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats
mark the western and the eastern edges of the
Deccan Plateau respectively. Western Ghats lie
parallel to the western coast. They are continuous
and can be crossed through passes only. Locate
the Thal, Bhor and Pal Ghats in the Physical
map of India.
The Wes