write a long note on physical features of India
Answers
India lies on the Indian Plate, the northern portion of the Indo-Australian Plate, whose continental crust forms the Indian subcontinent. The country is situated north of the equator between 8°04' to 37°06' north latitude and 68°07' to 97°25' east longitude.[2] It is the seventh-largest country in the world, with a total area of 3,287,263 square kilometres (1,269,219 sq mi).[3] India measures 3,214 km (1,997 mi) from north to south and 2,933 km (1,822 mi) from east to west. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km (9,445 mi) and a coastline of 7,516.6 km (4,671 mi).[1]
Geography of India

Continent
Asia
Region
South Asia
Indian subcontinent
Coordinates
21°N 78°E
Area
Ranked 7th
• Total
3,287,263 km2 (1,269,219 sq mi)
• Land
91%
• Water
9%
Coastline
7,516.6 km (4,670.6 mi)
Borders
Total land borders:[1]
15,200 km (9,400 mi)
Bangladesh:
4,096.70 km (2,545.57 mi)
China (PRC):
3,488 km (2,167 mi)
Pakistan:
3,323 km (2,065 mi)
Nepal:
1,751 km (1,088 mi)
Myanmar:
1,643 km (1,021 mi)
Bhutan:
699 km (434 mi)
Afghanistan:
106 km (66 mi)
Highest point
Kangchenjunga
8,586 m (28,169 ft)
Lowest point
Kuttanad
−2.2 m (−7.2 ft)
Longest river
Ganga (or Ganges)
2,525 km (8,284,121 ft)
Largest lake
Wular Lake
30 to 260 km² (12 to 100 sq mi)
On the south, India projects into and is bounded by the Indian Ocean—in particular, by the Arabian Sea on the west, the Lakshadweep Sea to the southwest, the Bay of Bengal on the east, and the Indian Ocean proper to the south. The Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar separate India from Sri Lanka to its immediate southeast, and the Maldives are some 125 kilometres (78 mi) to the south of India's Lakshadweep Islands across the Eight Degree Channel. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, some 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) southeast of the mainland, share maritime borders with Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia. Kanyakumari at 8°4′41″N and 77°55′230″E is the southernmost tip of the Indian mainland, while the southernmost point in India is Indira Point on Great Nicobar Island. The northernmost point which is under Indian administration is Indira Col, Siachen Glacier.[4] India's territorial waters extend into the sea to a distance of 12 nautical miles (13.8 mi; 22.2 km) from the coast baseline.[5]
The northern frontiers of India are defined largely by the Himalayan mountain range, where the country borders China, Bhutan, and Nepal. Its western border with Pakistan lies in the Karakoram range, Punjab Plains, the Thar Desert and the Rann of Kutch salt marshes. In the far northeast, the Chin Hills and Kachin Hills, deeply forested mountainous regions, separate India from Burma. On the east, its border with Bangladesh is largely defined by the Khasi Hills and Mizo Hills, and the watershed region of the Indo-Gangetic Plain.[clarification needed]
The Ganga is the longest river originating in India. The Ganga–Brahmaputra system occupies most of northern, central, and eastern India, while the Deccan Plateau occupies most of southern India. K2, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, is the highest point in India at 8,611 m (28,251 ft) and the world's 2nd highest peak. Climate across India ranges from equatorial in the far south, to alpine and tundra in the upper reaches of the Himalayas. the geographic view of India is pretty expository and vivid in the terms of area, mountains and relief.
India has all major physical features of the Earth, i.e. mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus and islands.
In India the soil colour varies from place to place as it is formed from different types of rocks.
India is a large landmass formed during different geological periods.
India’s relief features are outcome of other processes like weathering, erosion and deposition.
India has varied physical features whose formation can be explained on the basis of the ‘Theory of Plate Tectonics’.
According to the theory of Plate Tectonics the seven major and minor plates that form the Earth’s crust keep moving, causing stress and thus leading to folding, faulting and volcanic activity.
Plates can have convergent, divergent and transform boundaries.
India’s peninsular part is made from one of the oldest landmass of the world ‘Gondwana land’. It was a single landmass comprising of India, Australia, South Africa, South America and Antarctica.
The physical features of India can be grouped under the following physiographic divisions :
(i) The Himalayan Mountains.
(ii) The Northern Plains
(iii) The Peninsular Plateau
(iv) The Indian Desert
(v) The Coastal Plains
(vi) The Islands
The Himalayan Mountains
The Himalayas are young-fold mountains which are the loftiest and one of the most rugged mountain barriers of the world.
The Himalayas are 2400 km long, 400 km to 150 km wide from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh respectively.
The Himalayas have three parallel ranges in the longitudinal extent namely :
— Great or Inner Himalayas also called Himadri. It is the highest mountain range with average height 6000 m.
— Middle Himalayas or Himachal. The altitude varies between 3700 and 4500 m. It includes ranges like Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar and Mahabharat.