Question

Write some points on physical features of INDIA.

Answer 1

1.The Himalayan Mountains:
There are three divisions of Himalayan mountains. They are Himadri, Himachal and Shiwaliks. They are known as great himalayas, lesser himalayas and outermost himalayas respectively.

2.The Northern Plains
1. they are formed by the interplay of the three major river systems, namely the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries.
2.this plain is formed of alluvial soil.
3.it spreads over an area of 7 lakh sq. km.
4.the plain being about 2400 km long and 240 to 320 km broad.
5.it is a densely populated physiographic division.

3.The Peninsular Plateau
1.it is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks.
2.it is a part of the oldest landmass.
3it consists of two broad divisions, namely, the central highland and the Deccan plateau.
*The central highland is the part of the peninsular plateau lying to the north of the Narmada river, covering a major area of malwa plateau.
*The Deccan plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.

4.The Indian Desert
1.it lies towards the western margins of the aravali hills.
2.it is an undulating Sandy plain covered with sand dunes.
3.this region received very low rainfall below 150 mm per year.
4.it has arid climate with low vegetation cover.
5.luni is the only large river in this region.

5.The Coastal Plains
1.the northern part of the coast is called the Konkan(mumbai-goa).
2.the central stretch is called the kannad plain.
3.the southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar coast.
4.in the northern part, it is referred to as the northern circar,while the southern part is known as the coromandel coast.
5.lake chilika is an important feature along the eastern coast.

6.The Islands
*Lakshadweep islands-
1.they lie close to the Malabar coast in Arabian sea.
2.they are composed of small coral islands.
3.it covers small area over 32 sq. km.
4.kavaratti is the administrative headquarters of it.
5.it has great diversity of flora and fauna.
*Andaman and Nicobar islands-
1.they lie in the bay of Bengal.
2.they are an elevated portion of submarine mountains.
3.they are bigger in size and are more numerous and scattered.
4.Port Blair is it's administrative headquarters.
5.it is divided into two groups-Andaman in north and Nicobar in south.

Answer 2

Main Physical Features of India

The physical features of India can be divided into six broad categories according to their physiographic forms:

Himalayan Mountains

The northernmost landscape of the country highlights the fold mountains of the Himalayas. Though geologically young, the Himalayan Mountains are the loftiest and the most rugged of the world. Since they stretch across 2500 KM from Kashmir in the north, through Arunachal Pradesh in the North East, these mountains form an arc. This helps keep the cold arctic winds from reaching the tropical landmass.

One of the most significant of all the physical features of India, the Himalayas vary in width between 400 Km to 150 KM. Furthermore, the entire mountain belt is divided into three main sections-

The Greater Himalayas or the Himadri, with average peaks reaching up to 6000 meters above the sea-level.The Lesser Himalayas with average peaks rising as high as 4000 metersThe Outer Himalayas or the Shiwalik RangeThe Eastern Hills or the Purvanchal covering North Bengal, and northernmost parts of the North Eastern states.

Northern Plains

The three major river systems of India- Indus, Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries have fed the foothills of the Himalayas. Since these river basins had a huge amount of alluvial deposits from these glacial rivers, these regions grew fertile over hundreds of years and led to the Northern Plains. Furthermore, the Northern Plains can again be divided into three significant parts-

The Punjab Plains- The Indus River and its tributaries lead to the formation of these vast plains, a major part of which now lies in PakistanThe Ganga Plains- This spreads across the states of North India, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi and West Bengal.The Brahmaputra Plains- This covers major parts of Assam and the other North Eastern States

Peninsular Plateau

The oldest landmass of India, the Peninsular Plateau was the result of the tectonic shifts of the Gondwana Land. This massive plateau area is further divided as-

The Central Highlands – lying on the north of the Narmada River and covering a large part of the Malwa PlateauThe Deccan Plateau- a triangular landmass lying on the south of the Narmada River. The Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats border the Deccan plateau on its eastern and western sides respectively. While the Satpura mountain ranges stand on its northern part, the Western Ghats have higher elevation with a maximum height of 1600 meters. On the other hand, the Eastern Ghats reach to a maximum of 600 meters in height.

Indian Desert

The undulating sandy plains covered with sand dunes on the western fringes of the Aravali Hills comprise the Indian Desert. With rainfall as low as 150 mm per annum, this region is the aridest in the country and thus, low on greenery. The states of Rajasthan and northwestern parts of Gujarat collectively form the desert region.

Coastal Plains

Right on the outer edges of the Indian peninsula, lies the narrow strips of the coastal plains. These sea fed regions cover the shores of the Bay of Bengal in the East and the Arabian Sea on the West. The western coast along the Arabian Sea can again be divided into three sections-

The Konkan Coast- covering coastal Maharashtra and GoaThe Kannada Plains- covering coasts of KarnatakaThe Malabar Coast- covering Kerala

On the other hand, the Eastern coast has two broad sections-

The Northern CircarThe Coromandel Coast

Islands

Two groups of islands lie on the two oceans surrounding the main landmass of the subcontinent. These most likely complete the physical features of India. And, the island region is divided by the mainland as well as the seas. Thus forming two major island states-

The Lakshadweep, which lies closer to the Malabar Coast. And, these consist of clusters of coral islands collectively named Lakshadweep.The Andaman & Nicobar Islands which are off the Bay of Bengal and lie on the Indian Ocean. These group of islands are larger in size than their western counterparts and have rich biodiversity. Because the Andaman & Nicobar islands are closer to the equator, the region also experiences equatorial climate.