write the physiography of India
Answers
Answer:
India is divided into five physiographic divisions. These are described in details here.
1. The Northern and North Eastern Mountain
In the North, the astounding range of the Himalayan Mountain stands tall. It starts from Jammu and Kashmir and goes on to cover Ladakh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Assam and West Bengal. The Himalayan Mountain range is divided into three parts - Himadri, Himachal and Siwaliks.
Earlier, the mountain range protected against the outside enemies. Now, it protects against the biting cold air in the winter. There are many valleys in the northern part of India. They are beautiful to watch and spend time on. One of the “chhota char dhams” Kedarnath, falls in this Mountain range.
The holy Ganga, originates from the Gangotri glacier in Uttaranchal in the Northern part of India. Apart from the Ganga, there are many other beautiful rivers here like the Brahmaputra or the Yamuna.
This physiographic part of India is known for its scenic mountains, green valleys, gorges, the serene rivers and above all the friendly hill people. Let’s not forget, this is also the remotest and difficult to live part of India where our soldiers guard the country without any complain.
2. The Northern Plains
After the Himalayan mountain range ends, the Northern plain begins and continues till the peninsular plateau. The sediments from the rivers are deposited in these parts of the country. As a result, the land is very fertile. That is why the states in this region are known for agriculture. For example Punjab is known for the Green Revolution. This region is also known for the deep and dense forest. Interestingly, Rajasthan, too, falls in this region. Rajasthan has arid land. It boasts of the beautiful yet cruel Thar Desert.
3. The Peninsular Plateau
As the Northern Plains start reaching its end, the Peninsular Plateau raises its head. It starts from the end of Indo-Gangetic plains and stretches till the narrow end point of the country in the South. It is called the peninsular plateau because it is bound by the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal on three sides and has land on only one side.
The chain of Mountains in the western part of the plateau is known as the Western Ghats. It is one of the UN World Heritage Sites. The mountain range on the eastern part is known as the Eastern Ghats. These two mountain ranges are full of interesting plants and animals.
4. The Coastal Plains
Naturally, a country that is covered by oceans and seas on the three sides must have a beautiful coast line. This coastline falls under the Coastal Plains. The coastline that is located on the side of the Western Ghats is known as the Western Coastal Plain and the one located beside the Eastern Ghats is known as the Eastern coastal plain. The Western coastal plain starts from the great Rann of Kutch in the north to Kanyakumari in the south and the eastern one extends from the Ganga delta to Kanyakumari.
5. The Islands
India has many Islands too. As many as 1208 Islands are there in the country. The main two Island clusters are- Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea. Unfortunately due to the rising sea level, many small Islands are getting submerged in the water.
Thus, roaming around India is akin to roaming around the world.
Answer:
1. The North Indian plain is also called the Gangetic
plain.
2. The total area of this plain is about 6,52,000 sq. km.
3. This plain is situated between the Himalayan
Mountains in the north and the Peninsular plateau in
the south and is formed by the alluvium brought
down by the rivers.
4. The plain is very fertile and agriculture is the main
occupation of the people.
5. Many perennial rivers flow across the plain.
6. Since the land is almost flat, it is very easy to
construct irrigation canals and have inland
navigation.
7. It has excellent roads and railways, which are helpful
for the establishment of many industries. 40% of the
total population of India lives here and it is
called “The heart of India”.
PENINSULAR PLATEAU
1. It is the largest of India’s physical divisions. It is the
oldest and is formed of hard rocks.
2. The Narmada rift valley divides the peninsular plateau
into two parts.
3. They are the Malwa plateau and the Deccan
plateau.The Malwa plateau is bounded by the Aravalli
hills in the north-west and the Vindhya Mountains in
the south.
4. The total area of both these plateaus is 7,05,000 sq.
km. and the shape is triangular.
5. The Malwa plateau slopes towards the Gangetic Plain.
6. The highest peak on the Aravallis is Mt. Guru Shikhar.
7. The Deccan plateau is surrounded by the Satpura hills,
the Mahadeo hills, the Maikala range, the Amarkantak
hills and the Rajmahal hills in the north and the
Western Ghats in the west and the Eastern Ghats in
the east.
Cont….
1. The Western Ghats are called Sahyadris in
Maharashtra and Karnataka and further south
they are called Nilgiris in Kerala and Annamalai
range, Cardamom and Palani hills in Tamilnadu.
Anaimudi in Annamalai range (2,695 mts.) is the
highest peak in South India.
2. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats meet
in the Nilgiri hills.
3. The Peninsular plateau has economic importance
because of its rich mineral resources and many
rivers, which have waterfalls.
4. They help in the generation of hydroelectric
power.
5. The plateau is also suitable for the cultivation of
cotton and the dense forests are the home of
many wild animals.
COASTAL PLAINS AND ISLANDS
1. Excluding the islands, the mainland of India has
6,100 kms length of coastline. It extends from
Kachchh in Gujarat in the west to the Gangetic
delta in the east.
2. The coast of India is divided into western coast
and eastern coastal plains.
3. The western coastal plain lies between the
Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea and from the
Gulf of Kachchh in the north upto Cape Comorin
(Kanyakumari) in the south, with a length of
about 1,500 km.
4. It is divided into Malabar coast, Karnataka
coast(Canara), Konkan coast, Gujarat coast and
Kachchh and Kathiawad peninsulas.
5. The coast is straight and affected by the SouthWest Monsoon winds over a period of six months.
So, there are only a few good harbours Mumbai,
Marmagoa, Cochin, Mangalore, Karwar, NhavaSheva and Kandla are the important ports on the
West Coast.
6. .
Cont…
1. The eastern coast extends from
Kanyakumari to the Gangetic delta and
between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of
Bengal.
2. It consists of the deltas of rivers Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. It is a broad
and flat land.
3. There are some salt water lakes or lagoons.
Chilka Lake of Orissa. Pulicat lake of
Tamilnadu are best examples.
4. The Eastern Coast is divided into
Coromandel coast in the south and Utkal
coast in the north. The coastal regions of
India are noted for agriculture, trade,
industrial centres, tourist centres, fishing
and salt making.
5. They provide important hinterlands for the
ports. These coastal plains play a very
important role in the economic development
of India
ISLANDS OF INDIA
• There are 247 islands in India, out of which
there are 204 islands in the Bay of Bengal and
43 islands in the Arabian Sea.
• There are a few coral islands in the Gulf of
Mannar.
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of
Bengal consist of hard volcanic rocks.
• The middle Andaman and Great Nicobar Islands
are the largest islands of India.
• Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea are
formed by corals.
• The southern - most point of India is in the
Greater Nicobar Island.
• It is called Indira Point (formerly it was called
Pigmalion Point),now submerged after 2004
Tsunami.
Explanation: