The land of India displays great physical variation. Geographically, the peninsular plateau consists one of the ancient landmasses on the Earth’s surface. It supposed to be one of the most stable land blocks. The Himalayas and the northern plains are the most recent land forms. From the viewpoint of geology, the Himalayan Mountains form an unstable zone. The Himalayas’ whole mountain system represents a very youthful topography with high peaks, deep valleys and fast-flowing rivers. The northern plains formed of alluvial deposits. Physical Features Of India, The peninsular plateau composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks with gently rising hills and wide valleys.
Major Physiographic Divisions
The physical features of India grouped under the following physiographic divisions.
- THE HIMALYAN MOUNTAINS
- THE NORTHERN PLAINS
- THE PENISULAR PLATEAU
- THE INDIA DESERT
- THE COASTAL PLAINS
- THE ISLANDS
The Himalayan mountains
The Himalayas, geologically young and structurally folded mountains, stretch over the northern borders of India. These mountain ranges run in a west-to-east direction from the Indus to the Brahmaputra. The Himalayas represent the loftiest and one of the most rugged mountain barriers of the world. They form an arc, which covers a distance of about 2,400 km. Their width varies from 400 km in Kashmir to 2150km in Arunachal Pradesh.
The altitudinal variations are greater in the eastern half than those in the western half. The Himalayas consist of three parallel ranges in terms of their longitudinal extent.a number of valleys lie between these ranges. The northernmost range is known as the Great or the northern Himalayas, or the Himachal. It is the most continuous range consisting of the loftiest peaks with an average height of 6,000 meters. It contains all the prominent Himalayan peaks. The folds of the great Himalayas are asymmetrical in nature. The core of this part of the Himalayas composed of granite.
Ranges
It perennially snowbound, and a number of glaciers descend from this range. The range lying to the south of the Himalaya forms the rugged mountain system and known as Himachal or lesser Himalaya. The ranges mainly composed of highly compressed and altered rocks.The altitude varies between 3,700 and 4,500, metres and the average width the 50 km. while the Oir Oanjal range from the longest and the most important range,the Dhaula Dhar and the Mahabharat ranges also called prominent ones. This range consists of the famous valley of Kashmir, the kangra and kullu valley in Himachal Pradesh. This region is well known for its hill stations.
The outermost most range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks. They extend over a width of 10-50 km and have an altitude varying between 900 and 1100 meters. These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by the rivers from the main Himalayan ranges located father north. These valleys are covered with thick gravel and alluvium.The longitudinal valley lying between the Lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks are known as dun. Dehra Dun, Kolti Dun Patil Dun are some of the well-known duns.
longitudinal divisions
besides , Physical Features Of India the Himalayas divided on the basis of the region from the west to east. These divisions demarcated by river valleys. For example, the part of himalyas lying between Indus and Satluj traditionally as Punjab Himalaya but also called originally as kashmir and the Himachal Himalaya from the west to east, respectively. Physical Features Of The part of he Himalaya lying between Satluj and kali rivers known Kumanaon Himalaya. The Kali and Teesta rivers demacrate the nepal himalayasand he part lying between teesta and Dihang rivers known as assam Himalayas.
There regional names also called in these board categories. The Brahmaputra marks the eastern most boundary of the Himalayas. Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply to the south and spread along the eastern boundary of India. They also known as the purvachal the eastern hills and mountains. The hills running the north eastern states are mostly composed of sandstones, which are sedimentary rocks. Covered with dense forests, they mostly runs as parallel ranges and valleys. The purvachal comprises the Patkai Hills, the Naga Hills, the Manipur Hills, like features.
Productive Part of India
The northern plain has been formed by the interplay of the three major rivers systems. namely the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries.The plain formed of alluvial soil. The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying at the foothills of the Himalaya over millions of years, formed this fertile plain. It spreads over an area of 7 lakh km. The plain, being about 2400 km long and 240 to 320 km broad , is a densely populated physiographic division. With a rich soil cover combined with adequate water supply and favourable climate, it is agriculturally a productive part of India. The rivers coming from the northern mountains are involved in depositing work.In
The lower course, due to the gentle slope, the velocity of rivers decreases , which results in the formation of a riverine island. The rivers in lower course split into numerous channels due to the deposition of silt; these channels are known as the distributaries. The northern plain broadly divided into three sections. The western part of the northern plain referred to as the Punjab plains. Formed by the Indus and its tributaries, the larger part of the plain lies in Pakistan. The Indus and its tributaries, the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Rabi, the Beas, and the Sutlej originate in the himalaya. This section of the plain dominated by the doabs. The Ganga plain extends between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers, it spread over northern India Haryana, Delhi, up, Bihar, partly,jharkhand and West Bengal.
Northern plains
In the west, particularly in Assam, lies the Bhahmaputa plain. The northern plains are generally described as flat with no variations in is relief. It is not true. These vast plains also have diverse relief features. According to variations in relief features in relief features, the northern plains can be divided into four regions. The rivers, after descending from the mountains, deposit pebbles in a narrow belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks. It is now as if all the streams disappear in the bhabar belt. South of this belt, the streams and rivers reemerge and create a wet, swampy, and marshy region known as the terai.
This was a thickly forested region full of wild life. The forests have been cleared to create agricultural land and to settle migrants from Pakistan after partition. The local Dudhwa National Park in this region. The largest part of the northern olsain is formed of older alluvium. It lies above the flood plains of the rivers and presents of terrace-like feature. This part is known as bhamar. The soil in this and the Mizo hills region contains calcareous deposits, locally known as kankar. The new, younger deposits of the flood plains are called khadar. They are renewed almost every year and so are fertile, thus ideal for intensive agriculture.
The Penisular Plateau
The peninsular plateau a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. It formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land and this, making it a part of the oldest landmass. The plateau consists of two broad divisions, namely the central highlands and the Deccan Plateau. The part of the Narmada River, covering a major area of the Malwa Plateau known as the central highlands. The Vindhyas range bounded by the Satpura range on the south and the Aravallis 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 Yamuna, the Betwa and the Ken, is from southwest to northeast, thus indicating the slope. The central highlands are wider in the west but narrowest in the east. The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as the Bundelkhand. The Chotonaghar 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.
Hills and ranges
These hills and ranges in the map of India. The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards. An extension of the plateau visible in he northeast,locally known as the Meghalaya,karbi anglong plateau and North Cachar Hills. It separated by a fault from the chotanagpur plateau. Three prominent hill ranges from the west to east are the garo,the khasi and the jainntia hills.The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and eastern edges of the parallel to the western coast. They continuous and closed through passes only. Locate the thal,bhor and pal ghats in the physical map of India.
The Western Ghats are higher than the eastern ghats.Their average elevation is 90-1600 meters as against 600 metres of the eastern ghats.The Eastern Ghats stech from the Mahanadi Valley to the Nigiris in the south.The eastern ghats are discontinuous and irregular and dissected by rivers draining into the bay of Bengal. Western Ghats cause orographic rain by facing the rain-bearing moist winds to rise along the western slopes of the ghats. Also Western Ghats known by different local names.The highest peaks include from north to south the highest peaks includes the Anai Mudi and the Doda Betta.mahendragiri is te highest peak in te eastern ghats. Shevroy Hills and the Javadi Hills are located to the southeast.
The Indian Desert
the indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali hills. It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes. Physical Features Of India This region receives very low rainfall below 150 mm per year. It has arid climate with low vegetation cover. streams appear during the rainy season. Soon after they disappear into the sand as they do not have enough water to reach the sea. Luni is the only large river in this region. Barchans cover large areas, but longitudinal dunes become more prominent near the Indo-Pakistani border.If you visit Jaisalmer, you may go to see a group of barchans.
Physical Features Of India-The coastal plains
The peninsular plateau is flanked by a stretch of narrow coastal strips, running along the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east. The western coast, sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea,is a narrow plain. It consists of three sections. The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan, the central stretch is called the Kannada Plain, while the southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar Coast. The plains along the Bay of Bengal are wide and level. In the northern part it is referred to as the northern cirar, Physical Features Of India while the southern part is known as the Mahanadi, the Godavari,the Krishna and the Kavri have formed an extensive delta on this coast. Lake Chilika is an important feature along the eastern coast.
The Islands-Physical Features Of India
locate the Lakshadweep island group lying to the Malabar coast of kerala. This group of islands composed of small coral islands. Earlier they known as Laccadive, Minicoy and amindive.In 1973, they named as Lakshadweep. It covers small area of 32km. Kavaratti Island is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep. This island group has a great diversity of flora and fauna. The Oitti island, which is uninhabited, has a bird sanctuary.
Physical Features Of India Now you can see the elongated chain of islands located in the Bay of bengalextending from north to south. These bigger in size and more numerous and scattered. The entire group of islands divided to two broad categories the Andaman in the north and nicobar in the south . It believed that these island are an elevated portion of submerged mountains. This island group are of great diversity of flora and fauna This group of island too. These islands lie close to equator and experience equatorial climate and have thick forest cover.
Physical Features Of India Do you know?
A detailed account of the different physiographic units highlights the unique reality of each region. It would, however, be clear that each region complements the others and makes the country richer in its natural resources. The mountains are tey major resources of water and forest wealth.Physical Features Of India The northern plains are the granaries of the country. They provide the base for early civilisations. The plateau is a storehouse of minerals, which has played a crucial role in the industrialisation of the country.The coastal region and island groups provide sites for fishing and port activities. Thus, the diverse physical features of the land have immense future possibilities for development.