INDIAN

GEOGRAPHY
 The Great Pensinsular Plateau

• Anamudi or Anaimudi (2'695 m) situated in Sahyadri range is the highest peak of the peninsula.

• The Deccan plateau includes the area to the south of the Vindhyas.

• The western edge of the plateau rises steeply from the Arabian Sea to form the Western Ghats

(which includes the Sahyadri).

• The Deccan plateau slopes gently towards the east. The surface of the plateau is dissected into a

rolling upland by a number of rivers. The elevation ranges from 300 to 900 metres.
• The eastern edge of the plateau is known as the Eastern Ghats.

• The north-western region of the Deccan plateau is covered by nearly horizontal sheets of lava.

This region is called Deccan trap region.' The Deccan plateau is drained by many long east

flowing rivers. These rivers originate in the Western Ghats, flow towards the east and enter the

Bay of Bengal.

• The Godavari, the Mahanadi, the Krishna and the Cauvery are the major rivers that have built

deltas along the coast.

• The Narmada and the Tapti rivers are west flowing and do not have deltas. Both the rivers enter

the Arabian Sea along the Gujarat coast.

• Narmada and Sone rivers originate at Amarkantak.

• Major Plateaus : Marwar Upland, Central Highland, Bundelkhand, Malwa Plateau, Baghelkhand,

Chhotanagpur Plateau (Hazaribagh Plateau, Ranchi Plateau and Raj Mahal Hills), Meghalaya

Plateau, Deccan Plateau, Maharashtra Plateau, Karnataka Plateau, Telangana Plateau,

Chhattisgarh Plain.
 The Coastal Plains

• Narrow strips of flat land on eastern and western coasts are known as the East Coastal Plain and the

West Coastal Plain respectively.

The West Coastal Plain

• This plain which lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats spreads from Gujarat in the

north to Kanyakumari in the south.

• It is broader in the north and narrower in the south. This uneven plain has been dissected by many

fast flowing rivers.

• Its northen part from Gujarat to Goa is called Konkan, while southern part from Goa to Kanyakumari

is known as Malabar.
• Several lagoons (salt water lakes separated from the main sea by sand bars and spits) are found
on the coastal plain.

• Important ports developed on its coast from north to south are : Kandla, Mumbai, New Jawahar
Port Mumbai, Marmagao, Mangalore and Cochin.

The East Coastal Plain

• This broader coastal plain spreads along the Bay of Bengal from Odisha in the north to
Kaynakumari in the south.

• Its northern part is known as Northern Circar plains and the southern part is called Coromandal
Coast. Rivers like Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery form deltas on this plain.

• This coast is famous for rice cultivation. A large number of lagoons are also found here. Chilka
and Pulicat lakes are fine examples of lagoons on our east coast.
 The Great Indian Desert

• It lies to the west of the Aravali range. It extends over major part of Rajasthan and Sindh in Pakistan.

• This desert does not get much rain as the Aravali range run parallel to the south-westem monsoon

winds.

• It is in the rain shadow area of the Bay of Bengal current.

• Lake Sambhar is found here.

 The Island Groups
• Lakshadweep is a group of 36 coral islands in the Arabian Sea. It is located 300 km to the west of the

coast of Kerala.

• Andaman and Nicobar islands are a group of about 572 islands. Most of these islands are

uninhabited.

• Andaman and Nicobar islands (of volcanic origin) are separated by the Ten Degree Channel because

10ON latitude passes through this place.

 Climatic Diversity in the Indian Subcontinent

• Due to the vastness of the country and a variety of relief features there are regional variations in the

climate of India. The interior of the country specially in the north, has a continental type of climate.

• The coastal areas have a more equable climate. In mountainous areas, altitude determines the

climate. There is a great deal of variation in the amount of annual rainfall.

• In June, the highest temperature in Rajasthan may go up to 55oC. But, in Drass and Kargil the night

temperature in January may go down to -45o to -50oC.

• Mawsynram and Cherrapunji in Meghalaya have an annual rainfall of 11,873 mm (467 in) and

11,430 mm (450 in) respectively. But, in the Thar Desert the annual rainfall is less than 500 mm

(20 in).

• Along the Malabar Coast (Kerala) the annual range of temperature is about 3°C. But, it is 20°C

in Hissar, Ambala and other parts of the interior.

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