PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

-By Shreya Pandey,IXB3

MAJOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS
 The Himalayan
Mountains
 The Northern Plains
 The Peninsular Plateau
 The Indian Desert
 The Costal Plains
 The Islands
THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS
 The Himalayas are geologically young and
structurally fold mountains which stretch over
the northern borders of India.
 These mountains run in a west – east direction
from Indus to Brahmaputra.
 Himalayas cover a distance about 2,400 km.
Their width varies from 400 km in Kashmir to
150 km in Arunachal Pradesh.
 TYPES OF HIMALAYAS
Himalayas are generally classified on the basis of:
1. LONGITUDINAL DIVISIONS
Greater or Inner
Himalayas(Himadri)
Lesser
Himalayas(Himancha
l)
Shi
wa
liks
TYPES OF HIMALAYAS
2. REGIONAL DIVISIONS

PUNJAB KUMAON
HIMALAYAS HIMALAYAS

NEPAL ASSAM
HIMALAS HIMALAYAS
 THE NORTHERN PLAINS
The Northern Plains has been formed by the
interplay of three major rivers- the Indus, the
Ganga and the Brahmaputra. This plain is
formed of alluvial soil. It spreads over an area
of 7 lakh sq. km. The plain being about 2400
km long 240 to 320 km broad, is a densely
populated physiographic division.
 TYPES OF NORTHERN PLAINS
1. Northern Plain is broadly divided into three sections:
The western part of northern plains formed by Indus and its
tributaries called

PUNJAB PLAINS
The plain between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers
called

GANGA PLAINS
The plain lying in Assam called

BRAHMAPUTRA PLAIN
 TYPES OF NORTHERN PLAINS
2. Northern Plain is classified as the variation in relief
feature:
• Bhabar is a narrow belt lying parallel to the Shiwaliks.
Bhabar • All the streams disappear in this belt.

• Terai is a wet, swampy and marshy region lying south

of Bhabar.
Terai • In Terai, all the streams re- appear.
• Bhangar is the largest part of northern plains.
• The soil of this region contains calcareous deposists
Bhangar called kankar.
• Khaddar is the newer and younger deposits of the
floodplains.
Khadar • They are renewed almost every year and so are
fertile.
 THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU
 The Peninsular Plateau is a
tableland composed of old
crystalline, igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
 It was formed due to the
breaking and drifting of
the Gondwana land.
 It consists of two broad
divisions:
• The Central Highlands
• The Deccan Plateau
 TYPES OF PENINSULAR PLATEAU
The Central Highlands
 The part of peninsular plateau
lying to the north of Narmada
covering the major area of the
Malwa Plateau is known as
Central Highlands.
 The extend of Central Highlands is
from Vindhya to Aravalli hills
 The slope of Central Highlands is
from south- west to north- east.
The Deccan Plateau
 The Deccan Plateau is a triangular
landmass that lies south of the
river narmada.
 The Deccan Plateau is higher in
the west and slopes gently
eastwards.
 It is separated by fault from
Chhotanagpur Plateau.
WESTERN GHATS AND EASTERN
GHATS
Western Ghats
 Western Ghats are situated and
mark the western edges of the
Deccan Plateau and parallel to
the western coast of India along
with the Arabian Sea.
 Continuous, can be crossed
through passes only.
 Average elevation is 900- 1600
meters.
 The highest peaks include the
Anai Mudi and the Doda Betta.
Eastern Ghats
 Eastern Ghats are situated and
mark the eastern edges of the
Deccan Plateau and parallel to
the eastern coast of India along
with the Bay of Bengal.
 Discontinuous, irregular and
dissected by rivers draining in
the Bay of Bengal.
 Average elevation is 600 meters.
 The highest peaks include the
Mahendragiri and The Javedi
Hills.
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THE COSTAL PLAINS
The Coastal Plains of India lie on either side of the Peninsula Plateau, along the western and
eastern coasts of India. They extend for about 6,150 km from the Rann of Kutch in the west to
West Bengal in the east. They are broadly divided into the Western Coastal Plains and
the Eastern Coastal Plains.
THE COASTAL PLAINS
TYPES OF COASTAL PLAINS

Eastern Coastal Plains: It lies between Eastern Ghats

and Bay of Bengal. In the northern part, it is referred

to as Northern Circar, while the southern part is
known as the Coromandel Coast. Lake Chilika is an
important feature.
Western Coastal Plains: It is a narrow plain
sandwiched between Western Ghats and the
Arabian Sea. It consists of three sections. The
northern part of the coast is called the Konkan
(Mumbai-Goa), the central stretch is called the
Konkan Plain, while the southern stretch is
referred to as Malabar coast.
THE ISLANDS
THE ISLANDS
• Island, any area of land smaller than a continent and
entirely surrounded by water. Islands may occur in
oceans, seas, lakes, or rivers. A group of islands is
called an archipelago.
• India is having two islands namely, the Lakshadweep
and the Andaman and Nikobar Islands.
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