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NORTHERN PLAINS
 Points covered in
NORTHERN PLAINS the presentation
 Major Rivers forming
northern Plains

 Area covered by the

northern Plains

 Its Features

 Its Divisions and Sub-

Divisions
Presentation title 2
What Are Plains and What's Special
About The Northern Plains?
“Plains are large areas of flat land with few trees” – OxfordLanguages
The northern plain also known as the Indo-Gangetic Plains has been formed by
three major river systems — the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra along
with their tributaries (ghagra, etc).
The region is known for the Indus Valley civilization, which was responsible for
the birth of the ancient culture of the Indian subcontinent. The flat and fertile
terrain has facilitated the repeated rise and expansion of various empires.

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 Its Features

• This plain is formed of alluvial soil and is thus fertile

• The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying at the foothills of the
Himalayas over millions of years formed this fertile plain
• The North Indian River Plain consists of 700 thousand sq km (172 million
acres) of fertile land in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. The
plain encompasses much of northern and eastern India, much of eastern
Pakistan, almost all of Bangladesh, and the southern plains of Nepal.
• Approximately 2400 km long and 240 to 320 km wide, the plain is a densely
populated physiographic division
 SCHEMATIC MAP OF THE NORTHERN
PLAINS

Presentation title 5
 Distributaries

• The rivers of the Northern plain

in their lower course split into
numerous channels due to the
deposition of silt.
• These channels are known as
distributaries

BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER DISTRIBUTARIES , JAMUNA AND PUDMA 6

 SECTIONS OF THE PLAIN

•The Northern Plains are divided into three

sections –
1.The Punjab Plains: formed by the Indus and its
tributaries a large part of this plain lies in
Pakistan

2.The Ganga Plains: Located between the Teesta

River and the Ghaggar River. It is spread over
North India in Haryana, Delhi, U.P., Bihar,
partly Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
3.The Brahmaputra plains: In the East,
A PICTURE OF THE PUNJAB PLAINS particularly in Assam lies the Brahmaputra plain
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 DIVISIONS
• According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains can be
divided into four regions.
1. Bharbar: Upon their descent from the mountains, the rivers distribute pebbles
along a belt, spanning approximately 8 to 16 kilometers in width, which aligns
itself in parallel with the slopes of the Shiwaliks. This geographical region is
commonly referred to as “bharbar”. All streams disappear in this Bharbar belt.
2. Terai: The streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet, swampy, and marshy
region known as Terai.
3. Bhangar: The largest part of the northern plain is formed of older alluvium. It lies
above the floodplains of the rivers and presents a terrace-like feature. This part is
known as bhangra.
4. Kankar: The soil in this region contains calcareous deposits, locally known as kankar or kankad.
The younger and newer deposits of the flood plains are called KHADAR.
Presentation title 8
Thank you NORTHERN PLAINS