8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

Today's Question

Click Here

HOME POLITY GEOGRAPHY QUICK LOOK GK CURRENT AFFAIRS BIT BANK THINK... About/Contact

Select Language

Pow ered by

Search here.....

Search

Translate

PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

KALYANSIR.COM

PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA:

The Indian landmass may be divided into three distinct units.

The Himalayas

http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

1/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

The Northern Plains

The Peninsular Plateau
THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN RANGES
The mountains are radiating out from the Pamir Knot.
The Himalayas separates the Indian subcontinent from the rest of Asia.
This chain of mountains includes the Hindu Kush, the Suleiman and the Kirthar in the
east, and the Karakoram and the Himalayas in the west.
The Himalayas stretch across northern India from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal
Pradesh for about 2,400 km.
The Himalayas are the worlds youngest fold mountains.
The Himalayas are classified into four zones
The Outer Himalayas or the Shiwaliks:
The height ranging from 600 to 1,500 m (average elevation being 1,200 m).

Shiwaliks are composed of tertiary sediments mainly containing boulder and clay.
They emerged in the most, recent phase in the Himalayan orogeny, that is, during the
http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

2/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

Miocene - Pleistocene epoch.

Along the foothills, rivers have deposited pebbles, gravel and sand.
This deposition is called Bhabar plain.
The Terai plain, formed of fine alluvium, occurs in the region south of the Bhabar plain.
These hills are referred to as Abor, Miri and Mishmi Hills in the Arunachal Pradesh
region and as Jammu hills also.
The Outer Himalayas are separated from the Lesser Himalays by duns (valleys resulting
from draining away of the temporary lakes formed by ridges) Such duns include Dehradun,
Patli in Uttar Pradesh, and Kotli in Jammu.
THE LESSER OR MIDDLE Himalayas or THE HIMACHAL :
This is located at a height 1,000 to 4,500 m.

The southern slopes are barren.

Its ranges include the 400 km long Pir Panjal range, the longest range of the Himalayas.
The Pirpanjal range extends between the Jhelum and Beas rivers.
The other ranges are the Nag Tibba range; Mussoorie range and the Mahabharat range in
Nepal are part of the Himachal.
http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

3/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

THE GREATER HIMALAYAS OR THE HIMADRI :

The innermost Himalayan range is the worlds highest, with an average height of about
6,000m.
It is the most continuous of the Himalayan ranges and forms the Himalayas northernmost
part.

SOME OF THE
HIMALAYAS

HIGHEST

PEAKS

Mount Everest (Nepal)

OF

THE

8,848 m

MOUNT EVEREST

Kanchenjunga (Sikkim, India)

8,598 m

KANCHENJUNGA

http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

4/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

Makalu (Nepal)

Dhaulagiri (Nepal)

8,481m
:

8172 met

DHAULAGIRI

Nanga Parbat

(Jammu and Kashmir, India)

Annapurna (Nepal)

8,126 m
:

8078

met

Nanda Devi

Kamet

Namacha Barwa

(Arunachal Pradesh, India)

7,754 m

Gurla Mandhata (Nepal)

7,728 m

:
:

7817 met

7,756 m

THE TRANS - HIMALAYAN ZONE:

This zone has important ranges such as the Zaskar range with an average elevation of
6,000 m and the great Karakoram Range which has very high peaks and large glaciers.
The Karakoram extends towards the south- east to from the Kailash range (Tibet).
http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

5/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

The Laddakh range, parallel to the Zaskar range, has a height of 5,800 met .
The highest peak in this region is K2 (8,047 m) and the Siachen glacier is also located
here.
REGIONAL DIVISIONS OF THE HIMALAYAS

The Assam Himalayas

The Central Himalayas

The Kumaon Himalayas

The Punjab Himalayas

The Kashmir Himalayas

THE ASSAM HIMALAYAS:

This runs from Tista River to the Brahmaputra.
The Assam Himalayas are divided
into

The Naga Hills

The Kohima Hills

The Mizo Hills

The Manipur Hills

The Garo Hills

The Aka Hills

http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

6/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

The Dafla Hills

The Mishmi Hills

The Miris

The Abhor Hills

The Naga Hills house the Saramati peak (3,826m).

The Kohima Hills house the Japuo peak.
The Mizo hills the Manipur Hills are present between Manipur and Myanmar.
The Garo Hills, the Aka Hills are present between Dikrai and Dhansiri rivers.
The Dafla Hills, the Mishmi Hills and the Miris are present to the North of district
Lakhimpur.
The Abhor Hills are located between Dibang in the East and Siam in the West.

THE CENTRAL HIMALAYAS:

These are located between the rivers Tista and Kali.
These are also called the Darjeeling Himalaya, the Sikkim Himalaya and the Bhutan
Himalaya.
The Central Himalayas has some of the worlds loftiest peaks.
THE KUMAON HIMALAYAS :
It lies between Kali and Sutlej rivers.

http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

7/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

The important peaks that are located here are Nanda Devi (7,816 m), Badrinath,

Kedarnath, Gangotri, Trishul and Mana.

THE PUNJAB HIMALAYAS :
This lies between Sutlej and Indus rivers.
The Kangra, Spiti and Lahul valleys present in this region.
.
THE KASHMIR HIMALAYAS :
It has an average height of 3,000 m.
This region has so many glaciers.

IMPORTANT PASSES IN THE HIMALAYAN RANGES

KHYBER PASS

BOLAN PASS

KARAKORAM
PASS

KHYBER PASS:
Khyber Pass is the most important pass of the Indian subcontinent.

http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

8/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

It passes through the Safed Kuh range between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

BOLAN PASS:
This is Located in Pakistan.
The Bolan Pass served as an important trade route for centuries.
KARAKORAM PASS:
This is situated in the Karakoram Range in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The other important passes of this region are
Burzil and Zoji La in Jammu and Kashmir
The Bara Lacha La and the Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh
The Nathu La and the Jelep La in Sikkim.
The main Indo China trade route, connecting Kalimpong (near Darjeeling) with Lhasa
(Tibet), passes through the Jelep La pass.
ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HIMALAYAS :
The Himalayas protect the Indian plains from cold blizzards of central and northeast
Asia.
The Himalayas are the natural barriers between India and its neighbors such as China.
Indias big rivers, such as the Ganga and Yamuna, with their many tributaries originate
from these mountains.
The Himalayas are rich in forest and animal resources.
The Himalayan Rivers are a great source of water for irrigational purposes and power
generation.
The Himalayas are the source of many minerals including copper, nickel, cobalt, lead,
zinc and tungsten, and mineral fuels such as petroleum and coal.
http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

9/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

Important hill stations include Nainital, Dehra Dun, Mussoorie, Ranikhet, Almora (all in
Uttaranchal); Gulmarg (Jammu and Kashmir); Shimla, Dharamsala, Kullu - Manali, Chamba
- Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh) are the tourist centers.

PLAINS :
NORTHERN PLAINS:
These are present between the Himalayas and the peninsular plateau.
The Great Northern Plains stretch in an East-West direction for about 3,200 km.
Alluvial soil that is present in the nature.
The Alluvial soils are composed of older alluvium is also called bhangar.
The newer alluvium also called khadar or bet.
The older alluvium is found in raised areas which are away from river channels.
The newer alluvium is found along river banks.

The Great Plains can further be

sub divided into
v The Punjab-Haryana plains
v The Rajasthan plains.
v The Ganga Plains.
v The Ganga-Yamuna Doab.
v The Brahmaputra plains.

http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

10/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

THE PUNJAB - HARYANA PLAINS

These are the low flood plains, bets as well as upland plains.
The very fertile areas in this region are
The Bist Doab between Sutlej and Beas rivers
The supper Bari Doab between Rivers Beas and Ravi
The South-Eeast Malwa Plain.
THE RAJASTHAN PLAINS
These comprise the Marushali of Thar and the nearby Bagar areas and occupy an area of
1.75 lakh sq km.
The Luni River that flows towards the south - west is the only river in the region.
To the North of the Luni Riverr basin are salt lakes

v The Sambhar
v The Kuchaman
v The Didwana
v The Degana.
THE GANGA PLAINS
This is spread across the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bental and Bihar.
These areas comprise the raised bhangar areas and khadar areas, the bhabars and terais.
THE GANGA - YAMUNA DOAB
http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

11/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

The middle Ganga Plain comprises eastern Uttar Pradesh and the plains of Bihar.
This covers an area of 35, 000 sq km.
THE BRAHMAPUTRA PLAINS
The Brahmaputra Plain in Assam extends from Dhubri to Sadiya.
The low - level plains are formed by the deposits carried mainly by the Brahmaputra river
and also the Dibang, the Sesiri and the Luhit.
THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU
The peninsular plateau is the largest and the oldest of all the physiographic divisions.
This covers an area of 16 lakh sq km.
At the western and Eastern ends of peninsular plateau are the Western Ghats and Eastern
Ghats are located.
The upland of Central India has

The Ganga to its North

The Kaimur - Maikal range to its East

The Arvallis and Kutch to its West

The Vindhya and Satpura ranges to its south.

The plateau is broken by ravines mainly in the Chambal, Yamuna and Banas valleys.
THE VINDHYA RANGE
This runs from Sasaram (Bihar) in the East to Jobat (Gujarat) in the West.
http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

12/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

The fairly continuous range separates northern India from the southern mainland.
This range is mostly composed of sandstones, quartzites and shales.

THE SATPURA RANGE

It comprises the Rajpipla Hills of Gujarat in the west, and the Pachmarhi, Surguja,
Ranchi, Hazaribagh Hills and the Maikal range in The east.
Its northern and southern borders are composed of sandstone.
The average elevationis 1,030 m above sea level, with the highest point at Dhupgarh (1,
350 m) near Pachmarhi.
THE ARAVALLIS

This is one of the most ancient fold mountains in the World.

The rocks of quartzites, gneisses and schists belonging to the precambian age
The Gurusikhar peak (1, 722 m) of the Abu Hills is the highest point of the range.
The Delhi Ridge is the Aravallis northernmost part.

THE EASTERN PLATEAUS :

This area lies to the north - east of the Malwa.

Its main rivers are the Damodar, the Subarnarekha and the South Koel.
To its west is the Ranchi plateau.
http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

13/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

To the north of the Ranchi upland are the plateaus of Kodarma and Hazaribagh.

THE DECCAN PLATEAU:

The Deccan plateau is Indias largest plateau.

This is a triangular plateau.

The height of the plateau ranging from 900 met to 3000 m in the west and east

respectively.
It occupies the land between the Western and the Eastern Ghats and the south of the
Mahadeo, Maikal and Satpura ranges.
The northern part of the Deccan plateau has the Maharashtra plateau.
The Deccan plateau displays a sudden narrowing of land below the Karnataka plateau.
Here, it comprises uplands made by the hills of Palni, Nilgiri, Cardamom and Anamalai
(or Annamalai).
The Deccan plateau is bordered on its sides by the Tamil Nadu and Kerala plains.

THE WESTERN GHATS

The Western Ghats are also called Sahyadris.

The Sahyadris are about 1,600 km long and with an average elevation of 1000 met to
1300 met.
These run along the west coast from the south of the Tapti river valley to Kanyakumari.
http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

14/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

Important peaks of Western Ghats include the Salher peak (1567 met) and Kalsubai
peak (1646 met).
The highest plateau Vembadi Shola (2505 m) is in the Palani Hills.
Makurti (2554 m) and Doda Betta (2637 m) are in Nilgiris.
The Anaimudi (2,695 m) in the Annamalai Hills.
The Westrn Ghats and Eastern Ghats meet in the Nilgiri Hills whose highest point is
Doda Betta peak.
A break in the Western Ghats is in the form of the palakkad gap, south of the Nilgiris.
The main rivers of the Western Ghats such as the Godavari, Cauvery and Krishna flow
eastwards and fall into the Bay of Bengal.

THE EASTERN GHATS

These are the irregular hill ranges.

The Eastern Ghats stretch from northern Orissa to the Nilgiris in Chennai across coastal
Andhra with an average elevation of 750 m above sea level.
They reach over 1500 m at Nimargiri (1515 m) in Ganjam, Mankarnacha (1109 m) in
Bonai and Malayagiri (1186 m) in Paltahara.
Jindhagada Peak in Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh is the highest mountain peak
in Eastern Ghats and Andhra Pradesh, with a summit elevation of 1,690 m

THE INDIAN COASTLINE:

India has few good harbors.

http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

15/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

The places in the interior like Delhi or Nagpur are quite far away from the sea.
On the West coast of India the sea is deep and very near the coast.
Three inlets on this coast - Mumbai, Goa and Cochin form the good natural harbors.
The East coast of Peninsular India is less rocky, large ships cannot approach close to the
coast.
There is no good natural harbor on this coast; the two most important Chennai and
Visakhapatnam are the being artificially built harbors.
THE EAST COASTAL PLAINS
The East Coast plain extends between the source of the Subarnarekha and Kanyakumari
and contains deltas of almost all rivers in the region, except Tapti and Narmada, as these
flows towards the Bay of Bengal.
This is located between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal Coast.
The East Coast has comparatively a broader plain compared to the Western Coast with
an average width of 80 100 km.
This area is drained by large rivers like Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery that
have formed large deltas.
The East coast has more or less a straight coastline where good ports are absent.
THE WEST COASTAL PLAINS:

This extends from the Rann of Kutch to Kanya kumari.

Rivers Beas and Saraswati in the North flow towards West and join the Arabian Sea.
The other rivers the Tapti, the Mahi, the Sabarmati and the Narmada also flow towards
http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

16/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

west and join the Arabian Sea.

Salt marshes are found in the western parts.
This area is located between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea Coast.
The West coast is a narrow plain with an average width of 64 km.
This area is drained by short and swift streams which are unable to form deltas.
Several lagoons are formed
The West coast has an inundated coast which supports many ports.

KALYANSIR.COM

0 Comments

kalyansir

Login

Sort by Best

Share

Favorite

Start the discussion

Be the first to comment.

WHAT'S THIS?

ALSO ON KALYANSIR

TEAM INDIA LOST TWO CONSECUTIVE ONE DAY

MATCHES
7 comments 5 months ago

Idris Ilyas A successful cricket captain needs to be a good

manager as well as a good leader . The prime difference between

the two is that the leader should be a visionary who

POLITY Bit Bank - 2

1 comment 2 months ago

Shashank Singh Really great thanks to u sir..........we are

appearing in the examination but u r continuously doing hard

work with us for over goodwill.......special thanks to u.sir

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - 1

AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTES

1 comment 6 months ago

1 comment 2 months ago

c.kowsalya it was awe some site sir. sir will you let me know

Purushothama Kumar Azmeera thank you sir!

how will be the pattern of general awareness for ssc

examination

Subscribe

Add Disqus to your site

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

17/18

8/15/2014

KALYAN SIR: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

COPYRIGHT 2013
KALYANSIR.NET (.C om) Republication or re dissemination of the content of this site are expressly prohibited without the written consent of KALYAN SIR.

http://www.kalyansir.net/2014/03/kalyansir_3.html

18/18