Physical Features of India Flashcards
What are the main processes which form the physical features in India
India is a large landmass formed during different geological periods by processes such as:
* Weathering
* Erosion
* Deposition
What are the 6 physical features in India
India may be divided broadly into SIX physical units:
1) The Great Northern Mountains
2) The Northern Plains
3) The Peninsular Plateau
4) The Desert
5) The Coastal Plains
6) The Islands
How were the Himalayas formed?
- The Himalayan mountain range and Tibetan plateau have formed as a result of the collision between the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate which began 50 million years ago and continues today.
What are the characteristics of the Himalayas?
- The mountains extending between the Indus river and the Brahmaputra river are called the Himalayas
- It stretches across northern India from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh (about 2400 km) with a varying width of 150 in AP to 400 km in J&K
- They represent the youngest and highest folded mountains of the earth formed by the tectonic collision of the Indian plateau with the Eurasian plateau
What are the divisions of the Himalayas?
The Himalayas has 3 mountain ranges:
* The Himadri (Greater Himalayas)
* The Himachal (Middle Himalayas)
* The Shivalik (Outer Himalayas)
State the characteristics of Himadri
- The northernmost ranges of the Himalayas
- The highest range with an average height of more than 6000 metres above the sea level.
- They contain some of the world’s highest peaks
State the characteristics of Himachal
- The ranges lying north of the Shiwalik
○ The Dholadhar (J & K)
○ The Mussoorie Range (Uttaranchal)
○ The Mahabharat Range (Nepal)
These ranges belong to the Middle Himalaya. - Average height of the range – 3700 metres to 4500 metres
- Width: About 50 km.
- Some hill stations include: Kashmir, Shimla, Mussoorie, Darjeeling belong to this range
- They are characterised by cool climate and scenic beauty
State the characteristics of Shiwalik
- The southernmost range of the Himalayas.
- Average height of the range – between 900 metres to 1100 metres
- It’s width varies between 10 to 50 km.
- It is made of unconsolidated materials such as mud, silt, boulder and soft rocks.
- Landslides and Soil erosion is at its worst in these ranges.
- This is not a continuous range & merges with other ranges in the east.
State the characteristics of duns
- The longitudinal valley lying between lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks are known as Duns
- Dehradun and Patli Dun are some of the well-known Duns
What are the regional divisions of the Himalayas
Regional Divisions of the Himalayas
1. Punjab Himalayas
2. Kumaon Himalayas
3. Nepal Himalayas
4. Assam Himalayas
State the characteristics of the Punjab Himalayas
- The 560 km long stretch of the Himalayas between the Indus and the Satluj rivers is known as the Punjab Himalayas.
- A large portion of this sector lies in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh as a result of which it is also called the Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya from west to east respectively.
- Karakoram, Ladakh, and Zaskar are the main ranges of this section.
State the charactersitics of Kumaon Himalayas
- Located between the Satluj and the Kali rivers
- Length: 320 km long
- The sources of sacred rivers like the Ganga and the Yamuna are located in the Kumaon Himalayas
- Nanda Devi and Kedarnath are some important peaks.
State the characteristics of Nepal Himalayas
- This section of the Himalayas stretches for a distance of 800 km between the Kali and the Tista rivers
- Most of it lies in Nepal as a result of which it is called the Nepal Himalayas.
- This is the tallest section of the Himalayas and is crowned by several peaks of perpetual snow
- The Mount Everest is the tallest peak of the world
- The other major peaks are Kanchenjunga and Annapurna
State the characteristics of Assam Himalayas
- The Himalayan ranges from Tista to Brahmaputra rivers are called the Assam Himalayas
- It is around 750km long
- This part of the Himalayas spreads over large parts of Sikkim, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
Write a short note on the Purvanchal Hills
- The Brahmaputra river marks the easternmost boundary of the Himalayas
- Beyond the Brahmaputra gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply to the south and form a series of comparatively low hills which are collectively called as the Purvanchal
- They run along the India-Myanmar Border extending from Arunachal Pradesh in the north to Mizoram in the south.
- The Purvanchal comprises of Naga hills, Mizo hills and many other hills
- They are mainly composed of strong sand stones and covered with dense forests
Write a short note on the Zoji La Pass
- The 3,444 meter high Zoji La pass provides an easy passage.
- It connects Srinagar, Kargil, Leh highway in Jammu and Kashmir
How were the northern plains formed?
- The Great plain of Northern India has formed by the interplay of the three major river systems
- The Great plain of Northern India was formed by the sediments brought down by the Indus-Ganga-Brahmaputra and their tributaries flowing from the northern mountains
- It is popularly known as the Indo-Ganga-Brahmaputra plain
What are the characteristics of the northern plains
- It is bounded by the Himalayas on the north and the Deccan plateau on the south.
- This plain stretches for about 2,400 km from east to west and 240 to 320 km from north to south.
- It covers an area of about 7 lakh sq km
- With a rich soil cover combined with adequate water supply and favorable climate, it is agriculturally a very productive part of India
Write a short note on river distributaries
- The rivers in their lower course, due to the:
○ gentle slope
○ low velocity
○ huge deposition of silt - They split into numerous channels known as distributaries and results in the formation of riverine islands
- Majuli, with a population of 1.6 Lakhs in the Brahmaputra River is the largest inhabited riverine island in the world.
What are the regional divisions of the Northern Plains
Regional Divisions of Northern Plains
1. Punjab Plains
2. Ganga Plains
3. Brahmaputra Plains
State the characteristics of the Punjab Plains
- The Western Part of the northern plain is called the Punjab Plain.
- The large part of this plain lies in Pakistan
- It is formed by Indus and its tributaries: the Ravi, the Satluj etc.
This section of the plain is dominated by Doabs
State the characteristics of the Ganga Plains
- The major portion of the Great Indian Plain consists of the Ganga basin.
- It extends between Ghaggar and Tista rivers
- It covers states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal
- The Ganga plain is the most populous part of India
State the characteristics of the Brahmaputra Plains
- The Brahmaputra Plains are fed by the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries.
- The river basin is a wide land area made up of parts of India, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh
What are the divisions of the Northern Plains based on their relief features
Regional Divisions of Northern Plains on the basis of Relief Features
1. Bhabar
2. Terai
3. Bhangar
4. Khadar
State the characteristics of Bhabar
- The rivers, after descending from the mountains deposit pebbles in a narrow belt of about 8 km to 16 km
- This belt is known as Bhabar
- It lies parallel to the slopes of the Shiwalik
- All the streams disappear in Bhabar belt
State the characteristics of Terai
- A narrow belt of a wet, swampy and marshy region to the south of the Bhabar belt.
- This was a thickly forested region full of wildlife but forests have been cleared for agricultural land
State the characteristics of Bhangar
- The largest part of the northern plain is formed of older alluvium.
- Kankar or calcareous deposits and clay are found in this soil.
- It is less fertile as it is found away from the rivers
State the characteristics of Khadar
- It is younger alluvium of the plains.
- It is found near and in the course of rivers and flood plains.
- They are renewed almost every year and so are fertile and hence, ideal for intensive agriculture
Define the terms:
1. Peninsula
2. Plateau
Peninsula
* A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland
Plateau
* Plateau also called a tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain that is raised significantly above the surrounding area
Describe the formation of the Peninsula Plateau
- It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land
- Hence, it is a part of the oldest landmass and most stable land blocks
What are the characteristics of Peninsular Plateau?
- The Peninsular Plateau is bounded by Aravallis on the northwest, the Western Ghats in the west and the Eastern Ghats in the east
- This plateau ranges in an elevation from 100 metres in the northern side to 1000 metres to the south
What are the divisions of the peninsular plateau?
Divisions of Peninsular Plateau
1) Central Highlands
2) Chotanagpur Plateau
3) Deccan Plateau
What are the characteristics of the Central Highlands?
- The Central Highlands are bounded by Aravali range on the northwest, Ganga plains on the north and Vindhya range on the south.
- The Central Highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east.
- The flow of the rivers draining this region, namely the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa and the Ken is from southwest to northeast, thus indicating the slope
What are the characteristics of the Chotanagpur Plateau
- The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
- The Chotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension drained by the Damodar river
State the characteristics of the Deccan Plateau
- The Deccan Plateau is a large triangular plateau in India, covering up the majority of the southern part of the country.
- It is bounded by Satpura range in the north, western ghats in the west and eastern ghats in the east
- It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometer high in the south.
- The Deccan Plateau is made up of basalt and granite rocks having a region of highlands with typically vast stretches of flat areas on top like a table known as Table Top
State the rivers that pass through the Deccan Plateau
- Most Deccan plateau rivers flow from west to east emptying their water into the Bay of Bengal indicating the slope of the region.
- The Godavari & its tributaries:
○ the northern portion of the plateau - The Krishna & its tributaries:
○ the central portion of the plateau. - The Kaveri & its tributaries:
○ southernmost portion of the plateau - Narmada & Tapi:
○ east to west
Write a short note on the Deccan Trap
- Northwestern part of the Deccan Plateau which is made up of lava flows
- The Deccan Traps are a large igneous province located on the Deccan Plateau of west-central India
- It is one of the largest volcanic origin area on the earth and hence the rocks are igneous
- These rocks are denuded over time and are responsible for the formation of black soil
Describe the formation of the Western Ghats
- The Western Ghats are not true mountains, but are the faulted edge of the Deccan Plateau.
- They are believed to have been formed during the breaking of the super continent of Gondwana some 150 million years ago
State the characteristics of the Western Ghats
- The Western Ghats are the western edge of the Deccan Plateau
- They lie parallel to the western coast
- The Western Ghat starts near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, south of the River Tapti, and runs through the states of Gujarat,Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala ending at
- Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of India.
- Total length – approximately 1600 km.
- An average elevation – 900-1600 metres
- They are continuous and higher than the Eastern Ghats.
- The height of the Western Ghats increases from north to south.
- Some of the the highest peak in Western Ghats
- Ana Mudi - 2695 metres
- Doda Betta - 2637 metres
Describe the ecosystem in the Western Ghats
- The Western Ghats cause orographic rain by facing the rainbearing moist winds to rise along the western slopesof the ghats
- The forests of the Western Ghats include some of the best representatives of non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests in the world.
- The mountains of the Western Ghats and their characteristic montane forest ecosystems influence the Indian monsoon weather patterns that mediate the warm tropical climate of the region
- It is one of the best examples of the tropical monsoon system in the world
What are some of the local names of the Western Ghats
- Maharashtra, Goa & Karnataka – Sahyadri
- Karnataka near Mysore – Biligiri Rangana Betta
- Tamil Nadu – Nilagiri malai
- Tamil Nadu & Kerala – Anaimalai Hills and Cardamom Hills
State the characteristics of the Eastern Ghats
- The Eastern Ghats are the eastern edge of the Deccan Plateau.
- They lie parallel to the eastern coast and stretch from the Mahanadi Valley to the Nilgiris in the south
- The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south.
- An average elevation – 600 metres
- The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous and irregular and dissected by rivers (Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri) draining into the Bay of Bengal
- Mahendragiri in Orissa( 1501 m ) is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats
- Javadi Hills and Shevaroy Hills (Tamil Nadu) are located to the southeast of the Eastern Ghats
- The Eastern Ghats or Purva Ghat, is also known as Mahendra Parvatam
State the characteristics of the Indian Desert
- It lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills
- It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes
- The region receives very low rainfall below 150mm per year
- It has arid climate with low vegetation cover
- Luni is the only large river in this region
What are the types of dunes found in the Indian Desert
- Barchans and longitudinal dunes are prominent features in Indian desert
- Barchans - Jaisalmer
- Longitudinal dunes –Indo-Pakistan boundary
What are the characteristics of coastal plains?
- The total coast line of India is around 4500 km
- The great peninsular plateau is flanked by narrow coastal strips on both the western and the
- eastern sides along the Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal respectively.
- They are known as the coastal plains
State the characteristics of the western coastal plains
- The western coast sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea
- It is a narrow plain whose width varies from 50 to 80 km
○ Konkan (Mumbai-Goa)
○ Kannad (Goa-Karnataka)
○ Malabar (Kerala) - The western coastal plains are characterized by numerous backwaters or lagoons.
- A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water separated from the sea by some form of barrier
State the characteristics of the eastern coastal plains
- The Eastern Coastal Plain is a wide stretch of land lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal
- The Northern Circa - The region between the Mahanadi river and the Krishna river
- The Coromandel Coast - The region between the Krishna river and the Kaveri river
- Large rivers like Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri have formed extensive deltas on this coast.
- Lake Chilika is an important feature along the eastern coast
What are the 2 island groups in India?
- India has a vast main land. Besides this, the country has also two groups of islands.
1) The Lakshadweep Islands
2) The Andaman & Nicobar Islands
State the characteristics of Lakshwadeep Islands
- Lakshadweep islands, the smallest union territory of India, is a group of islands 200 to 300 km off of the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea
- There are 36 coral islands that constitute Lakshadweep islands, only 10 are inhabited and only six have
been opened for tourism - Their total land area is 32 km².
- These islands, formed of coral deposits, are called atolls
- Atolls are circular or horse shoe shaped coral reefs
- Kavaratti is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep Islands
- This island group has great diversity of flora and fauna.
State the characteristics of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- They are bigger in size and are more numerous and scattered
- The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is located 1255 km from Kolkata
- There are 572 islands in the territory, of which only approximately 38 are permanently inhabited
- There is diversity of flora and fauna in this group of islands.
- These islands lie close to equator and experience equatorial climate and has thick forest cover
Write a short note on Barren Island
- India’s only active volcano is found on Barren island in Andaman & Nicobar group of Islands
- Historically, the first record of the volcano’s eruption dates back to 1787.
- It was known to have erupted at least five times over the next 100 years.
- Then there was silence for a century.
- In 1991, it spewed so massively that smoke billowed out for about six months.
- Ever since, there have been eruptions every two to three years, the last in February 2016
Write a short note on Kala Pani Jail
- A penal settlement, including the dreaded Kala Pani Jail (Cellular Jail), was established here by the British after the revolt of 1857
Write a short note on Indira Point
- India’s southernmost point, the Indira Point was subsided by 4.25 meters during the 2004 Tsunami
