Physical Features of India

Physical Divisions

We already know that India is a country of large variations in physical divisions. If you live in the plains, you must be used to seeing large / vast open fields. If you live in the mountains, you must be used to seeing high peaks, deep valleys, and winding roads with the rugged terrain. It can be said that India has every major physical – geographic feature. The Himalayas and the Northern plains are considered the youngest physical features. The Himalayas are geologically considered as unstable due to their youth. They are still growing and have high tips and deep valleys with fast flowing rivers. The Northern plains are built up of alluvial soil and are incredibly fertile. The Deccan Region of the peninsular plateau is made up of metamorphic and igneous rocks.

India’s major physical features / divisions can be divided into the following groups:

·         The Himalayan Mountains

·         The Northern Plains

·         The Peninsular Plateau

·         The Coastal Plains

·         The Indian Dessert

·         The Islands

The Himalayan Mountains
The Himalayan range is geologically young and folded mountains. They are rugged and make up some of the highest peaks in the world. They run in the direction of West to east where the East has the higher peaks. They run from the Indus river to the Brahmaputra River with a length of 2400km. Their width, however, varies significantly. It is ~ 400 in Kashmir but ~ 150 in Arunachal Pradesh. The Himalayas are divided into three groups based on longitudinal extent and altitude. These are the:

·         Himadri – The Himadri are the northern most range of the Himalayas. They are also known as the inner / greater Himalayas. Mountains here are tall and their tips lofty with an average altitude of 6000m. They are rugged with asymmetrical folds. They are also made up of granite. Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga are examples of mountains in this region. This region is also perennially snow bound.

·         Himachal – The Himachal are the range to the south of the Himadri. They are also known as the lesser Himalayas. They are the most rugged range out of all the Himalayas. The average altitude of mountains here ranges between 3700 meters and 4500 meters with an average width of 50 kilometers. They are home to the Pir Panjal range, The Dhola Dhar range, etc. This region is known for its hill stations. The Pir Panjal Range is famous for its valley of Kashmir, Kullu Valley, etc in Himachal Pradesh.

·         Shiwaliks – The Shiwaliks are the southernmost range of the Himalayas. With an average width of 10 – 50 kilometers, mountains here are shorter ( 900 meters – 1100 meters in altitude ). The mountains here are formed of sediments brought down by the ranges further north and are therefore made out of gravel and alluvium. The longitudinal valleys located between the Shiwaliks, and the Himachal are known as Dun’s. Dehra Dun, Patli Dun, Kotli Dun, etc are a few examples of Dun’s.

Apart from being divided on their longitudinal extent from north to south, the Himalayas are also divided from west to east based on the river systems. Below are How each of them are divided:

·         Indus to Sutlej – The Part of the Himalayas that extends from the river Indus to the river Sutlej is known as the Punjab Himalayas. However, it is also regionally named as the Himachal or Kashmir Himalayas.

·         Sutlej to Kali – The part of the Himalayas extending from the river Sutlej to the River Kali is known as the Kumaon Himalayas.

·         Kali to Teesta – The Part of the Himalayas extending from the river Kali to the River Teesta are known as the Nepal Himalayas.

·         Teesta to Dihang – The part of the Himalayas extending from the river Teesta to the river Dihang are known as the Assam Himalayas.

·         Dihang to Brahmaputra – The Part of the Himalayas extending from the river Dihang to the river Brahmaputra in the east are known as the Eastern Hills or the Purvanchal Hills. They are lush and green, made out of the sedimentary rock sandstone. They are hilly and are home to the Naga Hills, the Mizo hills, the Manipur Hills, etc.

The Northern Plains

The northern plains have been formed due to the interplay of three river systems. As these rivers come with high speed, the material under them dets corroded and carried along with the river. The northern plain is formed due to the deposition of alluvium and silt at the base of the Himalayas due to the interplay of rivers over millions of years. It is made up of alluvial soil and is highly fertile. Due to its high fertility, adequate water, and preferred climate it is used for agricultural purposes and is highly populated. Toward the base of the slope, as the rivers lose their speed they start depositing silt and forming riverine islands. Majuli is the worlds largest uninhabited riverine island that is formed by the Brahmaputra river. Due to the deposition of silt, the rivers get split up into many channels known as distributaries.

The Northern plain extends over an area of ~7 lakh square kilometers with its length being around 2400 km and width around 240 – 320 km. They are mainly broken down into three parts from west to east.

·         The Punjab Northern Plains – The Punjab Northern plains are the westernmost part of the northern plains that are formed by the river Indus and its tributaries ( Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab, Beas, Jhelum ) that come down from the Himalayas. A majority of this plain can be found in Pakistan. The Punjab Plains are also called Doab’s. Doabs means two water sources.

·         The Ganga Northern Plains – Towards the east of the Punjab plains lie the Ganga Plains. They lie between the rivers Ghaggar and Sutlej. They Span over Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Parts of Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

·         The Brahmaputra Plains – Toward the east of the Ganga Plains lie the ganga plains particularly in Assam.

The Northern plains are often Described as flat vast lands. However, this is not true. The northern plains can be classified into 4 groups based on their relief features:

·         Bhabar – After the rivers come down from the Himalayan mountains, they lose their velocity and deposit pebble in an 8 – 16km wide belt called bhabar. This is parallel to the Shiwaliks, and all streams disappear here.

·         Terai – After the Bhabar come the Teria where the streams re – emerge. It is marshy and highly fertile. It used to be covered in wildlife and greenery but was cleared out after the India Pakistan partition.

·         Bhangar – The Bhangar is the largest and oldest part of the northern plains. It is elevated and forms a terrace like feature. The soil here has a high contend of calcium carbonate and is known as kankar by the locals.

·         Khadar – Khadar is the newer part of the northern plains that gets renewed almost every year by newer deposits. It is the most fertile and therefore ideal for agriculture.

The Peninsular Plateau

The peninsular plateau is one of the oldest relief features found in India. It is made up of igneous and metamorphic rocks that were formed millions of years ago. It was created due to the movement of the Gondwana land mass. It is divided into two types. The Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau :-

·         The Central Highlands – The Central highlands are located to the north of the river Narmada. It consists of the Malwa Plateau ( located west ) and the Chota Nagpur Plateau ( Located east ). It has a slope going west to east allowing rivers to drain into the bay of Bengal. It consists of the Vindhya mountain range that is bound by the Satpura range in the south and Aravali range in the north west. It is highly fertile.

·         The Deccan Plateau – The Deccan Plateau is a triangular land mass that is bounded by the Eastern and western ghats on the eastern and western side respectfully. It lies south of the river Narmada and is separated from the Chota Nagpur plateau by a fault. The Western ghats are continuous and can only be crossed through passages. They consist of high mountains with an average height of around 900 – 1600 meters. Anai Mudi ( 2695 meters ) is the tallest mountain present here. They get taller as you go south. The Western ghats also cause relief rainfall. The Eastern ghats are parallel to the eastern coast. They are irregular and break to let rivers flow into the bay of Bengal. The average height of hills here is around 600 meters. They extend to the south from the east. Mahendragiri ( 1501 meters ) is the highest mountain here. The Deccan Plateau also consists of black soil being formed due to a volcanic eruption creating igneous rocks. It is rich in minerals and known as the deccan trap.

The Indian Desert

The Indian dessert lies toward the west of the Aravali range mainly in Rajasthan. The Climate here is dry and vegetation is low. It is sandy and covered with dunes. The annual rainfall is less than 150 mm per year. Luni is the largest and main river found here. A few streams can be seen during the season of monsoon, but they disappear soon after due to the lack of water.

The Coastal Plains

The coastal plains lie between the ghats and the waterbodies. India has two coastal plains. The Eastern Coastal Plains and the Western Coastal Plains.

·         The Western  Coastal Plains – The Western Coastal Plains are found between the western ghats and the Arabian sea. They are a thin strip of land that is divided into three parts from north to south. They are the Konkan ( Mumbai – goa ), the kannad, and the Malabar coast.

·         The Eastern Coastal Plains – The Eastern Coastal Plains are located between the bay of Bengal and the eastern ghats. They are broader and are divided into the Northern circar to the north and the coromandel coast. Many rivers have formed delta’s near here and lake Chilika ( India’s largest salt water lake can be found here in Odisha )

The Islands

Now that we’ve looked at the mainland, lets go deeper into the island groups of India. India has two island groups. They are the Andaman and Nicobar Island group and the Lakshadweep island group.

·         Lakshadweep Island Group – The Lakshadweep island group can be found just of the Malabar coast of Kerala. They are a group of small coral islands spanning around 32 square kilometers in area. The Kavaratti Island is their administrative headquarters while the Pitti island is an uninhabited bird sanctuary.

·         Andaman and Nicobar Islands – The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are found in the bay of Bengal and are the larger and more numerous out of both the island groups. They are broadly divided into two categories. Andaman in the north and Nicobar in the south. They are the home of India’s only active volcano present at barren islands. It is believed that these islands are mountains that have submerged underwater.