PHYSICAL DIVISIONS OF INDIA

 physical divisions of india  ...

India is marked by a diversity of physical features

such as mountains, plateaus, plains, coasts and

islands. Standing as sentinels in the north are the

lofty snow-capped Himalayas. Him+alaya mean ‘the

abode of snow’. The Himalayan mountains are

divided into three main parallel ranges. The

northernmost is the Great Himalaya or Himadri.

The world’s highest peaks are located in this range.

Middle Himalaya or Himachal lies to the south of

Himadri. Many

popular hill stations are situated here. Find out the

names of five hill stations. The Shiwalik is the

southernmost range.

The Northern Indian plains lie to the south of the

Himalayas. They are generally level and flat. These are

formed by the alluvial deposits laid down by the rivers–

the Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their

tributaries. These river plains provide fertile land for

cultivation. That is the reason for high concentration of

population in these plains.

In the western part of India lies the Great Indian

desert. It is a dry, hot and sandy stretch of land. It has

very little vegetation.

To the south of northern plains lies the Peninsular

plateau. It is triangular in shape. The relief is highly

uneven. This is a region with numerous hill ranges and

valleys. Aravali hills, one of the oldest ranges of the world,

border it on the north-west side. The Vindhyas and the

Satpuras are the important ranges. The rivers Narmada

and Tapi flow through these ranges. These are westflowing

rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. The Western

Ghats or Sahyadris border the plateau in the west and

the Eastern Ghats provide the eastern boundary. While

the Western Ghats are almost continuous, the Eastern

Ghats are broken and uneven . The plateau is

rich in minerals like coal and iron-ore.

To the West of the Western Ghats and the East of

Eastern Ghats lie the Coastal plains. The western 

coastal plains are very narrow. The eastern Coastal plains are much broader. There

are a number of east flowing rivers. The rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and

Kaveri drain into the Bay of Bengal. These rivers have formed fertile deltas at their

mouth. The Sunderban delta is formed where the Ganga and Brahmaputra flow

into the Bay of Bengal.

Two groups of islands also form part of India.

Lakshadweep Islands are located in the Arabian Sea.

These are coral islands located off the coast of Kerala.

The Andaman and the Nicobar Islands lie to the

southeast of the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal.