India is a diverse country in terms of physical features. It can be divided into following physical divisions:
- The Himalayan Mountains
- The Northern Plains
- The Great Indian Desert
- The Peninsular plateau
- Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats
The Himalayas, are a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest. Over 100 peaks exceeding 7,200 m in elevation lie in the Himalayas.
The Himalayan Mountains are categorized into three categories, like the Great Himalaya or Himadri, the Middle Himalaya or Himachal and the Shivalik.
The Greater Himalayas
Greater Himalayas or Himadri is the highest mountain range of the Himalayan Range. world's highest peak, Mount Everest, in addition to other peaks, such as Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, and Nanga Parbat, are a part of the Greater Himalayan range. West to east extension of the Great Himalayas is 2400 km (1500 miles) and their average elevation is 6000 m (20000 toes.).
Several glaciers are contained within the range, together with Gangotri Glacier, and Satopanth Glacier.
Political entities that have territory in this range consist of India, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Tibet.
The Middle Himalayas
This reach is towards south of the Great Himalayas. Numerous famous slope stations are here.
The mountain range which runs parallel between the Shiwaliks in the south and the Great Himalaya in north, it is classified as Middle Himalaya, occasionally additionally referred to as Himachal or Lower Himalaya. It has an complicated system of ranges which might be 60-80 km wide having elevation varying from 3500 to 4500 meters above sea stage.
The Shavalaik
Shivalik Hills (also known as Churia Hills) are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas that stretches from the Indus River about 2,400 km (1,500 miles) eastwards close to the Brahmaputra River, spanning across the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. It is 10–50 km (6.2–31.1 miles) wide with an average elevation of 1,500–2,000 m (4,900–6,600 ft). Between the Teesta and Raidāk Rivers in Assam is a gap of about 90 km (56 mi). "Sivalik" literally means 'tresses of Lord Shiva'. Sivalik region is home to the Soanian archaeological culture.
The Northern Plains lie toward the south of the Himalayas. These fields are framed by the streams; the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra and their feeders. The terrains are profoundly rich around here. Consequently, this district has exceptionally high populace thickness.
The Gangetic Plains is the large space of level land that is made by the Ganges River in the northern parts of India and the border surrounding areas of the Himalayas. It is an important part of the countries of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Its space of about 700,000 square kilometers or 270,000 square miles is the home of about 1 billion persons.
On its western edge is the the great Indian desert or Thar Desert, on its northern edge is the Himalaya Mountains, the highest mountains on Earth, its eastern edge is the Ganges Delta of Bangladesh, the largest River delta in the world; and its southern edge is made by the Vindhya Mountains and Satpura Range and Chota Nagpur Plateau of middle India.
The Great Indian Desert lies in the western piece of India. This is a dry, hot and sandy stretch of land. There is next to no vegetation around here. This is additionally called the Thar Desert.
The Great Indian Desert, also known as the Thar Desert, is a large and arid region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. Covering about 200,000 km2 in terms of area it forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan.
India has about 85% of the Thar Desert while the rest is in Pakistan. Of the total geographical area of India the Thar Desert covers around 4.56%.
Overview of the Thar Desert
The Great Indian Desert lies between the Aravali Hills in the northeast and stretches to Punjab and Haryana to the north, to the Rann of Kutch along the western coast and the alluvial plains of the Indus River in the northwest.
There are several protected areas located in the Thar Desert. Some of them are as follows:
- Desert Natural Park: About 3162 km2 in the area. One of the largest of the Thar Desert ecosystems, it includes 44 villages with a wide selection of flora and fauna
- Tal Chhapar Sanctuary: Covering 7 km2, It is located in the Churu district. The sanctuary is home to a large population of foxes, blackbuck, partridge etc.
- Sundha Mata Conservation Reserve: The reservation covers 117.49 km2 (45.36 sq miles) and is located in the Jalore District.
Flora and Fauna of the Great Indian Desert
The Thar Desert has a wide collection of Flora and Fauna. Some of the Fauna are as follows:
- Blackbuck
- Chinkara
- Indian Wild Ass
- Caracal
- Red Fox
- Packcock
- Wolf
- Sand Grouse
- Leopard
- Asiatic Wild Cat
The region produces herbaceous plants like cactus, neem, khejri, acacia nilotica among others. All these plants can accommodate themselves to high or low temperatures and difficult climatic conditions.
Topography of the Great Indian Desert
The soil of the Great Indian Desert remains dry throughout the year and is prone to erosion from the wind. High-speed winds blow solid from the desert, depositing some of it adjoining fertile lands. These high-winds cause shifting sand dunes within the desert. Canals such as the Indira Gandhi Canal provide water to the Thar Desert. These canals also prevent spreading the desert to fertile areas.
Very few local species of trees can survive the harsh desert climate, hence species of trees not native to the region are planted. Species of trees like Eucalyptus, Jojoba, Acacia, Cassia etc from Israel, Australia, Zimbabwe, Chile and Sudan have been planted. Of these, Jojoba has proven to be the most promising as well as being economically viable for planting in these areas.
Further Facts about the Thar Desert
- It is the world’s 17th-largest desert, and the world’s 9th-largest hot subtropical desert.
- The Lal Suhanra Biosphere Reserve and National Park in Pakistan’s portion of the Thar desert is a UNESCO declared biosphere reserve.
- The region is a haven for 141 species of migratory and resident birds of the desert.
- About 23 species of lizards and 25 species of snakes are endemic to the region.
- About 40% of the total population of Rajasthan lives in the Thar Desert. The main occupation of the people is agriculture and animal husbandry.
- The Thar Desert provides recreational value in terms of desert festivals organized every year. Rajasthan desert festivals are celebrated with great zest and zeal. This festival is held once a year during winter.
The Peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks. It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land and thus, making it a part of the oldest landmass. The plateau has broad and shallow valleys and rounded hills. This plateau consists of two broad divisions, namely, the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.
- Central Highlands: The part of the Peninsular plateau lying to the north of the Narmada river, covering a major area of the Malwa plateau, is known as the Central Highlands.
- The Deccan Plateau: It is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada. The Satpura range flanks its broad base in the north, while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range form its eastern extensions.
Narmada and Tapi are significant streams which course through the Deccan Plateau. These streams flows towards west and falls into the Arabian Sea.
There are different local names of Western Ghats:
- Sahyadri in Maharashtra
- Nilgiri hills in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
- Anaimalai Hills and Cardamom hills in Kerala
2. The Western Ghats is an elevated and continuous range of mountains
3. The average elevation of Western Ghats is about 1,500 m
4. Western Ghat is the origin of various Peninsular rivers
| Eastern Ghats |
| 1. Eastern Ghat is discontinuous and low-height mountain ranges |
| 2. Rivers like Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi, Godavari erode the Eastern Ghats |
| 3. Javadi Hills, Palconda range, Nallamala hills, Mahendragiri hills make some of the important mountainous hills of Eastern Ghats |
Difference between the Western Ghats & Eastern Ghats
Western Ghats
- The Western Ghats are also known as Sahyadri in certain parts of India.
- They run parallel to the western coast of India.
- Since they are continuous without any major breaks, hence it is very difficult to pass through them. Although this difficulty has been reduced in the present times due to the advanced transport technology, however in the olden days, it was definitely a huge task to pass the ghats and get onto the opposite side.
- However, the western Ghats do have passes such as the Bhor Ghat, Pal Ghat, and Thal hat which makes it possible to travel through the western Ghats despite the fact that they are continuous.
- Although most of the peninsular rivers drain into the Bay of Bengal, their origin point is the western Ghats.
- Important rivers such as the Tungabhadra, the Krishna, the Godavari have their origin point in the western ghats.
- It must be noted that the western ghats of India play a very important role in the distribution of the monsoon rainfall on the western border of India.
- It causes the orographic rainfall due to which the windward side of the mountains receives a lot of rainfall, however, the leeward side remains dry.
- The western ghats consist of evergreen forests too, however, the main crop grown there is the Coffee.
- Anaimudi is the highest peak of the peninsular plateau and is located on the Anaimalai Hills of the Western Ghats.
- The highest peak in the Western Ghats is Anaimudi and its elevation is 2695 meters or 8842 ft. It is known as Everest of South India. The name Anaimudi translates as Elephant’s head. It is located at the border of Ernakulam and Idukki District of Kerala.
Eastern Ghats
- The eastern ghats run parallel to the eastern coastal plains of India.
- Unlike the western ghats, they are discontinuous in nature and is dissected by the rivers that drain into the Bay of Bengal. As discussed above, most of these rivers have their origin in the western ghats.
- It must be noted that the eastern ghats are lower in elevation than the western ghats.
- The highest peak of Eastern Ghats is the Jindhagada peak (1690 meters). It is also known as Arma Konda or Sitamma Konda.
- The difference in the elevation levels of the highest peaks in both the ghats can also be compared. Jindaghara of eastern ghats is of 1690 meters. This gives us a fair idea of the differences in elevation levels of the hills in both the ghats.
- The main crop produced in the eastern ghats is Rice, which is also the staple food of the people living in the region.
The Indian coastline which is 7516.6 km long covers 6100 km of mainland coastline along with the Andaman, Nicobar and the Lakshadweep islands. The coastline of India touches 13 states and Union Territories. The western coastal plains are along the Arabian Sea whereas the eastern coastal plains are located along the Bay of Bengal.
Physical features of India are a very important segment in the Geography section of the UPSC syllabus. In this article, we talk in brief about the coastal plains in India. Candidates appearing for the IAS Exam can also download the notes PDF at the end of this article
Coastal Plains in India
India is a country that is surrounded by the sea on three of its sides. The coastal plains in India are along the west and east of the country. Extending up to 7516.6 km, the coastal plains in India are of two types:
- Eastern Coastal Plains of India
- Western Coastal Plains of India
Eastern Coastal Plains of India
The eastern coastal plains stretch from West Bengal in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south and pass through Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Deltas of the rivers Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari and Cauveri are present in the eastern coastal plain. The deltas are very fertile and productive for agriculture. Therefore, the delta of the River Krishna is called the ‘Granary of South India‘. The Eastern coast is again divided into three categories:
- Utkal coast: Extending between the Chilika Lake and Kolleru Lake, they are much wider than the western coastal plains and undergo immense rainfall. Some of the crops that are cultivated here are rice, coconut and banana.
- Andhra coast: Extending between the Kolleru Lake and Pulicat Lake, the Andra coast forms a basin area for the Krishna and the Godavari rivers.
- Coromandel coast: The Coromandel coast extends between Pulicat Lake and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. This Indian coastline remains dry in summer and receives rainfall during the winters due to the north-east monsoons.
Western Coastal Plains of India
Western Coastal Plains stretches from Kerala in the south to Gujarat in the north passing through Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. The western coastal plains stretch for 1500 km north to south and its width ranges from 10 to 25 km. The West Continental Shelf is at its widest off the Bombay coast. This place is rich in oil. Along the Malabar Coast, there are many beautiful lagoons which makes the place a tourist destination. The western coast is narrower than the eastern coast.
The western coast is further divided into four categories:
- Kachchh and Kathiawar coast: Kachchh, formerly a gulf is formed by the deposition of silt by the Indus. The area of Kachchh is covered with shallow water during the monsoons and is divided into Great Rann in the north and Little Rann in the east. Whereas, Kathiawar is situated to the south of Kachchh.
- Konkan coast: It extends between Daman in the north to Goa in the south. Rice and cashew are the two important crops of this region.
- Kanada coast: It extends between Marmagaon and Mangalore and is rich in iron deposits.
- Malabar coast: Extending between Mangalore to Kanyakumari, the Malabar coast is relatively broad. This region also consists of lagoons running parallel to the coast in southern Kerala.
Significance of Indian Coastlines
The coastlines of India extends up to 7516.6 km including the island groups Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep. As a result, the areas that are covered under the Indian coastlines enjoys a favourable climate with no extreme temperature which is ideal for human development. Some of the major significance of the coastal plains in India are mentioned below:
- The coastal plains in India are mostly covered by fertile soils which are best for cultivations. Rice is the major crop that is cultivated in these regions.
- The big and small ports along the Indian coastlines helps in carrying out trade.
- The sedimentary rocks of these coastal plains are said to contain large deposits of mineral oil which can be used as a source of marine economy.
- Fishing has become an important occupation of the people living in coastal areas.
- The coastal plains in India are rich in coastal and marine ecosystems which also include a wide range of mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries and lagoons serving as great tourism potential.
Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are additionally essential for India. The Lakshadweep Islands are in the Arabian Sea. These are coral islands. A coral island is framed by corals and other natural materials. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are in the Bay of Bengal.
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