Physical Features of

India
Q:1) What is bhabar?

The ‘Bhabar’ is that narrow belt of the plain which is covered with pebbles and lies
along the foothills of the Shiwaliks of 8 to 16 kms in width. This belt is laid down by
numerous streams descending down the hills.

Q2) Distinguish between

i) Bhangar and Khadar
ii) Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats

Bhangar Khadar
These are the older alluvium or old soil The newer and younger deposits of the
and form the largest part of the Northern flood plains are known as ‘Khadar’.
Plains

They lie above the flood plains of the They are renewed almost every year
rivers and present a terrace like and are therefore fertile.
structure

It often contains Kankar nodules made Thus, Khadar is ideal for intensive
of calcareous deposits. agriculture
 Western Ghats Eastern Ghats
1. The Western Ghats mark the western edges 1. The Eastern Ghats mark the eastern
of Deccan Plateau parallelto the western edges of Deccan Plateau parallel to the
coasts of India along the Arabian Sea. eastern coasts of India alongthe Bay of
Bengal.

2. It is a narrow plane consisting of 3 2. It is broader than the Western coastal

sections. The Northern part of the coast plain. It consists of two main sections .In
is called Konkan coast, The central part the northern part, it is referred to as
is known as Kannad plain and Northern Circar .In the Southern part, it
Southern stretch is called the Malabar is known as Coromandel Coast.
coast.

3. The reverse following in the region are 3. The rivers flowing in this region are
short and fast flowing. The major Westward much longer and broader compared to
flowing rivers are Narmada and Tapi Western strip The major rivers which
make delta's are the Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.
.

Q:3) Which are the major physiographic divisions of

India?
The major physiographic divisions of India are the following –
1. The Himalayan Mountain Wall of the north.
2. The Northern Plains.
3. The Peninsular Plateau.
4. The Indian Dessert.
5. The Coastal Plains.
6. The Islands.
 Q:4) Write short notes on the following.
(1) The Indian Desert
(2)The Central
Highlands

1)The Indian Desert - It is an important physiographic division of India. Some of

its features are as follows:
(a) It covers almost the whole of Rajasthan state.
(b) It lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills.
(c) Its vast expanse is covered with sand dunes.
(d) This region receives very little rainfall which is below 150 mm so; there are
very few streams in this area.
(e) It has arid climate with very little vegetation.
(f) During the rainy season small streams are sometimes seen for a short-while
which disappears again in sand after the rains are over.
(g) Luni is the only large river in this area.
(h) Crescent shape dunes which are called Barchans are a prominent feature of
the Indian desert.
(i) Camel is the most important animal of this desert.

2) The Central Highlands - The northern division 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 Vindhayas and its eastern extensions divide the Central Highlands from
the Deccan Plateau in the southern side.
• In its westlies the rocky desert of Rajasthan, in the north-west it is bounded by
the Aravalis, in the north lays the Gangetic Plain and, in the east, it is surrounded
by part of UP and south Bihar.
• Most part of the Central Highlands consists of the Malwa Plateau and the
Chhotanagpur Plateau. The eastward extensions are known as the Bundelkhand
and Baghelkhand.

Q:5) On which coast of India, the Malabar

Coastlies?

Ans: Malabar Coast lies on the western coast of

India.
 Q: 6) Write a short note on the Island groups of India.
In addition to the mainland India has a set of two islands –
(1) The Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
(2) The Lakshadweep of Islands.

Andaman Nicobar Islands:

These islands lie in the Bay of Bengal.

They are 233 in number.

The northern cluster of islands are known as the Andaman Islands whichare 214 in
all while the southern cluster of islands are known as the Nicobar Islands which
are 19 in number.

Many of these islands are too small and uninhabited.

They are located on the submerged hilly range.

A few of these islands are of volcanic origin.

India’s only active volcano is found in Barren Island in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.

These islands form the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with
Port Blair as its capital.
Lakshadweep Islands: These group of islands lie in the Arabian Sea about 300 km
away from the Kerala Coast. They are horse-shoe shaped coral islands. These
are 27 in number and about 17 of them are uninhabited. Thus, they are
smaller in size and less in number than the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These
islands form the Union Territory of the Lakshadweep with Kavaratti as its capital.
These island groups are of great strategic significance for India. Also, they have a
great diversity of flora and fauna. These islands experience equatorial climate since
they lie close to the equator and have thick forest cover.

Q 7) Give any four characteristics of Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta.

Normally Delta is a triangular shaped land which is formed by the depositionof
sediments at the mouth of a river. Some of the characteristics of the Ganga-
Brahmaputra delta are as follows -

i) It is the largest delta in the world.

ii) It is not only well-watered but also, highly fertile landform.
iii) The Brahmaputra after joining the Ganga becomes sluggish. Due to the gentle
slope, islands of mud and silt develop in its channel and in order to circumventthese
obstructions it splits into a number of channels. This process is going on
continuously and as a result of which it has become the fastest growing delta in the
world.
iv) The lowest part of the delta has become marshy owing to the free mingling of
river and sea waters by the high and low tide.
Q8) Give a brief description of Himalayan Mountains.

The Himalayas , geologically young and structurally fold mountains stretch over the
northern borders of India. These mountain ranges run in a west-east direction from
Indus to the Brahamputra. The Himalayas are Loftiest and one of the most rugged
mountain barriers of the world. They form an arc , which covers a distance of
2,400km.

Q9) Name the three main divisions of the Himalayas from North to South.

The three longitutional divisions of the Himalayas

The three longitudinal divisions of the Himalayas or the parallel ranges of the
himalayas are Himadri, Himachal and Shivaliks

(i) Himadri / Inner Himalayas / Greater himalayas

◇The Northernmost range is known as the Great or Inner Himalayas.

◇It is the highest range with an average height of 6000 m
◇It contains all the prominent himalayan peaks
◇The folds of great Himalayas are a asymmetrical in nature. The core of this part
of the himalayas is composed of granite.

ii) Himachal / Lesser himalayas/ Middle himalayas

◇ It is known as the himachal or lesser himalayas

◇It lies to the south of himachal and forms the most rugged mountain system
◇ The altitude varies between 3700 and 4500m and average width is 50km.
◇ This range consists of the famous valley of kashmir , the Kangra valley and
kulu valley in himachal pradesh.

iii) Shivaliks / Outer himalayas.

◇The outer most range of the himalayas is called Shivaliks.

◇ The Shivaliks extend over a width of 10 to 50 Km and have an altitude varying
between 900 to 1100m
 ◇This range is composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by rivers
from the main himalayan ranges located farther north.
◇The valleys are covered with thick gravel and alluvium.

Q10) Give an account of the four divisions of the himalayas from West to East
along Purvanchal hills.

The division of the himalayas from West to East are

i) Punjab Himalayas :- The part lying between the Indus and Satluj rivers has
been traditionally known as Punjab Himalayas but it is Originally known as
Punjab Himalayas, but it is regionally known as Kashmir and Himachal
Himalayas.
ii) Kumaon Himalayas :- The part lying between the Satluj and Kali rivers is
known as Kumaon Himalayas.
iii) Nepal Himalayas :- The part lying between the Kali and Testa rivers is known
as Nepal himalayas
iv) Assam Himalayas :- The part lying between the Teesta and the Dihang is
known as Assam himalayas
v) Purvanchal Himalayas :- The Himalayas in a eastern part of India is known
as Purvanchal Himalayas.

Q :11) How are riverine islands formed?

The rivers coming from the northern mountains carry allluvium with them and do
the depositional work. In the lower course, due to the gentle slope , the velocity of
the river decreases which results in the formation of riverine islands.

Q:12) Classify the Northern Plains on the basis of its location.

The northern plains are broadly divided into three categories :

1) The Punjab Plain:- It is the western part of the Northern Plain formed by the
Indus river and its tributeries. This section is dominated by the Doabs.
2) The Ganga Plain:- It is the largest part of the Northern Plain and extends between
Ghagar and Teesta rivers.
3) The Brahamputra Plain:- It forms the Eastern part of the Northern Plain by the
river Brahamputra and its tributaries. It is narrower than the Ganga Plain and is a
flood prone area.
4) In the south- east side of the northern plain lays the Ganga- Brahamputra delta
which is the largest delta of the world.
Q13) What do you know about valleys and duns in Himalayas?

• The whole Mountain system of Himalayas represents a very youthful

topography with high peaks deep valleys and fast flowing rivers.
• These valleys are covered with thick gravel and alluvium.
• The longitudinal Valley lying between lesser Himalayas and the Shivaliks are
known as Duns.
• Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun are some of the well known Duns.

Q14) Which are the Coral islands of India?

i) Lakshwadeep are the coral islands of India as they are formed by small coral
deposits .
ii) They were known as Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindive.
iii) It covers small area of 32 [Link].

Q15) Why is black soil area in the Peninsular part called Deccan Trap?

• The black soil area is formed by the volcanic activities ,so the rocks are
Igneous.
• These rocks have been denudedover time and are responsible for the
formation of the black soil. Due to continuous flow of lava an extensivelava
plateau has been formed known as Deccan Trap.
• The Aravali Hills lie on the western and north western margins of the plateau.
• These are highly eroded hills and are found as broken hills.