Physical Features of India : Geography

India has all major physical features of the earth, i.e., mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus and islands. The land of India displays great physical variation. Geologically, the Peninsular Plateau constitutes one of the ancient landmasses on the earth’s surface. The Himalayas and the Northern Plains are the most recent landforms. The northern plains are formed of alluvial.

Major Physiographic Divisions

The physical features of India are grouped under the following physiographic divisions:

1. The Himalayan Mountains
2. The Northern Plains
3. The Peninsular Plateau
4. The Indian Desert
5. The Coastal Plains
6. The Islands

The Himalayan Mountains:

The Himalayas are mountain barriers that stretch over the borders of northern India. These are one of the most rugged and the loftiest mountains of the world and are one of the major landforms of earth. The Himalayas form an arc that covers a distance of 2,400 Km. The Himalayas primarily consists of three parallel ranges which are divided into:

1. Great or Inner Himalayas or the ‘Himadri’: Perennially snowbound, the Great Himalayas have the loftiest peaks. The Himadri has an average height of 6,000 meters and consists of all the major Himalayan Peaks.
2. Himachal or Lesser Himalaya: The more rugged parts of the mountain range are often known as the lesser Himalaya or Himachal. Himachal is also widely known for its hill stations.
3. Outer Himalayan Range or Shiwaliks: These are comparatively lower ranges, with altitude varying from 900 to 1,100 meters. They comprise the unconsolidated sediments that get brought down by rivers from the Himadri ranges.

The Northern Plains

The three major river systems, the Indus, the Brahmaputra, and the Ganga have resulted in the formation of the northern plain. Spreading over 7 lakh sq. km, it is a vast area of alluvial soil. The northern plain is divided into 3 sections:

1. The Western part of the Northern Plain is referred to as the Punjab Plains.
2. The Indus and its tributaries–the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas and the Satluj originate in the Himalaya.
3. The Ganga plain extends between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers.

The Peninsular Plateau

The Peninsular Plateau defines the physical features of India. It is mainly composed of old igneous, crystalline, and metamorphic rocks and is also one of the oldest landmasses. The three major divisions of the Plateaus are the Central Highlands, Deccan Plateau, and NE Plateau.

1. The Central Highlands: Spreading over the major area of the Malwa Plateau, The Central Highlands lie next to the north of the Narmada river.
2. The Deccan Plateau: The Deccan Plateau forms a broad base of a triangular landmass that falls to the south of the Narmada river.
3. NE Plateau: Also called Meghalaya/Karbi-Anglong Plateau/N-central Chachar Hills, this is the extension of the main peninsular plateau.

The Indian Desert

The entire expanse of the Indian desert lies in the western margins of the Aravali hills (demarcated in the physical features of the India map).

It is covered in sandy plains and dunes, this region receives rainfall below 150 mm every year.

Hence, there is minimal vegetation cover. The largest river that flows here is Luni.

The Coastal Plains

The coastal plains are narrow stretches of land across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. As seen on the physical features of India map, the Coastal Plains in the southern part are broadly divided into,

• The Konkan
• The Kannada Plain, and
• The Malabar coast

On the eastern side, across the Bay of Bengal, the plains are further classified into Northern Circar and the Coromandel Coast.

The Islands

India mainly comprises two major Island groups, the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea and The Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Andaman Island groups include 204 smaller islands. Furthermore, the A&N islands are divided by 10-degree channels. The group of islands is divided into two sections:

1. Andaman in the North
2. Nicobar in the South