| Our Country India II |
The Northern Plains
The northern plains are formed by the alluvial deposits of the three major river systems of the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries.
This plain is completely formed of alluvial soil.
The plains are very fertile and are best suited for agriculture.
These plains are densely populated because of their fertile lands and economic activities based on agriculture.
Other Important Points
The Indus Basin is drained by the river Indus and its tributaries (Jhelum, Chenab, Beas, Ravi and Satluj). The Indus originates near lake Manasarovar and drain Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
The Ganga Basin is drained by the river Ganga and its tributaries and distributaries.
The Ganga originates in Gangotri in the Himalayas and drains most of the Northern Plains.
The northern tributaries of the Ganga are the Ghagra, Gandak, Gomti and Kosi. The Yamuna is the main southern tributary of the Ganga. The major distributary of the Ganga is the river Hugli.
The Brahmaputra Basin is drained by the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries. The Brahmaputra also originates near Lake Manasarovar in Tibet and flows through three countries—China, India and Bangladesh. In India it drains the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. This river is known as Tsangpo in China. The Ganga and Brahmaputra together form the world’s largest delta, called the Ganga Delta.
Parts of Northern Plain:
The three parts of the Northern plains are:
The Western part is called the Punjab plain. It has been formed by the Indus and its many tributaries. The larger part of this plain lies in Pakistan. The Indus and its tributaries — the Jhelum, the Ravi, the Satluj, the Beas and the Chenab, originate in the Himalayas. The Punjab plain is also dominated by Doabs (meaning two waters).
The middle part is called the Ganga plain. It extends from the Ghaggar river (in Haryana) to the Teesta river (in West Bengal) through the states of Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
The Eastern part is called the Brahmaputra plain. It extends from West Bengal, through Assam and Bangladesh to India’s Eastern border.
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The Peninsular Plateau
The Peninsular Plateau
The Peninsular Plateau is a triangular plateau to the south of the Northern Plains.
It is bounded by the Aravali Range in the north- west, the Vindhya and Satpura ranges in the north and the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats cowards the south. The surface of this region is highly uneven, consisting of mountains, valleys and plateaus.
The Peninsular Plateau is divided into three distinctive parts—the Malwa Plateau, the Chhota Nagpur Plateau and the Deccan Plateau.
Characteristics of Peninsular Plateau
Certain important characteristics of the peninsular plateau are as follows:
The total size of the peninsular plateau is about 16 lakh square kilometers.
The plateau rises at 600-900 meters above sea level on average.
Most of the peninsular rivers run in the direction from west to east, demonstrating the overall slope of the peninsula.
The only exception of the same is Narmada-Tapi, which flows from east to west.
The older landform of the world is Peninsular Plateau.
The peninsular plateau also comprises smaller plateaus like hill ranges, river basins as well as valleys.
The Malwa Plateau
The Malwa Plateau is located on the west the Peninsular Plateau. It slopes northward merges with the plains in the north. Some of tributaries of the Ganga, like the Chambal and Son, originate here.
The Malwa Plateau is bounded on the south by the Vidhya range, in the west by the Aravalli range, and on the east by the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
The Chhota Nagpur Plateau
The Chhota Nagpur Plateau is located in the north eastern part of the Peninsular Plateau. It is rich minerals like iron and coal. The Malwa and Chhota Nagpur Plateaus together form the Central Highlands.
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is an eastern Indian plateau that encompasses much of Jharkhand as well as nearby sections of Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh
The Rajmahal Hills framing the northeastern edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau is generally made of basalt and are covered by magma streams.
The Damodar River flows through the center of this region, forming a rift valley from west to east.
The Deccan Plateau
The Deccan Plateau is a typical triangular plateau, located to the south of Vindhyas and Satpuras. It is flanked by the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.
The average elevation of the plateau is 600 metres above sea level. The highest point is Doddabetta Peak in Tamil Nadu, which rises to 2637 metres.
These Ghats are connected by the. Nilgiri Mountains in the south. The plateau largely slopes towards the east. There are many east-flowing rivers that emerge from the Western Ghats and empty into the Bay of Bengal such as the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.
The Deccan Plateau has a tropical climate. The summers are hot and dry, while the winters are milder and drier. The plateau experiences very little rainfall, averaging only about 600 millimetres (24 inches) per year.
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The Coastal Plains
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.
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‘.
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. This place is rich in oil.
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.
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The Islands
The Islands of India
An island is a piece of mainland that is encircled by water. India has an aggregate of 1,382 seaward-distinguished islands. The significant island gatherings of India are the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
Following are the features and important points of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
The complete land region of the islands is around 8,249 km².
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie in the Bay of Bengal.
The Andaman Islands are separated into three fundamental islands, for example, North Andaman, Middle Andaman, and South Andaman.
It contains two island gatherings, the Andaman Islands (mostly) and the Nicobar Islands, isolated by the 150 km wide Ten Degree Channel, with the Andaman Islands toward the north of this scope, and the Nicobar Islands toward the south.
Duncan passage isolates Little Andaman from South Andaman.
The region’s capital is the city of Port Blair.
Lakshadweep islands
Found south of the Malabar bank of Kerala, the Lakshadweep islands are made out of little coral islands.
Lakshadweep Islands arranged in the Arabian Sea is a gathering of 36 islands having an area of 32 square kilometers.
The Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi island group in the Arabian Sea are part of the Lakshadweep. They are numerous and also larger than the Lakshadweep Islands.
Both the Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are of vital importance to India, for trade, tourism and defence.
Lakshadweep Islands are coral islands
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Western and Eastern Ghats
The Deccan plateau of India is one of the main landmasses and is studied as one of India’s physiographic divisions. It is bordered by the Western Ghats on its west and the Eastern Ghats on its east. The Western and Eastern Ghats are two mountain ranges in India that are separated by the Deccan Plateau. The Western Ghats run along the west coast of India, while the Eastern Ghats run along the east coast. Both ranges are home to a variety of plant and animal species and are popular tourist destinations.
Western Ghats
1. 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.
5. 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.
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.
4. It must be noted that the eastern ghats are lower in elevation than the western ghats.
5. The main crop produced in the eastern ghats is Rice, which is also the staple food of the people living in the region. |
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