Major Physiographic Divisions

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

The Himalayan Mountains

The Northern Plains
The Peninsular Plateau
The Indian Desert
The Coastal Plains
The Islands
Let’s discuss each of them in detail.

The Himalayan Mountains

Himalayan mountains are stretched over the northern borders of India. This mountain
ranges run in a west-east direction from the Indus to the Brahmaputra. The Himalayas
consists of 3 parallel ranges in their longitudinal extent.

The northernmost range is known as the Great or Inner Himalayas or the Himadri. It is
the most continuous range consisting of the loftiest peaks with an average height of
6,000 metres.
The folds of the Great Himalayas are asymmetrical in nature. The core of this part
of the Himalayas is composed of granite.
The range lying to the south of the Himadri forms the most rugged mountain system and
is known as Himachal or lesser Himalaya.
Pir Panjal range forms the longest and the most important range.
The outermost range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks. These ranges are
composed of unconsolidated sediments.
The longitudinal valley lying between the lesser Himalayas and the Shiwaliks is
known as Duns. Dehradun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun are some of the well-known
Duns.
The Himalayas have also been divided on the basis of regions from west to east.

The part of the Himalayas lying between Indus and Satluj has been traditionally known
as Punjab Himalaya but it is also known regionally as Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya
from west to east, respectively.
The part of the Himalayas lying between the Satluj and the Kali rivers is known as
Kumaon Himalayas.
The Kali and Teesta rivers divide the Nepal Himalayas and the part lying between
Teesta and Dihang rivers is known as Assam Himalayas.
The Brahmaputra marks the easternmost boundary of the Himalayas.
Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply to the south and spread
along the eastern boundary of India, which is known as the Purvachal and make
boundary with. Myanmar. The Purvachal comprises the Patkai Hills, the Naga Hills,
the Manipur Hills and the Mizo Hills.

The Northern Plain

The northern plain has been formed by the interplay of the 3 major river systems – the
Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries. It spreads over an
area of 7 lahks sq. km.

The Northern Plain is broadly divided into 3 sections, as mentioned below:

The Western part of the Northern Plain is referred to as the Punjab Plains. This plain is
formed by the Indus and its tributaries – the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas
and the Satluj.
The Ganga plain extends between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers. It is spread over the
states of North India, Haryana, Delhi, U.P., Bihar, partly Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Brahmaputra Plain lies in the state of Assam.
According to the variations in elevation points, the Northern plains can be divided into 4
regions.

The rivers, after descending from the mountains, deposit pebbles in a narrow belt of
about 8 to 16 km in width, lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks, which is known
as Bhabar. All the streams disappear in this Bhabar belt.
The streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet, swampy and marshy region known
as terai.
The largest part of the northern plain is formed of older alluvium. It lies above the
floodplains of the rivers and presents a terrace-like feature which is known as Bhangar.
The soil in the Bhangar region contains calcareous deposits and is known as Kankar.
The newer, younger deposits of the floodplains are called Khadar.
The Peninsular Plateau
The Peninsular Plateau is a tableland composed of old crystalline, igneous and
metamorphic rocks. It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana
land. One of the distinct features of the Peninsular Plateau is the black soil area known
as Deccan Trap.

This plateau consists of 2 divisions:

The 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 eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as the
Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
The Deccan Plateau: It is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river
Narmada. An extension of the Plateau is also visible in the northeast, which is known as
the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North Cachar Hills.
The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and the eastern edges of
the Deccan Plateau, respectively.

The Indian Desert

The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills.
It is a sandy plain covered with sand dunes.
This region receives very low rainfall, below 150 mm per year.
It has a dry climate with low vegetation cover.
The Coastal Plains
A coastal plain is a flat, low-lying piece of land next to the ocean. To the east and west
of the peninsular plateau, 2 narrow strips of plain lands are found, which are
respectively called Eastern Coastal Plain and Western Coastal Plain.

Eastern Coastal Plain

The Eastern Coastal Plains is a wide stretch of landmass lying between the Eastern
Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. In the northern part, it is referred to as the Northern
Circar, while the southern part is known as the Coromandel Coast. Large rivers, such as
the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri, have formed an extensive
delta on this coast. Lake Chilika is an important feature along the eastern coast.

Western Coastal Plain

The western coast is sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. It is
a narrow plain and consists of 3 sections, as mentioned below:

The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan (Mumbai – Goa)
The central stretch is called the Kannad Plain
The southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar coast
The Islands
An island is a piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Lakshadweep
Islands group is composed of small coral islands which were earlier known as
Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindive.

The entire group of islands is divided into 2 broad categories:

The Andaman in the north
The Nicobar in the south
These islands lie close to the equator and experience an equatorial climate, and have
thick forest cover.

The diverse physical features of India have immense future possibilities for
development because of the following reasons.

The mountains are the major sources of water and forest wealth.
The northern plains are the granaries of the country. They provide the base for early
civilisations.
The plateau is a storehouse of minerals, which has played a crucial role in the
industrialisation of India.
The coastal region and island groups provide sites for fishing and port activities.