The six different physiographical features of India are: 1. The Himalayas, 2. The Northern Plains, 3. The Peninsular Plateau, 4. The Coastal Plains, 5. The Indian Desert, and 6. The Islands

1. PHYSICAL FEATURES
OF INDIA
Prepared by:
Aggraj Sharma

2. MAJOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS
 The physical features of India can be grouped into
the following divisions:
1. The Himalayan Mountains
2. The Northern Plains
3. The Peninsular Plateau
4. The Indian Desert
5. The Coastal Plains
6. The Islands

6. THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS
 Found in the northern borders of India.
 Run in West-East direction from the Indus to the
Brahmaputra.
 Cover about 2,400 Km with width varying from 400
Km to 150 Km.
 Consists of three parallel ranges:
1. The Great or Inner Himalayas or the ‘Himadri’.
2. The Lesser Himalayas or the ‘Himachal’.
3. The ‘Shiwaliks’.

8. THE GREATER HIMALAYAS
 Average height of peaks is 6,000m.
 All prominent peaks lie here.
 The core of this par is composed of Granite.
 It is snow bound.
 Glaciers descend from this range.
 They were formed geologically as a result of the
collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia.

9. THE LESSER HIMALAYAS
 Altitude varies from 3,700 to 4,500m.
 Average width is 50 Km.
 Mainly composed of highly compressed and altered
rocks.
 The Pir Panjal Range, Dhaula Dar and the
Mahabharat ranges are prominent ones.
 The valley of Kashmir, Kangra and Kullu valley in
Himachal Pradesh lie here.

10. THE SHIWALIKS
 Altitude varies between 900 to 1,100m.
 Width varies from 10-50 Km.
 Composed of unconsolidated sediments.

11. THE NORTHERN PLAINS
 The Northern Plains has been formed by the
interplay of three major river systems, namely:
1. The Indus,
2. The Ganga,
3. The Brahmaputra; and their tributaries.
 Fertile plains formed by the deposition of alluvium.
 Agriculturally a very productive part of India.
 The area covered by this plain is 7 lakh
kilometers.
 The plain is about 2400 km long and 240 to 320
km broad.

12. THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU
 The peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of
the old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks.
 This plateau consists of two broad divisions,
namely:
1. The Central Highlands
2. The Deccan Plateau

13. THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
 The part of 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 rivers in this region are the Chambal, the Sind,
the Betwa and the Ken.
 The slope of this region is from Southwest to
Northeast.

14. THE DECCAN PLATEAU
 The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass lying
to the South of the Narmada river.
 The Satpura range is in the North while the
Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range
form its eastern extensions.
 The plateau is higher in the West and slopes gently
eastwards.
 Other hill ranges are the Garo, the Khasi and the
Jaintia hills.

15. THE WESTERN GHATS & THE EASTERN
GHATS
 The Western Ghats and The Eastern Ghats mark
the Western and the Eastern edges of the plateau
respectively.
 The Western Ghats are continuous and can be
passed through passes only (the Thal, Bhor and
Pal Ghats).
 The average height if the Western Ghats is 900-
1600m whereas that of the Eastern Ghats is 600m.
 The Western Ghats cause orographic rains.

16.  The highest peaks of Western Ghats include the
Anai Mudi (2,695 metres) and the Doda Betta
(2,637 metres).
 Mahendragiri (1,501 metres) is the highest peak in
the Eastern Ghats.
 The black soil area of the peninsular plateau is
known as Deccan Trap.
 This is of volcanic origin and hence rocks are
igneous.

19. THE INDIAN DESERT
 The Indian Desert lies towards the western margins
of the Aravali hills.
 It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand
dunes.
 This region receives very low rainfall below 150mm
per year.

20. THE COASTAL PLAINS
 The Peninsular plateau is flanked by stretch of
narrow coastal strip, running along the Arabian Sea
on the West and the Bay of Bengal on the East.
 The northern part of the Western Coastal Plains is
called the Konkan (Mumbai-Goa), the central
stretch is called the Kannad Plain while the
southern stretch is known as the Malabar Coast.
 The northern part of the Eastern Coastal Plains is
called the Northern Circar while the southern part is
called Coromandel Coast.

21. THE ISLANDS
 India consists of two island groups, The
Lakshadweep Islands on the West near the
Malabar Coast and The Andaman and Nicobar
Islands in the East in the Bay of Bengal.
 The Lakshadweep islands are composed of small
coral islands.

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