Physical Features of India

India is a land of diverse physical features. We have plains, plateaus, mountains, deserts, and Islands. Let’s look at these physical features and their characters that make them different from each other.

Major Physiographic Divisions

The physical features of India are classified into six, and they are:

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 a group of young fold mountains that run along India’s northern border. They stretch around 2,400 km in a west-to-east direction. Their width ranges from 400 km in Kashmir to 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh. 

The Himalayas are made up of three parallel ranges and, they are:

1. The Great / Inner Himalayas / The Himadri- The northern-most among the three ranges. They have an average height of 6,000 metres. It is composed of granite. 
2. Himachal or lesser Himalayas- they are situated to the south of Himadri. Their height varies between 3,700 and 4,500 metres. The average width of Himachal is 50 Km. They are composed of highly compressed and altered rocks. The prominent ranges like Pir Panjal, Duala Dhar, and Mahabharat lie in Himachal.
3. Shiwaliks- these are the outer-most range. They have a width of 10-50 km and their height ranges between 900 and 1100 metres. The Shiwaliks are made up of unconsolidated sediments. Thick gravel and alluvium cover this valley.

The longitudinal valley situated between the Himachal and the Shiwaliks is called the Duns. Eg: Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun.

The Himalayas are further divided, on the basis of regions from west to east:

• Punjab Himalayas- they lie between Indus and Satluj
• Kumaon Himalayas- they lie between Satluj and Kali
• Nepal Himalayas- they lie between Kali and Teesta
• Assam Himalayas- they lie between Teesta and Dihang 

The extension of the Himalayas along the eastern boundary of India is called the Purvanchal or the Eastern hills. It passes through the north-eastern states of India. Purvanchal is made of strong sandstones. It consists of the Patkai hills, the Naga hills, the Manipur hills, and the Mizo hills.

The Northern Plain

The northern plains are created by the contribution of three major rivers – the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra and their tributaries. It is made up of alluvial soil. They stretch over an area of 7 lakh sq. km. It has a length of 2400 km and, the width varies from 240 to 320 km. Northern plains are agriculturally productive due to the presence of fertile alluvial soil and adequate water supply. 

Northern plains are divided into four regions based on variation in their relief features:

• Bhabar- It lies parallel to the slopes of Shiwaliks. Rivers flowing from the mountains deposit pebbles in a narrow strip of around 8 to 16 km. It is called the bhabar. The streams disappear in the bhabar region.
• Terai- the streams and rivers re-emerge forming a wet, swampy, and marshy region called terai. It lies south of bhabar.
• Bhangar- The older alluvium that lies above the floodplains of rivers is called bhangra.
• Khadar- The younger alluvium of the northern plain is called khadar. They are replenished every year and hence very fertile.

The Peninsular Plateau

It is one of the oldest land masses as they are formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land. They are made of old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks. The plateau is divided into two:

1. The Central Highlands- It lies to the north of the Narmada River. The Vindhyan range bound by the Satpura range spreads to the south and the Aravalis lie on the northwest. In the west, the central highland extends and merges with the deserts of Rajasthan. The extension of central highlands to the east is locally known as the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand. Rivers like Chambal, Sind, Betwa, and Ken flow in this region. The Chotanagpur plateau, drained by the Damodar river, marks the eastward extension.
2. The Deccan Plateau- It lies to the south of the Narmada River. The Satpura range lies in the north, while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills, and the Maikal ranges lie in the east. The extension of the Deccan plateau in the northeast is locally known as the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau, and North Cachar Hills. They are separated from the Chotanagpur Plateau by a fault. The Garo, the Khasi, and the Jaintia Hills are the three important hill ranges that lie from west to east in this region.

The western and eastern region of the Deccan Plateau is marked by the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats respectively. The Western Ghats are continuous and lie parallel to the western coast. The average height of Western Ghats is 900-1600 metres while that of Eastern Ghats is 600 metres. The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous and divided by rivers flowing into the Bay of Bengal. Anai Mudi (2695 metres) and Doda Betta (2637 metres) are the highest peaks of Western Ghats. The highest peak of Eastern Ghats is Mahendragiri (1501 metres).

One of the unique features of the peninsular plateau is the presence of black soil. This region is known as Deccan Trap. It is of volcanic origin and, hence the rocks are igneous.

The Indian Desert

It is significant to know about the desert of India. It lies between the western margins of the Aravali Hills. The Indian desert is mostly covered with sand dunes and Barchans are important sand dunes that cover the India-Pakistan border. The Indian desert receives less than 150 mm of rainfall per year. Luni is the largest river in the Indian desert. 

The Coastal Plains

The Peninsular plateau is bordered by a narrow coastal belt. The coastal plains spread along the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east. The Coastal plain consists of three parts namely- the northern part – Konkan, the central part -Kannad Plain, and the southern part – Malabar coast. The plains on the Bay of Bengal have two parts -the northern part is called as Northern Circar, and the southern part is referred to as Coromandel Coast. The coastal plain has various rivers, such as Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri. 

Chilika lake, located in Odissa is considered the largest saltwater lake in India.

The Islands

With the above physical features of India, let’s have some insight into Indian islands. India also has two islands – Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 

Lakshadweep Island is located in the Arabian sea close to the Malabar coast of Kerala with a total area of 32 sq km. It consists of 36 small islands that are diverse in flora and fauna. Lakshadweep was known to be Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindive before 1973. Among 36 small islands, Kavaratti is the headquarters of Lakshadweep. Lakshadweep also has an uninhabited island called Pitti Island, which has a bird sanctuary. 

On the other hand, Andaman and Nicobar Island, with 572 islands (8,249 km²) are located on the Bay of Bengal. The island is divided into two categories- Andaman in the north and Nicobar in the south. Like Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Island are also diverse in flora and fauna. Port Blair is the headquarters of Andaman and Nicobar Island and is strategically important due to its location. The islands are believed to be an elevated portion of the submarine mountains and lie close to the equator. They experience an equatorial climate.