GEOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT: CH_2 (PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA)

Class: IX

Answer the following questions:

1. Which one is the most stable land block? [1]

a. Northern plains

b. Northern mountains

c. Peninsular Plateau

d. The Indian Desert

2. Which one of the following represents a very youthful topography? [1]

a. Himalayas

b. Island groups

c. Deccan Plateau

d. Northern Plains

3. What are Lesser Himalayas known as? [1]

a. Himadri
b. Purvanchal
c. Shivaliks
d. Himachal
4. Which two hills are located in the south-east of Eastern Ghats ? [1]
a. Mizo Hills and Patkai Hills
b. Shevroy Hills and Javadi Hills
c. Patkai Hills and Naga Hills
d. Mizo Hills and Naga Hills
5. The most continuous range consisting of the loftiest peaks with an average
height of 6,000 metres is known as the Himadri. [1]
6. The part of Himalayas lying between Teesta and Dihang rivers is the Assam
Himalayas. [1]
7. The peninsular plateau is composed of old crystalline igneous and metamorphic
rocks. [1]

8. The outer-most range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks. [1]

9. Name the Indian state where Kanchenjunga is located. [1]
Ans. Sikkim
10. How long and wide are the Himalayas? [1]

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 Ans. They are about 2,400 Km long and their width varies from 400 Km in Kashmir
to 150 Km in Arunachal Pradesh.
11. Which famous valleys are located in Himachal? [1]
Ans. The famous valley of Kashmir, the Kangra and Kullu Valley in Himachal
Pradesh, are located in Himachal.
12. What are Duns? [1]
Ans. The longitudinal valley lying between lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks are
known as Duns.
13. Which hills are called as ‘Easternmost Hills’? [1]
Ans. Purvachal.
14. What does the word ‘doab’ mean? [1]
Ans. ‘Do’ meaning two and ‘ab’ meaning water thus 'Doab' means land between two
tributaries of a river. 
15. Which are the highest peaks of Western and Eastern Ghats? [1]
Ans. Anai Mudi (2,695 metres) is the highest peak in the Western Ghats and
Mahendragiri (1,501 metres) is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats.
16. Which is the only large river of Indian Desert in Rajasthan? [1]
Ans. Luni is the only large river of Indian Desert in Rajasthan.
17. What are Barchans? [1]
Ans. Crescent-shaped dunes are called barchans.
18. Which is the largest inhabited riverine island in the world? [1]
Ans. Majuli is the largest inhabited riverine island in the world.
19. Which river drains the Chotanagpur Plateau? [1]
Ans. Damodar river drains the Chotanagpur Plateau.
20. Name the western and the eastern edges of the Deccan Plateau. [1]
Ans. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and the eastern
edges of the Deccan Plateau respectively.
21. Write any three characteristics of the Central Highlands. [3]
Ans. 1.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.
2. The Vindhyan range is bounded by the Satpura range on the south and the Aravalis on
the northwest.
3. The further westward extension gradually merges with the sandy and rocky desert of
Rajasthan.
4. The flow of the rivers draining this region, namely the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa
and the Ken is from southwest to northeast, thus indicating the slope.
5. The Central Highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east.
6. The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as the Bundelkhand and
Baghelkhand.
7. The Chotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension, drained by the
Damodar river. (Any three)

22. “The northern plains have diverse relief features”. Explain any three. [3]
Ans. According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains can be divided into
four regions: bhabar, terai, bhangar, khadar.

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 1. Bhabar: 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. It is known as
bhabar. All the streams disappear in this bhabar belt.
2. Terai : South of this belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet, swampy and
marshy region known as terai. This was a thickly forested region full of wildlife. The
forests have been cleared to create agricultural land and to settle migrants from Pakistan
after partition. Locate Dudhwa National Park in this region.
3. Bhangar: 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. This part is known as
bhangar. The soil in this region contains calcareous deposits, locally known as kankar.
4. Khadar: The newer, younger deposits of the floodplains are called khadar. They are
renewed almost every year and so are fertile, thus, ideal for intensive agriculture.

23. Differentiate between: Bhabar and Terai. [3]

Ans.
Bhabar
1. It is formed by the rivers after
descending down from the mountains
(along the foothills- Shiwaliks to
Teesta).
2. It is 8-16 km wide.
3. The bhabar area comprises of pebble
Terai
1. It lies to the south of bhabar running
parallel to it.
2. It is 20-30 km wide.
3. It has rich deposits of alluvium.

rocks.
4. Not suitable for agriculture. 4. Suitable for agriculture.
5. Streams disappear in the bhabar belt 5. Underground streams re-emerge here.
and flow undergrounds.

24. Why is the northern plain densely populated? State three reasons. [3]
Ans. It is a densely populated physiographic division because of:
i) Fertile Soil: The land is made up of fertile alluvial soil and makes it agriculturally the
most productive part of India.
ii) Adequate water supply: There are many rivers and their tributaries. Most of the rivers are
perennial rivers thus provide adequate water supply. Also the Northern Plain gets sufficient
rainfall.
iii) Favourable climate: They have better climatic conditions which is suitable of human
livelihood.
iv) The Northern plains are level and flat and good for building roads and railways. 

25. Difference between: Western and Eastern Coastal Plains. [3]

Ans.
Western Coastal Plain Eastern Coastal Plain

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1. The Western Coast, sandwiched between
the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
2. It is a narrow plain.
3. No large delta is formed.
4. Narmada and Tapi are the rivers forming
estuaries in western coastal plain.
5. It consists of three sections i.e. Konkan,
Kannad and Malabar coast.
1. The Eastern Coast, sandwiched between
the Eastern Ghats and Bay of Bengal.
2. It is a wide and level plain.
3. Large delta are formed.
4. Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and
Kaveri are the rivers forming deltas in
eastern coastal plain.
5. It consists of two sections i.e. Northern
Circar and Coromandel coast.

26. What are Corals? Describe the main features and give one example. [5]
Ans: Coral polyps are short-lived microscopic organisms, which live in colonies.
i)They flourish in shallow, mud-free and warm waters.
ii)They secrete calcium carbonate.
iii)The coral secretion and their skeletons from coral deposits in the form of reefs: they are
mainly of three kinds: barrier reef, fringing reef and atolls.
iv) The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is a good example of the first kind of coral reefs.

27. Explain any five characteristics of Peninsular Plateau. [5]

Ans:
1. Peninsular Plateau is the most stable landform.
2. The Peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
3. It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land and thus, making it
a part of the oldest landmass.
4. The plateau has broad and shallow valleys and rounded hills.
5. This plateau consists of two broad divisions, This plateau consists of two broad divisions,
namely, a. the Central Highlands and, b. the Deccan Plateau.

28. How the Himalayas have been divided on the basis of regions from west to east? [5]
a. Punjab Himalaya: The part of 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.
b. Kumaon Himalayas: The part of the Himalayas lying between Satluj and Kali rivers
is known as Kumaon Himalayas.
c. The Nepal Himalayas: The Kali and Teesta rivers demarcate the Nepal Himalayas.
d. Assam Himalayas.: The part lying between Teesta and Dihang rivers is known as Assam
Himalayas.
e. Purvachal or the Eastern hills and mountains: a) The Brahmaputra marks the
eastern-most boundary of the Himalayas. b) Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Himalaya
bend sharply to the south and spread along the eastern boundary of India.
c) These hills running through the north-eastern states are mostly composed of

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 strong sandstones, which are sedimentary rocks. d) Covered with dense forests, they

mostly run as parallel ranges and valleys. e) The Purvachal comprises the Patkaihills,
the Naga hills, the Manipur hills and the Mizo hills.
 

29. Give an account of the Deccan Plateau. [5]

1. The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.
2. The Satpura range flanks its broad base in the north, while the Mahadev, the Kaimur
hills and the Maikal range form its eastern extensions.
3. The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards.
4. An extension of the Plateau is also visible in the northeast, locally known as the
Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North Cachar Hills.
5. It is separated by a fault from the Chotanagpur Plateau.
6. Three prominent hill ranges from the west to the east are the Garo, the Khasi and the
Jaintia Hills.
7. The Aravali Hills lie on the western and north-western margins of the Peninsular
plateau. These are highly eroded hills and are found as broken hills. They extend from
Gujarat to Delhi in a southwest-northeast direction.
8. One of the distinct features of the Peninsular plateau is the black soil area known as
Deccan Trap. (any five)

30. Name and explain the three parallel ranges of Himalayas. [5]
1. 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. Ii)It contains all prominent Himalayan peaks.iii)The folds of the Great
Himalayas are asymmetrical in nature. iv)The core of this part of Himalayas is composed
of granite. v) It is perennially snow bound, and a number of glaciers
descend from this range.
2. Himachal or lesser Himalaya:
The range lying to the south of the Himadri forms the most rugged mountain system and
is known as Himachal or lesser Himalaya. ii)The ranges are mainly composed of highly
compressed and altered rocks. Iii)The altitude varies between 3,700 and 4,500 metres
and the average width is of 50 Km. iv) The Pir Panjal range forms the longest and the
most important range, the Dhaula Dhar and the Mahabharat ranges are also prominent
ones. This range consists of the famous valley of Kashmir, the Kangra and Kullu Valley
in Himachal Pradesh. v) This region is well-known for its hill stations.
3. The Outer Himalayas or the Shivaliks:
The outer-most range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks. ii)They extend over a
width of 10-50 Km and have an altitude varying between 900 and 1100 metres.
iii)These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by rivers from
the main Himalayan ranges located farther north. iv)These valleys are covered with

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 thick gravel and alluvium. v)The longitudinal valley lying between lesser Himalaya and
the Shiwaliks are known as Duns. vi)Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun are some of
the well-known Duns. (any two from each)

31. What is the significance of Himalayas? Share your views. [5]

The significance of Himalayas is as follows :
(a) The Himalayas stand like a mighty mountain wall in the north of India. They
separate the Indian subcontinent from the rest of Asia.
(b) They have vast snowfields and glaciers which are the source of numerous perennial
rivers. These rivers provide water for irrigation, navigation and generation of hydel
power.
(c) The Himalayas act as a climatic barrier. They protect the Northern Plains from
freezing cold winds. They also stop and deflect the rain-bearing winds.
(d) The forests in the Himalayas provide a suitable habitat for wildlife. They also have
many wildlife sanctuaries.
(e) The Himalayas also have many beautiful hill stations like Shimla, Mussoorie,
Nainital and Darjeeling, which attract tourists
32. How do different physiographic regions of India complement each other? [5]
detailed account of the different physiographic units highlights the unique features of
each region :
(a) Each region complements the other and makes the country richer in its natural
resources.
(b) The mountains are the major source of water and forest wealth.
(c) The Northern Plains are the granaries of the country. They provided the base for early
civilizations.
(d) The plateau is a storehouse of minerals, which has played a crucial role in the
industrialization of the country.
(e) The coastal region and island groups provide sites for fishing and port activities.
Thus, the diverse physical features of the land have immense future possibilities of
development.

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