Location, Extent and Physical

Features of India
(Through Map Only)
3
SYLLABUS AND SCOPE
Location, Extent and Physical Features
Position and Extent of India
he (through map
physical teatures of India mountains, only).
plateaus, plains and rivers
-

(through map only

OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER
1. Location and extent
2. India and its neighbouring countries
3. India : States and
Capitals
4. Physical Geography of India

India at a Glance Kachchh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east

1. Location- 8°N to 37°N is 2,933 km.
latitudes and 68°E to
97°E longitudes. .The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the
2. Area -3,287,240 sq km county dividing it into two latitudinal halves, north
3.Coordinates- Lat. 8°4' N to 37°6' N, Ans1 temperate and south tropical lands.
Long. 68°7' E to 97°25" E
4. Highest Peaks K2 (8610) (J&K)
.Although Tropic of Cancer divides India into two equal
-

Kanchenjunga halves, India is essentially known as a tropical country.

(8586 m) The reasons are those of physical
5. Capital City- Delhi (National Capital Territory) geography and cul
tural factors. The Indian Peninsula is bounded on three
6. Largest Populated City- Kolkata
sides by water and in the north, India is
62 7. Standard Time of India has been taken from
Meridian of 824°E. Indian Standard Time is
rest of Asia by a mountain wall the Great
separated from the
Himalayas,
forming an insulated compartment. The second reasonis
5% hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
that the climate is
dominated by the tropical monsoon.
63) SatI e gbauuny COutirs dL
1. LOCATION AND EXTENT 2. INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES 4i
India, officially The Sovereign Socialist Secular India's borders are both natural and
Democratic Republic of India, is the world's seventh man-made. In
thenorth, north-west and north-east, India's international
largest country, with an area of about 3 million sq. km. and boundaries are formed by the lofty
Himalayas and its
encompasses a varied landscape rich in natural resources. offshoots.
The mainland of India extends from 8° North to 37
.In the south, south-west and south-east, its coast is
North latitudes and from 68° East to 97° East longitudes washed by the Indian Ocean, the Arabian
Sea and the
approx. Bay of Bengal respectively.
.Its latitudinal and longitudinal extent is approximately .
Immediately across the Indian border in the north is the
the same, nearly thirty degrees. The Andaman and Tibet plateau, the land of the sacred
Kailash and the
Nicobarislands extend further southwards and add to Mansarovar Lake.
its latitudinal extent. Our next immediate neighbour is China in the
mainland of India from part of the boundary along with the northern
.The north-south
extent ofthe of Nepal. Himalayan kingdom
in the south
Kashmir in the north to Kanniyakumari
extent from the Rann of East to Nepal, across Sikkim, is
is 3,214 km. Its longitudinal Bhutan.
92
 cin(The middle or the lesser Himalayas
A t the easternmost point of the Indian border is the
the important ranges of this region are the
eastern trijunction where India, China and Myanmar Pir Panjal, the Dhaola Dhar, Mussoorie
meet.
Range, the Nag, Tiba and Mahabharat Leh
.To the east of the eastern offshoots of the Himalayas lies Kashmir valley lies between the Pir Panial
Myanmar and Zaskar range.(The Jhelum riyer and
To the west, our immediate neighbour is Pakistan-a Dal Lake are its major attractions
creation of partition of the country in 1947. i)( The Shivalik Range - It comprises the
.The apex ofthe north Indian triangle meets five countries outermost range of Himalayas and is also
of Asia at one point viz. India, China, Tajikistan, called outer Himalayas.) The Shivaliks are
Afghanistan and Pakistan. It has set a strategic known as Jammu Hills in Jammu, Dafla,
significance. Miri, Abor and Mishri hills in Arunachal
Pradesh and the Dhang Range, Dundrara
4. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA and Churia Ghat hills in Nepal.
PHYSICAL DIVISIONS-(See Fig. 3.3)
cThe North-East Himalayan Range or
1. The Himalayan Mountains Purvanchal - These are series of hills running
2. The Great Plain of Indus / Ganga through Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur,
3 The Peninsular Plateau Assam and Mizoram. They consist of Patkai
4. The Coastal Plains Bum and Naga Hills in the north, Mizo hills,
5 The Islands (known as Lushai hills), in north-west, and Garo,

1Pfhe Himalayan Mountains Khasi, Jayantia and Naga Hills in the centre.
The north wall of Himalayas can be divided into three Significance of the Himalayas
divisions ) Influence on climate
Sa North-West Range- It is a series of mountain ii) Defence
ranges radiating from the Pamir Knot, known as
(in) Source of Rivers
the "Roof of the World"
(iv) Fertile soil
i) Hindukush South-West
(ii) Kunlun - East (v) Hydroelectricity
(ii) Karakoram - South-East (vi) Forest wealth
(iv) Ladakh and Zaskar - parallel to the Great (vii) Agriculture terraced farming
Northern Wall. vii) Tourism
o) The Northern Himalayan
Range or the Northerm i Minerals
A
Arc The Great Northern Himalayas. TheENat lainF North India To the
south of
( Range runs in the form of an arc from Kashmir Himalayas and north of Peninsular India lies the Great
toAssam.) Plain of North India.
.The westernmost limit of Northern Arce is Nanga Regional Divisions of the Great Plain of India-
Parbat and the i ) The Rajasthan Plain
easternmost
limit is marked by
Namcha Barwa.)The Indus river flows between (i) The Indus
Ladakh and Zaskar ranges from the west and Punjab-Haryana PlainAna
(ii) The Ganga Plain
Brahmaputra river filows from the easternmost
(iv) The Brahmaputra Plain
limit of the arc through a mighty gorge. (See
Fig 3.4)
3. The Peninsular Plateau It is triangular in shape,
with its base coinciding with the
T h e Great Himalayas Range comprises three southern edge of the
Great Plain of north India and its
distinct parallel ranges apex is formed by
the
-

G Himadri The highest mountain

Kanyakumari in the south.
ranges 4. The Coastal
Plains The narrow coastal
occupy this, par, the highest of all being
between the edges of the Peninsular Plateau strip
Mt. Everest) Siachen is the largest glacier. and the
coastline of India
running for a distance of about 6000
96
 72 76 80 84 88 92
Projection : Lambert Conical Orthomorphic Scale 1: 150a.c00
Fig. 3.4: India Physical Features.
kms, from the Rann of Kachchh in the west, to thee .The sands of
Ganga Brahmaputra Delta in the East, is called the
Kerala coast have large quantity of
Monozite, which is used for nuclear power.
Coastal Plain. (See Fig. 3.4) Fishing
th
Significance of coastal plains -

.Production of salt Gujaratad 01 Indas.

Fertile soil Rice is the main crop &8) The 1slands Theré are sevsral group of Istánds-
5.
. Port cities Sri Lanka, (Andaman and Nicobar, Islands of
of Bay
w . Large deposits of mineral oil Bengal, Lakshwadeep and Maldives.(Islands of
Arabian Sea)and Indian Ocean.
98
Drainage of the longest rivers of the world and passes
India is blessed with hundreds of large and small rivers
through Tibet, India and Bangladesh. It is called
which drain the length and breadth of the sub-continent.
Tsangpo as it passes through Tibet and it is called
They are agreat source of water for irrigation, navigation, Brahmaputra as it enters India near Sadiya.
industrial and domestic purposes and
hydroelectricity.
Almost all the plains have been formed by the (i) Rivers of thePeninsular India Almost all the
work of these rivers.
depositional major rivers of the peninsular India are dependent
on monsoon. On the western coast, rivers are swift
Rivers of the sub-continent
flowing and do not make deltas. Instead of deltas
(i) Rivers of the Northern Plain- The main rivers of they form estuaries. But on the eastern coast,rivers
the Northern Plain the Indus, the Ganga and the
- form deltas before joining the Bay of Bengal. Some
Brahmaputra are the three rivers of Northern Plain of the important rivers of the peninsular India are
which are perennial and do not depend on monsoon Mahanadi, Narmada, Tapi, Godavari, Krishna and
rains.
The Indus River The Indus, along with its
Kavernt
Contras between Northern and Peninsular Rivers of
India
five tributaries viz. the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, nua Rivers of northern India are more important than those
Beas and Satluj, is termed as one of the largest
of south because
drainage systems of the world.
.They are snowfed and hence do not depend on
The Ganga River SystemThe Ganga river the monsoon.
system consists of the main river Ganga and a The rivers of Northerm Plain bring fresh alluvium
large number of its tributaries. The main rivers every year whereas Peninsular rivers have such
of the Ganga river system are Ganga, Yamuna,
soil only in small deltas.
Gomti, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi from the north
and Chambal, Damodar, Betwa and Son from the .Rivers of North India are good for irigation as
southern side. they flow through the flat fertile plain, whereas
Peninsular rivers are less suitable as they flow
The Brahmaputra system Brahmaputra is one
through rocky areas.
oAthenn aives aane navaable
EXERCISE
1. On the outline map of India mot.
(a) Mark thefollowing mountains in brown and label them