Physical

Features of India
A LUCKY PRESENTATION
 INDEX
• Introduction
• The Himalayan Mountains and its Features
• Focus on Jammu and Kashmir
• The Northern Plains and its Features
• The Peninsular Plateau and its Features
• The Indian Desert and its Features
• The Coastal Plains and its Features
• The Islands and its Features
• Conclusion
 India is a land of diversity in all
manners. The wide range of
HOW RICH physical features of India makes
INDIA IS the country a complete
geographical study. In fact, India
WITH has every possible landscape that
VARIED the earth has. From cold
mountains to arid deserts, vast
PHYSICAL plains, hot and humid plateau
FEATURES? and wide sea shores and tropical
islands, the physical features of
India cover every terrain.
The Himalayan
Mountains and
its Features
• The Himalayas is
a mountain range in Asia
separating the plains of
the Indian Subcontinent
from the Tibetan Plateau.
The range has many
of Earth's highest peaks,
including the
highest, Mount Everest, at
the border
between Nepal and China.
• It consists of three ranges.
They are Himadri, Himachal
and Shiwaliks.
Himadri
• The northern most 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.
• It contains all the prominent
Himalayan peaks.
• The folds of Great Himalayas are
asymmetrical in nature.
• The core of this part of Himalayas is
composed of granite.
• It is perennially snow bound, and a
number of glaciers descend from
this range.
 Himachal
• The range lying to the south of the Himadri forms
the most rugged mountain system and is known
as Himachal or lesser Himalaya.
• The ranges are mainly composed of highly
compressed and altered rocks.
• The altitude varies between 3,700 and 4,500
metres and the average width is of 50 Km.
• While 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. This region is well known for
its hill stations.
 Shiwaliks
• The outer most range of the Himalayas
is called the Shiwaliks.
• They extend over a width of 10-50 Km
and have an altitude varying between
900 and 1100 metres.
• These ranges are composed of
unconsolidated sediments brought
down by rivers from the main
Himalayan ranges located farther
north.
• These valleys are covered with thick
gravel and alluvium.
• The longitudinal valley lying between
lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks are
known as Duns.
• Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun are
some of the well-known Duns.
 Art Form of Jammu
and Kashmir
• The splendid Handicrafts of Jammu and
Kashmir make it famous all over the
world.
• Carpets from Kashmir are made of wool
and even silk, are available in a large
number of variety.
• Basket Weaving are made of willow
rushes and this form of weaving can be
used to make baskets or even lamp-
shades.
• Shawls of Kashmir are known worldwide
for their design, colour and embroidery.
The fleecy wool obtained from the Kel
goat is used for making Pashmina Shawls.
They are very famous as ring shawls.
 Musical Instrument
of Jammu and
Kashmir
• Music of Jammu and Kashmir reflects
the rich musical heritage and cultural
legacy of Jammu and Kashmir. Two
different regions of Jammu and
Kashmir, consists upper Jammu
Division and Kashmir Valley's music is
closer to Central Asian music while
music from Jammu region is similar to
that of North India and Ladakhi music
is similar to the music of Tibet.
• Chakri is one of the most popular
types of traditional music played in
Jammu & Kashmir.
• Henzae is a traditional and ancient
form of singing which is practiced
by Kashmiri Pandits at their festivals. It
appears to have archaic features
that suggest it is the oldest form of
Kashmiri folk singing.
Clothing Styles and
Materials of Jammu
and Kashmir
• Pheran , the traditional dress of
Jammu & Kashmir is a long loose
shirt which hangs down below the
knees along with a white turban
tied on a skull cap, a close-fitting
trousers and lace less shoes
called Gurgabi.
• A Hindu woman’s Pheran touches
her foot which is tied at the waist
with folded material called lhungi.
Their dress is fully embellished with
brocade including the head-dress
called Taranga.
• The men’s wear for the Kahmiri
Hindus mainly includes Churidar
Pajama and they use the beautiful
skull caps without a shawl.
 The Northern
Plains and its
Features
• The northern plain has been formed by
the interplay of the three major river
systems, namely– the Indus, the Ganga
and the Brahmaputra along with their
tributaries.
• This plain is formed of alluvial soil.
• It spreads over an area of 7 lakh sq.
km. The plain being about 2400 Km
long and 240 to 320 Km broad, is a
densely populated physiographic
division.
• With a rich soil cover combined with
adequate water supply and
favourable climate it is agriculturally a
very productive part of India.
• The rivers in their lower course split into
numerous channels due to the deposition
of silt.
• These channels are known as
distributaries.
• The Northern Plain is broadly divided into
three sections.
• The Western part of the Northern Plain is
referred to as the Punjab Plains. Formed
by the Indus and its tributaries, the larger
part of this plain lies in Pakistan.
• The Plain includes the Pakistani province
of Punjab and Indian States of Punjab and
Haryana and is around 35,000
square miles in area.
• The plain is extensively farmed for
cereals and cotton.
• A thin strip between the foothills of
the Himalayas and the plain,
the Bhabar is a region of porous
ground consisting of boulders and
pebbles that have washed down
from the mountains. It is not suitable
for crops and is forested. The streams
disappear underground here.
• Below the Bhabar lie the grasslands
of Terai and Dooars.
• The fertile Terai region is spread
across Southern Nepal and Northern
India along the foothills of
the Himalayas. The rivers
encompassed are the Beas,
the Chambal, the Chenab,
the Ganga, the Gomti, the Indus,
the Ravi, the Sutluj and the Yamuna.
The soil is rich in silt, making the plain
one of the most intensely farmed
areas of the world. Even rural areas
here are densely populated.
• The largest part of the northern plain
is formed of older alluvium. They lie
above the flood plains of the rivers
and present a terrace like feature.
This part is known as bhangar.
• The annual rainfall increases from west towards the
east. The Lower Ganges Plains and the Assam
Valley are more verdant than the middle Ganga
plain. The lower Ganga is centered in West Bengal,
from which it flows into Bangladesh. After joining
the Jamuna, a distributary of Brahmaputra, both
rivers form the Ganges Delta. The Brahmaputra
rises in Tibet as the Yarlung Zangbo River and flows
through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, before
crossing into Bangladesh.
• The soil in this region contains calcareous deposits
locally known as kankar. The newer,
younger deposits of the flood plains are called
khadar. They are renewed almost every year and
so are fertile.
• The Indus-Ganga belt is the world's most extensive
expanse of uninterrupted alluvium formed by the
deposition of silt by the numerous rivers. The plains
are flat and mostly treeless, making it conducive
for irrigation through canals. The area is also rich in
ground water sources.The plains are the world's
most intensely farmed areas. The main crops grown
are rice and wheat that are grown in rotation.
Others include maize, sugarcane and cotton. The
Indo-Gangetic plains rank among the world's most
densely populated areas with a total population
exceeding 400 million.
 The Peninsular
Plateau and
its Features
• The Peninsular plateau is a
tableland composed of the old
crystalline, igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
• It was formed due to the
breaking and drifting of the
Gondwana land and thus,
making it a part of the oldest
landmass.
• The plateau has broad and
shallow valleys and rounded
hills.
• This plateau consists of two
broad divisions, namely, the
Central Highlands and the
Deccan Plateau.
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 Central Highlands are wider in the
west but narrower in the east.
• The eastward extensions of
this plateau are locally known as the
Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
• They stretch from the north-west with
the Aravalis, further merging with the
sandy and rocky desert of Rajasthan.
 The Deccan Plateau
• The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in
western and southern India. It rises to 100 metres
(330 ft) in the north, and to more than 1,000
metres (3,300 ft) in the south, forming a raised
triangle within the south-pointing triangle of the
Indian coastline.
• It extends over eight Indian states and
encompasses a wide range of habitats,
covering significant parts
of Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh ,Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
• The plateau is located between two mountain
ranges, the Western Ghats and the Eastern
Ghats, each of which rises from its respective
nearby coastal plain, and almost converge at
the southern tip of India. It is separated from
the Gangetic plain to the north by
the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges, which form its
northern boundary.
• Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu is often regarded as
the Southern gateway of Deccan plateau.
• The Western Ghats mountain range is very massive
and blocks the moisture from the
southwest monsoon from reaching the Deccan
Plateau, so the region receives very little rainfall.
• The eastern Deccan Plateau is at a lower elevation
spanning the southeastern coast of India. Its forests
are also relatively dry but serve to retain the rain to
form streams that feed into rivers that flow into
basins and then into the Bay of Bengal.
• Most Deccan plateau rivers flow south.
• The climate of the region varies from semi-arid in
the north to tropical in most of the region with
distinct wet and dry seasons. Rain falls during
the monsoon season from about June to October.
March to June can be very dry and hot, with
temperatures regularly exceeding 40 °C. The
plateau's climate is drier than that on the coasts
and is arid in places.
 The Indian
Desert and its
Features
• The Indian desest lies towards the western
margins of the Aravali Hills. It is an undulating
sandy plain covered with sand dunes.
• The Thar Desert, also known as the Great
Indian Desert, is a large arid region in the
northwestern part of the Indian
subcontinent that covers an area of
200,000 km2 (77,000 sq mi) and forms a
natural boundary
between India and Pakistan.
• It is the world's 17th largest desert, and the
world's 9th largest subtropical desert.
• About 85% of the Thar Desert is located within
India, with the remaining 15% in Pakistan.
• In India, it covers about
170,000 km2 (66,000 sq mi), and the
remaining 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) of the
desert is within Pakistan.
• The Thar Desert forms approximately 5% of the
total geographic area of India. More than 60%
of the desert lies in the Indian state
of Rajasthan, and it extends into the states
of Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana, and the
Pakistani province of Sindh.
• The Luni River is the only river integrated into
the desert.
• Rainfall is limited to 100–500 mm (4–20 in) per
year, mostly falling from July to September.
• The soil of the Thar Desert remains dry for much
of the year and is prone to wind erosion.
• High velocity winds blow soil from the desert,
depositing some on neighboring fertile lands,
and causing shifting sand dunes within the
desert.
• Barchans (crescent shaped dunes) cover larger
areas but longitudinal dunes become more
prominent near the Indo-Pakistan boundary.
 The Coastal
Plains and its
Features
• The Peninsular plateau is
flanked by stretch of
narrow coastal strips,
running along the Arabian
Sea on the west and the
Bay of Bengal on the east.
• The western coast,
sandwiched between the
Western Ghats and the
Arabian Sea, is a narrow
plain.
 The Eastern Coast
• The Eastern Coastal Plains is a wide stretch
of landmass of India, lying between
the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal.
• It is wider and leveled than the Western
Coastal Plains and stretches from Tamil
Nadu in the south to West Bengal in the
north through Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
• It is locally known as Utkal Plains in the
Northern part
between Cossye and Rushikulya
Rivers, Northern Circars in the Central part
between Rushikulya and Krishna
Rivers and, as Coromandel Coast in the
Southern part from the south of
river Krishna till the Southern tip
of Mainland India at Cape Comorin where
it merges with the Western coastal plains.
 The Western Coast
• The Western Coastal Plains is a strip of coastal plain 50
kilometres (31 mi) in width between the west coast of India and
the Western Ghats hills, which starts near the south of the Tapti
River.
• The plains are located between the Western Ghats and
the Arabian Sea. The plains begin at Gujarat in the north and
end at Tamil Nadu in the south.
• The region consists of three sections: the Northern part of the
coast is called the Konkan (Mumbai-Goa), the central stretch is
called the Kanara or the "Karavali", while the southern stretch is
referred to as the Malabar Coast.
• On its northern side there are two gulfs: the Gulf of Khambat and
the Gulf of Kutch.
• The south Malabar or Kerala coast is broken and there are some
lagoons. The north Malabar Coast is known as the Karnataka
coast.
• The Western Coastal Plains extend 1,500 km from Cape
Comorin in the south to Surat in north, the width ranging from 10
to 25 km from north to south, the Gujarat Plains the Konkan
plains, the Karnataka coastal plains, and the Kerala-Tamil nadu
coastal plains from Cannanore to Cape Comorin, 500 km make
up the west coastal plains.
The Islands and its
Features
• India has a vast main
land.
• Besides this, the country
has also two groups of
islands.
• They are Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and
Lakshadweep Islands.
 Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union
territory of India comprising 572 islands of which 37
are inhabited, are a group of islands at the
juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman
Sea.
• The territory's capital is the city of Port Blair.
• The total land area of the islands is approximately
8,249 km2 (3,185 sq mi).
• The territory is divided into three districts: Nicobar
District with Car Nicobar as capital, South
Andaman district with Port Blair as capital
and North and Middle Andaman district with
Mayabunder as capital.
• There is great diversity of flora and fauna in this
group of islands.
 Lakshadweep Islands
• Lakshadweep is a group of islands in the Lakshadweep
Sea, 200 to 440 km off the southwestern coast of India.
The archipelago is administered as a union
territory and district of India.
• Earlier they were known as Laccadive, Minicoy and
Amindive. In 1973 these were named as Lakshadweep.
• Lakshadweep means "one hundred thousand islands" in
Sanskrit,Marathi and Malayalam.
• The islands form the smallest Union Territory of India and
their total surface area is just 32 km2.
• Kavaratti island is the administrative headquarters of
Lakshadweep. This island group has great diversity of
flora and fauna.
• The Pitti island, which is uninhabited, has a bird
sanctuary.
 • The mountains are the major
sources of water and forest
wealth.
• The northern plains are the
HOW ARE THE PHYSICAL granaries of the country.
FEATURES • The plateau is a storehouse of
COMPLEMENTARY TO minerals, which has played a
EACH OTHER AND HOW IT crucial role in the industrialisation
CONTRIBUTES TO of the country.
ECONOMIC • The coastal region and island
DEVELOPMENT OF INDIA?
groups provide sites for fishing
and port activities.
• Thus, the diverse physical features
of the land have immense future
possibilities of development.