DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL

Secunderabad
Ls.2 Physical features of India

I. New Vocabulary:

a. Gondwana land: a major portion of the crust that once incorporated Australia,
Peninsular India, South Africa and South America.
b. Glacier: Slow moving rivers of snow and ice
c. Pass: A gap in mountain range providing a natural route across
d. Fold Mountains: The fold mountains formed during the most recent major
phase of folding in the earth’s crust.
e. Coral Polyps: Coral Polyps are short lived, microorganisms which live in
colonies.

II. Question and Answers

1. List the major Physiographic divisions of India.

Ans. The Physical features of India can be grouped under the following physiographic
divisions.
● The Himalayan Mountains.
● The Northern Plains.
● The Peninsular Plateau.
● The Indian Desert.
● The Coastal Plains.
● The Islands.

2. Explain why are Himalayas called young fold mountains.

Ans: The Himalayas are called young mountains because:

1. They are formed due to the folding of the geosyncline of Tethys.

2. They represent a very youthful topography with high peaks, deep valleys and

fast flowing rivers.

3. What do you understand by duns? Where are they situated in our country?
Give any two examples of duns.
Ans. Duns • Duns are the flat-bottomed, longitudinal (eastwest running) valleys
in the south of the Himalayas.
• They are situated between the lesser Himalayas and the Shiwalik. They are
covered with thick
deposits of gravel and alluvium.
• Example: Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun.

4. Discuss briefly the parallel ranges/longitudinal extent of the Himalayas.

 Ans: The Himalayas consists of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal
extent.

a. The Himadri/the Greater Himalayas

⚫ The northernmost range of Himalayas is known as the Great/Inner
Himalayas/Himadri.
⚫ It has number of valleys and loftiest peaks covered with snow with an average
height of 6000 meters.
⚫ It has all the prominent Himalayan peaks - Kanchenjunga, K2, etc.

b. The Himachal/ the lesser Himalayas

⚫ The range lying to the south of the Himadri forms the most rugged mountain
system known as Himachal,
⚫ The ranges are mainly composed of highly compressed and altered rocks.
⚫ It has prominent ranges such as Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar and the Mahabharata
ranges.
⚫ It is also famous for valleys such as Kashmir valley, Kangra valley and the Kullu
valley in Himachal Pradesh and hill stations such as Shimla, Nanital, Darjeeling, etc.

c. The Shiwalik/the outer Himalayas –

⚫ The outermost range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks.
⚫ These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments and are covered with
thick gravel and alluvium brought by the rivers.

⚫ It is famous for duns - Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun, Patli Dun, etc.

5. Name the divisions of Himalayas on the basis of regions from West to

East/Latitudinal division.
Ans: The west-east divisions of the Himalayas are as follows:
• The Punjab Himalayas – These are the western part of Himalayas that lies
between the Indus and the Sutlej rivers. It is also known as the Kashmir or Himachal
Himalayas. It consists of many ranges, valleys and uplands.
• The Kumaon Himalayas – These are the middle part of the Himalayas in India.
It lies between the Sutlej and the Kali rivers, mainly in the Uttarakhand.
• The Nepal Himalayas – These mountains lie between the Kali and the Tista
rivers.
• The Assam Himalayas – These mountains lie between the Tista and Dihang
(name of Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh).

6. Describe how Northern Plains were formed?

Ans:
• The Northern plains are formed by the interplay of the three major river
systems, namely the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their
tributaries.
• The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying at the foot hills of the Himalaya
over millions of years formed this fertile plain.
• These plains have rich soil cover combined with adequate water supply and
favourable climate for agriculture.

7. Give a brief account on Northern Plains.

Ans: -
• The Northern Plains of India are alluvial plains of India. They are formed by the
sediments brought from the mountains and deposited by the rivers in the depression
formed after the uplift of the Himalayas namely the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra
and their tributaries.
• The plains spread over an area of 7 lakh sq.km. The length of this plain is 2,400
km long and 240 km broad.

• It is densely populated and intensely cultivated area with adequate water

supply and favourable climate.

The Northern Plains of India are divided into three divisions based on the river
flow:

• Punjab Plains covers the western part of the Northern Plains. They are formed
by Indus River and its tributaries.

• Ganga Plains extends between Ghaggar and Tista river, spread over the states
of Haryana, Delhi, U.P., Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

• The Brahmaputra Plain lies to the east of the Ganga plains in Assam

8. Classify the Northern Plains on the basis of the variations in the relief
features. Ans:
The Northern Plains are alluvial plains formed by deposition of sediments brought
down by rivers from the mountains. On the basis of the variation in relief it is divided
into four regions.
• Bhabar: The rivers, after descending down from the mountains, deposit pebbles
in a narrow belt of 8-16km lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks. This is known
as Bhabar. The streams disappear in this belt.
• Terai: Below the Bhabar belt, the streams and rivers re-emerged and create a
wet, swampy and marshy region called Terai. It was a thickly forested area rich in
wildlife.
• Bhangar: It is the largest part of the northern plains made up of older alluvium.
This region lies above the flood plains of the rivers and present a terrace-like feature.
The soil is not fertile here, it contains calcareous deposits called kankar.
• Khadar: The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains found in the lower river
valley and at the mouth of the river. These are very fertile and get renewed every year
by the rivers.

9. Describe the Peninsular Plateau of India. Ans.

• The Peninsular Plateau is the oldest part of the Indian subcontinent. It lies to
the south of the Northern Plains. • It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of
the Gondwanaland.

• It is a huge tableland that consists of many plateaus, mountains ranges, hills

and valleys. It is composed of the old, hard, crystalline, igneous and metamorphic
rocks.

• The Peninsular plateau consists of two broad divisions. Its northern part
comprised the Central Highlands. The southern part is known as the Deccan Plateau.

• The Central Highlands comprise some famous plateaus such as the Malwa, the
Bundelkhand, the Baghelkhand and the Chotanagpur plateaus.
• One distinctive features of the Peninsular plateau are the Deccan Trap or the
Lava plateau. It is a black soil region.

• Most of this region is drained towards the south-east by rivers like the
Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers. The Narmada and the
Tapi rivers flow westwards.

10. Give a brief account on ‘The Indian Desert’.

Ans.:
The Indian Desert is found to the extreme west of India surrounded by the Aravalli
hills. Following are the characteristics:
• It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes.
• This region receives very low rainfall below 150 mm per year.
• It has arid climate with low vegetation cover. Streams appear during the rainy
season.
• Luni is the only large river in this region.
11. Give an account on the Coastal Plains. Ans.
• 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
Coastal Plains:
• The western coast, sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian
Sea, is a narrow plain.
• It consists of three sections. The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan
(MumbaiGoa), the central stretch is called the Kannad Plain while the southern
stretch is referred to as the Malabar coast.
• Narmada and Tapi are the main rivers that flow in this region.
The Eastern Coastal Plains:
• The eastern coast sandwiched between eastern ghats and the Bay of Bengal, it
is broader than the Western Coastal Plains.
• In the northern part it is referred to as the Northern Circar, while the southern
part is known as the Coromandel Coast.
• Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri
have formed extensive delta on this coast.
•
12. Describe the features of the Central Highlands of India.
Ans:
• 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 bounded by Vindhyas in the south and the Aravalli’s
on the northwest. The further westward extension gradually merges with the sandy
and rocky desert of Rajasthan.
• The flow of the rivers draining this region namely the Chambal, the Sind, the
Betwa and Ken is from southwest to northeast, thus indicating the slope.
• 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. The Chotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extensions
drained by the Damodar river.

13. Write a short note on Islands of India.

Ans: LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS:

These island groups are located in the Arabian Sea i.e., west of Malabar coast of
Kerala.
• They are of coral origin formed by deposition of the dead remains, coral polyps.

• The total area of islands is 32 sq km, and Kavaratti is the headquarters.

• They have a wide diversity of flora and fauna. The Pitti Island, an uninhabited
island has a bird sanctuary.
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS:
• These islands are located in the Bay of Bengal are the raised portion of the
submerged mountain ranges projecting out of the sea water.
• Large in size and are more numerous. Some of them are of volcanic origin e.g.,
Barren Island the only active volcano.
• The headquarters of this island is Port Blair. • Experiences equatorial climate
and has thick forest cover.

14. ‘The diverse physical features of India have immense future possibilities of
development’. Give facts to support this statement.

OR

Prove that the major physio-graphic divisions are complimentary to one

another.

Ans.
• Each physiographic region compliments the other and makes the country
richer in its natural resources.
• The Northern Mountains are the major sources of water and forest wealth.
• The Northern Plains are the granaries of the country and they provide the base
for early civilizations.
 • The Plateau is a store house of minerals which plays a key role in the
industrialization of the country.
• The Coastal region and the Island group provide sites for fishing and port
activities. Thus, the diverse physical features of land have immense future
possibilities of development.

15. Write a short note on ‘corals’

Ans: -
• Coral polyps are very small short-lived, marine organisms which live in colonies
(groups).
• They live only in shallow, mud-free, warm waters in the tropical seas.
• Their skeleton is made of calcium carbonate extracted from sea water in which polyps
live.
• When coral polyps die, their hard rock-like skeletons are left behind. The deposition
of skeletons of the sea- bed forms coral deposits in the form of reefs.
• The coral deposits can be seen in the Lakshadweep islands, the Great Barrier Reef (in
Australia) and many islands in the Indian Ocean.
Distinguish between:
16. Bhangar and Khadar.

Bhangar Khadar
1. Bhangar is old alluvial soil. 1. Khadar is new alluvial soil.
2. This soil is found far from the river basins. 2. This soil is found near the river basins.

3. This soil is less fertile and therefore, not 3. This soil is very fertile and ideal for
ideal for agriculture. agriculture.

17.Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats.

Eastern Ghats Western Ghats

1. The Eastern Ghats form the eastern arm of the 1.The Western Ghats form the western arm of
peninsular India. the Peninsular India.
.2. They run parallel to the eastern coast and are 2. It runs parallel to the western coast. They
broken, irregular and discontinuous. are continuous and can be crossed through
passes only.
3. They run from the Mahanadi Valley 3. They run north-south along the
(in Arabian Sea from south Gujarat to
Odisha) to the Nilgiris in the south Kerala.
(Tamil Nadu)
4. The average elevation of the Eastern Ghats is 4. The average elevation of the Western Ghats
600-1200meters. 900-1600 meters.
 5. The highest peaks include 5. The highest peaks include the AnaiMudi and
Mahendragiri, Doda Betta.

NOTE – All the students are expected to write the following Ques and
Ans in GEO C.W – 4,5,8,9,11,12,14,17.