India is the seventh largest country in theworld and second largest country in Asia. It isseparated by the Himalayas from the rest of thecontinent. India accounts for about 2.4 % of thetotal area of the world with an area of 32,87,263sq.km. many of the India states are larger than several countries of the world.
The majestic Himalayanpeaks in the north, thebeautiful beaches in the south,
the great Indian desert in thewest and the breathtakingnatural heritage in the east
make India a geographicallyvibrant, colourful and truly incredible country.
There is a varied nature of physiographicdivisions in India. Though the country has manylandforms based on the major differences, it isdivided into the following five physiographic divisions:
1. The Northern Mountains
2. The Northern Plains
3. The Peninsular plateau
4. The Coastal Plains
5. The Islands
The Northern Mountains
The Northern Mountains consist of theyoungest and the loftiest mountain chains in theworld. It was formed only few millions years agoand formed by the folding of the earth crust dueto tectonic activity. It stretches for a distance of2,500 km from the Indus gorge in the west toBrahmaputra gorge in the east. The width of
the Northern Mountains varies from 500 km inKashmir to 200 km in Arunachal Pradesh. ThePamir Knot, popularly known as the “Roof ofthe World” is the connecting link between theHimalayas and the high ranges of Central Asia.From the Pamir, Himalayas extend eastward inthe form of an arc shape. The term “Himalaya”is derived from Sanskrit. It means “The Abode of Snow”
The Great Northern Plains
The Khadar PlainsThis fertile plain lies to the south of thenorthern mountains. This plain is one of themost extensive stretches of the alluvium inthe world and is deposited by the rivers Indus,Ganga, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The
length of the plain is about 2,400 km and thewidth varies from 240 to 320 km. Its widthincreases from east to west. It covers an area of over 7 lakh sq.km.The Great Plains of India is remarkably a homogeneous surface with an imperceptible
slope. They are formed mostly by the depositional process of the Himalayan and Vindhyan rivers. These rivers deposit enormous quantity of sediments deposited along the foothills and flood plains. The important characteristics featuress of sediment deposition in the plains areas as follows.
The Peninsular Plateaus
The plateau region lies to the south ofthe Great Northern Plains. This is the largest
physiographic division of our country.It covers an area of about 16 lakh sq.km (about half of the total area of the country). It is an oldrocky plateau region. The topography consists ofa series of plateaus and hill ranges interspersed
with river valleys.Aravalli hills mark the north-westernboundary of the plateau region. Its northernand north-eastern boundaries are marked bythe Bundelkhand upland, Kaimur and Rajmahalhills. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats
mark the western and eastern boundariesrespectively. The altitude of a large portion ofthe plateau is more than 600 m from mean sealevel. The peak of Anaimudi is the highest point in the plateau. Its height is 2,695 m and is located in Anaimalai. The general slope ofthis plateau is towards east. The Great Plateau
is a part of the Gondwana (very ancient one)land mass. Due to the old age, the rivers in this region attained their base level and developed
broad and shallow valleys.The river Narmada divides the plateau region of India broadly into two parts. The region lying to the north of the Narmada is
called the Central Highlands and the region lying to the south of Narmada is called the Deccan Plateau. All the major rivers (Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri etc.) lying to the south of the Vindhyas flow eastwards and fall into the Bay of Bengal. Narmada and Tapti are the two rivers situated to the south of the Vindhyas flow westward. Their movement towards west is due to the presence of
a rift valley in the region.
The Western Ghats
The Western Ghats forms the westernedge of the Peninsular Plateau. It runs parallelto the Arabian Sea coast. The northern part ofthis range is called as Sahyadris. The height ofthe Sahyadris increases from north to south.Anaimudi is a sort of tri-junction of theAnaimalai Range, the Cardamom Hills and thePalani Hills. Kodaikanal is a beautiful hill resort situated on the Palani Hills
The Eastern Ghats
Eastern Ghats run from southwest to northeast form the eastern edge of this Plateau.This range is also called as Poorvadri. The Eastern Ghats join the Western Ghats at the Nilgiri hills, bordering Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Eastern Ghats are not continuous like the Western Ghats. The rivers of Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna, Pennar and Kaveri have dissected this range at many places
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