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Indian Physiography has been one of the essential yet neglected topics in the General Knowledge for UPSC. India is made up of separating one central tectonic plate i.e., Indo-Australia tectonic plates, millions of years ago. This separation gave birth to a diamond-shaped country and the origination of six different groups of landmasses. These landmasses are six in numbers that we will discuss in this article. They are the islands, the coastal plains, the Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert), the Deccan Plateau, the Northern Plains, and the last gigantic Northern Mountain range of the Himalayas.
The Northern Mountains
The Northern Mountain ranges result from the massive collision between the European plate and Indian plate. The continuous pressure on the landmasses resulted in mountains’ convergence which were converted into small fold mountains initially. The geography of the Himalayas has covered the distance between two holy rivers on both sides, the Indus river from the West and the Brahmaputra on the East end.
The most challenging range in the world has been parted into three sections Greater Himalayas (Himadri range), Lower Himalayas (Himachal), and Outer Himalayas (Siwaliks). The Himachal region has an altitude range of approximately 3800-4600 meters. The Shiwalik region has an altitude range of 1000-1300 meters. The Himadri region has an altitude range of more than 6200 meters.
The Northern Plains
The Northern Plains have evolved due to the continuous accumulation of drained soil from the base of the Himalayas mountains for a prolonged period. The three major rivers that have a significant impact on the formation of this physiographical division on the belt of the Northern mountains are the Ganges, the Indus, and the Brahmaputra.
The alluvial soil possesses the highest concentration of soil drained down from the foothills of the Himalayas. It is one of India’s highest agricultural productive regions, rich in essential minerals for plantation.
The Great Indian Desert
The area to the west of Aravalli Hills is situated at the border of Rajasthan and Haryana. On the left of this mountain range in the Northwest region, lies the Great Indian Desert. A dry place with little to no rainfall throughout the year supports negligible vegetation. The equivalent rain per year is only 145 millimeters.
Some water streams may be observed in very few places once a year in the form of an oasis, because of the Luni River that flows through the desert.
The Peninsular Plateau
The Peninsular Plateau (the other name is Deccan Plateau) is the tabular-shaped landmass made from the metamorphic rocks that have been sedimented for thousands of years. The Deccan Plateau is situated in the middle of the area left between the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats.
Folded hills, rift valleys and shallow plateaus are some significant geography characteristics. Due to being surrounded by the coast from both sides, the extreme western and extreme eastern halves have been submerged several times at underwater level. The Peninsular Plateau is the most stable landmass in India and the oldest.
The Coastal Plains
The Coastal Plains is the boundary that shares a border with the Peninsular Plateau from the West and the East. These coastal strips are the Arabian Sea against the Western Ghats and the Bay Of Bengal sharing boundaries with the Eastern Ghats.
The Western Coast has been trisected into three sections, the portion from Mumbai to Goa is the region called Konkan, whereas the center section is known as the Kannad Plain, and the southern section is referred to as the Malabar Coast.
The Eastern Coast stretches from the Bay Of Bengal, whose northern section is the Northern Circar, whereas the southern section is referred to as the Coromandel Coast.
The Islands
The islands associated with India have been separated into two groups, one group is from the Bay of Bengal section, whereas the other is from the Arabian Sea. The Bay of Bengal group has 570 islands comprising several small islands from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
On the side of the Arabian sea, two major islands are the Minicoy and the Lakshadweep situated at a distance of 300 and 500 kilometers from the coast of Kerala. There are a total of 25 islands that have a living habitat.
Conclusion
The physiographical divisions of the entire landmass have been done by considering certain factors such as structure, similar ecosystems, flora, fauna, etc. The rocky geography of the Northern Mountains ranges is because of the high altitude peaks, bisected valleys, and tall canyons. The Deccan plateau has been categorized as the single stable rock, striped rocks, upon which the entire civilization is running. The Physiography of the geography India is a vital topic for any aspirant.
