Question – Why do we often use the term Indian Peninsula?
Answer-
A peninsula is a landmass that is covered with water on 3 sides and lands on one side. There are three bodies of water around India: the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. It is therefore referred to as a peninsula.
The following are India’s key physiographic divisions:
- The Plateau of the Peninsula
- Mountains in the Himalayas
- Deserts of India
- Away from the mainland
- North and South Carolina Coastal Plain
- The Great Plains region
The Plateau of the Peninsular United States
Ø The Peninsular Plateau is a remnant of an ancient continent that formerly covered much of the Earth’s surface.
Ø Peninsular Plateau is one of the most stable land blocks, but the High Mountains are an unstable zone.
Ø The Peninsular Plateau is characterized by gently rolling hills and large, shallow valleys.
Ø The Peninsular Plateau was created as a result of the Gondwana land breakup and drifting.
Ø Plateau rocks include metamorphic and igneous rock types.
Ø There are the Aravalli Hills, which run from Gujarat in the west to Delhi in the north, on the Peninsular plateau’s Western and Northwestern margins.
Ø The Deccan Trap, a region of the Peninsular Plateau, is notable for its black dirt.
Ø The Peninsular Plateau is flanked by two coastlines, one on either side of the Arabian Sea, and the other on the Bay of Bengal.
Peninsular Plateau – 2 Types
The Peninsular plateau can be divided into two parts, as seen in the following table:
- Plateau of the Deccan
- Central Highlands
The Central Highlands (Peninsular Plateau)
Ø The Central Highlands extend eastward into Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand. The Chotanagpur Plateau is a new outcropping to the east.
Ø North of the Narmada river, the Malwa plateau is dominated by the Central Highlands.
Ø There are only a few miles of Central Highlands in the East.
Ø The Central Highlands stretch far to the west.
Ø The Ken, Betwa, Sindh, and Chambal rivers flow from the southwest to the northeast in this region.
The Indian plateau (Peninsular Plateau)
The Deccan Plateau is a triangle landmass located to the south of the Narmada River.
Ø The Mikal range, Mahadev and Kimura hills are the eastern expansions of the Deccan plateau.
Ø The Satpura range lies to the north of the Deccan plateau.
Ø The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and gently dips eastward.
Ø Fault lines separate the Deccan Plateau from the Chotanagpur Plateau.
North Cachar Hills, Karbi-Anglong Plateau, and Meghalaya are all examples of an extension of the Deccan plateau in the Northeast.