Explore in Detail about the Indian geography

India is well known for its varied diversity in every way possible. India is the 7th largest country in terms of landmass, 2nd largest in terms of population, and the world’s largest democracy. 

Its major geographical details are as follows –

• India lies mostly on the Indian plate and Indo-Australian plate taking up its northern part
• Its end latitudes are: 8°4′ and 37°6′ North latitude and end longitudes are: 68°7′ and 97°25′ East longitude. The Tropic of Cancer passes through its centre, almost through 8 states of India
• It measures 3,214 km end to end from North to South and 2,993 km from East to West
• It has a coastline of 7,517 km and a land frontier of 15,200 km
• It is a peninsula surrounded by – the Arabian Sea in the southwest direction, the Bay of Bengal in the southeast direction, and the Indian Ocean in the south direction, with its southernmost tip called Cape Comorin 
• The Himalayan mountain range acts as a frontier in the majority of its northern region and also shares its border with China, Bhutan, and Nepal in this region
• The Ganges which is the longest river of India along with the River Brahmaputra forms the Indo-Gangetic Plain in northern, central, and eastern regions.
• The Thar desert which is the 7th largest in the world occupies the western region of India

Physiographic Division Of India

The Indian subcontinent comprises 5 major geographical divisions as we move from North to South namely : 

• The Himalayan Range
• The Indo Gangetic Plain
• The Deccan Plateau and Peninsula
• The Coastal Plains
• The Islands

The Himalayan Range

This range stretches from Kashmir to the country border in its east. Around 70 million years ago, as the Indian plate moved towards the Asian plate alongside the contraction of the Tethys Sea, it led to the folding of sediments successively and led to the formation of the Himalayas. It is further subdivided into three regions namely – The Great Himalaya, The Middle or the Lesser Himalaya, and The Shiwaliks or the Outer Himalayas

Significance of the Himalayas

The Himalayas have significantly affected India in various aspects ever since their formation, for example – 

• Climatic influence – Himalayas are responsible for splitting the jet streams leading to monsoons in India and they also act as a barrier stopping the cold airstreams flowing from Central Asia
• Defence – Himalayas have always served as a shield from invaders from neighbouring countries like China
• Source of Rivers – great rivers like the Ganga, Brahmaputra trace back their origin to the Himalayas 
• Fertile Soil – the rivers that originate from the Himalayas tend to deposit huge amounts of alluvium in the Northern Plains aiding the fertility of the soil
• Hydroelectricity – Several sites across the Himalayas have been harnessed for hydroelectric power projects due to their vast potential for power
• Forest Wealth and Tourism – due to the rich forest cover and incredible sceneries, the Himalayas have always been popular tourist spots for visitors around the globe

The Northern Plains

Positioned between the Himalayas in the North and Peninsulas in the South, these stretch between Rajasthan’s arid and semi-arid plains in the West to the Ganges delta in the east. The 3 major river systems – the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, and the Indus drain into this region. This region is evidently fertile due to the alluvial deposits by these rivers. The major region-wise divisions of this region are as follows:

• Western Plains
• Punjab-Haryana plain
• Ganga Plain
• Ganga-Yamuna Doab
• Rohilkhand Plains
• Awadh Plains
• Bihar Plains
• North Bengal Plains
• Bengal Basin
• Rarh Plain

The Peninsular Plateau

This region is roughly triangular area-wise with a base in the North and apex in Kanyakumari. It covers almost about half of the total land area of India making it the largest geographical unit of India. The main plateau and hill ranges in the peninsular plateau are as follows – 

• Aravalli range
• Marwar Upland
• Central Highlands
• Bundelkhand Upland
• Malwa Plateau
• Baghelkhand
• Chotanagpur Plateau
• Meghalaya Plateau
• Deccan Plateau
• Chhattisgarh Plain
• Vindhya Range
• Satpura Range

The Eastern and Western Ghats form the eastern and western boundaries of the Peninsular Plateau respectively. 

The Coastal Plains

The peninsular plateau is bounded by coastal plains which extend from Kutch in Gujarat to West Bengal. It is subdivided into Eastern and Western Coastal plains.

• Eastern Coastal Plains: These stretch up to 120 km in width between the Eastern Ghats and Bay of Bengal. They extend from Tamil Nadu in the South to West Bengal in the North. The rivers – Mahanadi, Godavari, Kaveri, and Krishna rivers drain into these regions. The six main regions of these plains are – the Krishna Godavari deltas, Mahanadi Delta, Southern Andhra Pradesh Plain, Kanyakumari Coast, the Coromandel, and the Sandy Coastal regions
• Western Coastal Plains: These stretch up to 50 km in width between the west coast of India and the Western Ghats. They extend from Gujarat in the North to Kerala in the South. The three main regions of these plains are – Konkan, Kanara, and the Malabar Coast.

The Indian Islands

There are two major groups of islands in India, one is Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the other is Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea. 

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands: These stretch up to a distance of 590 km with a maximum width of 58 km. It consists of almost 265 individual islands occupying an area of 8249 sq. km. 
• Lakshadweep Islands: It consists of almost 25 small islands over an area of 108.78 sq km. 

  Conclusion:

  Thus, we can infer from above that India is a country of diverse cultures and geographies, no wonder it’s called ‘The Indian Subcontinent. It consists of various countries which are surrounded by the Himalayas in the north and the Indian Ocean in the south. The main country in terms of area and population among these is India and hence the name of the subcontinent.