Regional geography of India

India lies on the Indo-Australian plate of the world. The Indian subcontinent is formed from the continental crust of this plate. India’s major five physical divisions marked by natural configuration are the Peninsular Plateau, The Great Mountains of the North, The Islands, The Coastal Plains, and The North-Indian Plains. This distribution is made based on the physiographic nature of the land. Each physical division is marked by its speciality and characteristics that differentiate it from others. We have discussed all these physical divisions in brief. This article explains the subdivisions of all these physical divisions.

• THE GREAT MOUNTAINS OF THE NORTH

There is a chain of mountains from the Indo-Myanmar in the west to the Pamir plateau in the west. This chain forms an arc by stretching uninterruptedly for almost about 3600 km. The range of this mountain belt is between 150 and 400 km. The mountains between the Indus river in Kashmir and Pamir plateau are the Karakoram. Some of the world’s largest mountain glaciers, Siachen and Baltoro, fall under the Karakoram mountain ranges. K2 Godwin Austen is the world’s second-largest mountain peak, also under the Karakoram range.

The mountain ranges between the Brahmaputra and the Indus are called the Himalayas. The Himalayas are constituted of three parallel ranges, and these ranges differ in terms of their height, which increases from South to North.

Siwalik is the southernmost and the lowest range of the Karakoram mountains. 1000 to 2000 m is the average altitude range of the Siwalik mountains. The constituents that make up this mountain range are silt, soft rocks, and mud. The width range is between 10 to 50 km. The presence of some narrow valleys can also be observed in this part. Dehradun is one of them.

The middle Himalayas or the Himachal ranges lie north of the Siwaliks. 4000-4500 m is the average height of these mountain ranges above sea level, and the width is about 80 km. Most of its slopes are covered by Meadows and forests. Beautiful sights can be seen on these mountain ranges because of numerous streams, waterfalls, and springs. Many Hill resorts are also found here, such as Shimla, Darjeeling, Dharamshala, Dalhousie, Nainital, and Mussorie. 

The Himadri is the northernmost range of the Himalayas and have an average height of more than 6000 m and are the highest among all ranges. The world’s highest peak is Mount Everest in Nepal. The highest peak of the Himalayas in India is the Kanchenjunga in Sikkim.

• THE NORTH-INDIAN PLAIN

The physical division of North Indian Plains extends from the Brahmaputra in the east to Satluj in the west and extends over 2500 km approximately. The major constituents of the North-Indian Plains include alluvium brought by the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Indus and their tributaries. The Brahmaputra and Indus are the two rivers that flow in opposite directions and rise beyond the Himalayas very close to each other.

• THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU

The peninsular plateau lies to the south of the north Indian plains. Being the oldest physical division of India, the major constituents include metamorphic and hard igneous rocks. For millions of years, it has been undergoing changes brought by external and internal forces of the earth and has survived since then. There is a contrast in the hills present in this region because they have small heights and rounded tops. There are two categories of the peninsular plateau: the Deccan Plateau and the Central Highlands.

To the north of Vindhya’s, which is the northern part of the Peninsula, lies the Central Highlands. A fence of Aravalis is all around the Central Highlands in the Northwest, which merges gradually with the Ganga Plains in the north. From west to east, a series of plateaus comprises the central highland. 

On the other hand, the Deccan Plateau extends from the Vindhya’s in the north to the tip of the Peninsula in the south. The Western Ghats are present on the Western edge of the plateau and are higher than the Eastern ones. 

• THE COASTAL PLAINS

Coastal Plains are present on both sides of the Deccan Plateau. The broadest coastal plain is the Western one and includes Gujarat’s plains. As we move towards the south, this keeps on narrowing. It is referred to as the Konkan coast in the South of Gujarat. Malabar Coast is the name given to the southern part.

The lagoons or backwaters of Kerala and estuaries of the Narmada and Tapi in the north are a part of the Western coastline. The eastern coastal plain is more levelled and wider than the Western coast. Coromandel coast is the name given to the southern part of these planes and Circar to the northern ones.

• THE

  ISLANDS

There is a cluster of numerous small islands to the west of the Kerala coast. Lakshadweep Islands is their name collectively since they are of local origin. The Andaman and Nicobar islands are present in the Bay of Bengal, comparatively bigger.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, India’s major five physical divisions are the Peninsular Plateau, The Great Mountains of the North, The Islands, The Coastal Plains, and The North-Indian Plains. Different natural configurations mark these divisions. We have studied in detail all the five physical divisions. This topic forms a major part of Indian geography and is even interesting. We learn about how the mountains, plains, plateaus, and mountains were formed and how they have been surviving for millions of years to date. Topics like these also form a part of many competitive examinations because they are important.