Peninsular Plateau, Central Highland, and Coastal Plains

The Peninsular Plateau

• It is a tableland that is composed of Old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks
• It formed due to the breaking and drifting of Gondwanaland 
• Broad and shallow valleys and rounded hills are visible on the plateau
• Deccan Trap has abundant black soil which is of volcanic origin (Igneous Rocks)
• On the western and north western margins of the Peninsular Plateau lies the Aravali Hills
  • These are highly destroyed hills and are found as broken hills
  • In the Southwest-northeast direction, they extend from Gujarat to Delhi
• It has two broad divisions:
  • The Central Highlands.
  • The Deccan Plateau.

Visit to know more about UPSC Exam Pattern

The Central Highlands

• Malwa plateau is covered by the Narmada River which lies to the North and is a part of the Central Highlands

• It is bounded by the Satpura range on the South and the Aravallis on the northwest
• Moving towards the westward extension, it gradually merges with the sandy and rocky desert of Rajasthan

• The rivers flowing in this region are the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa and the Ken from southwest to the northeast which indicates the slope
• These are narrower in the East and wider in the West 
• These are locally known as Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand which are the eastward extensions. The further eastward extension is marked as Chotanagpur plateau which is drained by the Damodar River

The Deccan Plateau

• The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that is situated towards the South of the river Narmada
• The broad base in the North is the Satpura range, while the eastern extensions are formed by the Mahadev hills, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range
• It slopes gently eastwards and higher in the West
• The Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North Cachar Hills are visible towards the northeast extension
• Malda Gap: It is a fault separating the Deccan Plateau and the Chota Nagpur plateau
• The Garo, the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills are the three prominent ranges in the Meghalaya plateau
• The Western and Eastern Ghats because of which it is called western and eastern edges, respectively
• Thal, Bhor and Pal Ghats are the only passes for the Western Ghats to the western coast which lie parallel to each other

Also see UPSC Question Paper

Western Ghats

• These are higher than the Eastern Ghats and their height progressively increases from North to South. Its average elevation is 900-1600 meters 
• They act as a barrier for the Southwest monsoon winds and are responsible for orographic rain in the region 
• Across the Western ghats, many peaks are visible amongst which Anai Mudi (2,695 meters) and the Doda Betta (2,637 meters) are the highest peaks

Also see How to Prepare for UPSC without Coaching

Eastern Ghats

• It is spread across 600 meters and along the Mahanadi Valley to the Nilgiris in the South
• Interrupted and irregular and dissected patterns are seen by rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal
• Across the Eastern ghats, many peaks are visible amongst which Mahendragiri (1,501 meters) and the Shevaroy Hills and the Javadi Hills are located to its southeast; these are the highest peaks

Coastal Plains

• The Coastal plains merge along the West towards the Arabian Sea and on the East towards the Bay of Bengal which is spread across the stretch of narrow coastal strips

• Western Coast

  • It is a narrow plain sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats
  • It consists of three sections
    • Konkan (Mumbai – Goa): It is the northern part of the coast
    • Kannad Plain: It is the central stretch
    • Malabar Coast: It is the southern stretch

• Eastern Coast

  • Their plains are wide and level. Its northern and southern parts are referred to as the Northern Circar and Coromandel Coast
  • An extensive delta on the coast is formed by The Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri
  • One of the important features along the eastern coast is Lake Chilika

Conclusion

India is a very diverse country in terms of its geography and its physical features. Northern plains, Peninsular plateau and coastal plains are its major landscape. The peninsular plateau consists of old crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks. Broad divisions of this plateau are the central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau. The central Highlands consist of the Vindhya range, Baghelkhand, Bundelkhand and Chota Nagpur Plateau whereas the Deccan Plateau consists of Satpura Range, Western Ghats and Eastern Ghat.

Western Ghats; the elevated mountains range along the Western coast. Annaimudi is the highest peak of Western  Ghats whereas the Eastern Ghats runs along the eastern coast and Mahendra Giri is one of the highest peaks of it. The peninsular plateau extends to the Coastal Plains of India. The coastal plains have the Western Coast and Eastern Coast. The western coast is a narrow stretch whereas the Eastern coast is wide; various rivers flow through these coasts.