3. The Himalayas, geologically young and structurally fold mountains stretch
over the northern borders of India. The Himalayas consist of three
parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent:- 1) Himadri
2) Himachal
3) Shiwaliks
Besides the longitudinal divisions, the Himalayas have been divided on the
basis of regions from west to east:- 1) Punjab Himalayas
2) Kumaon Himalayas
3) Nepal Himalayas
4) Assam Himalayas
4.
5. The northern plains have been formed by the interplay
of three major river systems, namely- the Indus, the
Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their
tributaries. The northern plain is broadly divided into
three sections:-
1) The Punjab plains
2)The Ganga plains
3)The Brahmaputra plains
According to the variations in relief features, the
Northern plains can be divided into four regions:-
1) Bhabar
2)Terai
3)Bhangar
4)Khadar
6.
7. The peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of the
old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks. This
plateau consists of two broad divisions:-
1) The Central Highlands
2) The Deccan Plateau
One of the distinct features of this area is that it consists
of a black soil area known as Deccan trap. This is of
volcanic origin and hence the rocks are igneous.
Actually these rocks have denuded over time and are
responsible for the formation black soil.
9. The Indian desert lies towards
the western margins of the
Aravalli Hills. It is an
undulating sandy plain covered
with sand dunes. This region
receives very low rainfall. It
has arid climate with low
vegetation cover. Streams
appear during the rainy
11. The plateau is flanked by stretch of
narrow coastal strips, running along the
Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal:-
1)Konkan plain
2)Kannad plain
3)Malabar coast
In the northern part it is known as
Northern Circar, while in southern part
it is known as the coromandel coast.
13. India has two main groups of islands. These
are:-
1)Lakshadweep islands
2)Andaman and Nicobar islands
The island groups provide sites for
fishing and port activities. They have
thick forest cover. These island groups
are of great strategic importance to the
country.
