SST PPT PRESENTATION

FORMATION
OF
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF
INDIA

PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA
 India has a great diversity of landforms.
( Mountains, Plateaus, Plains, Valleys,
Hills, Islands etc.)
 They have been formed in different ways at
a
different period of time. They are constantly
being modified and reshaped by the internal
and external forces of the earth.

FORMATION OF PHYSICAL FEATURES
 To understand the physical features of India,
we need to know how these physical
features are formed and evolved.
 The formation of the physical features
of India is linked to the interior
structure of the Earth.

Formation Of Physical Features
Interior Structure
of
the Earth

Energy inside the Earth
 A tremendous amount of energy is given out due to the differences
in the temperature, density and state of the materials in the
interior of the earth.
 Energy moves in the form of waves from one place to another
place.Due to the flow of energy, movements are generated in the
interior of the earth.

Major Lithospheric Plates.
According to the Earth Scientists, the crust of
the earth has been formed out of seven major
and some minor plates.

PLATE MOVEMENTS
The movement of the plates results in the building
up of stresses within the plates and the continental
rocks above, leading to folding, faulting and
volcanic activity.

PLATE BOUNDARIES
 The point where two / more plates meet is known
as Plate Boundary.

 The movement of these lithospheric plates have
changed the position and size of the continents
over millions of years. These movements have
also influenced the evolution of the present
landform features of India.

FORMATION OF PRESENT CONTINENTS

PHYSICAL DIVISIONS OF INDIA
India may be divided broadly into SIX physical
units : –
1) The Great Northern Mountains.
2) The Northern Plains.
3) The Peninsular Plateau.
4) The Desert.
5) The Coastal Plains.
6) The Islands.

1) THE GREAT NORTHERN MOUNTAINS
From Pamir Plateau in the west to the Indo-
Myanmar border in the east, there is a chain
of mountains. They stretch almost
uninterruptedly for about 3600 km and form
an arc. The width of this mountain belt
various between 150 km to 400 km.
A) The Karakoram Range.
B) The Himalayas.
C) The Purvachal.

A) THE KARAKORAM RANGE
The mountains extending between the Pamir
Plateau and the Indus river in Kashmir are
known as the Karakoram Range.

Located in the northern part of Jammu and Kashmir State beyond
the Indus river. This range runs roughly in the east - west direction.

This mountain range contain some of the world's largest
mountain glaciers (Baltoro and Siachen).

 K 2 / Godwin Austin ( 8611 metres), the
second highest peak in the world and the
first hight peak in the Indian union belongs
to this mountain range.

B) THE HIMALAYAS
 The mountains extending between the Indus
river and the Brahmaputra river are called the
Himalayas ( abode / house of snow ).

(i) THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN:-
• The Himalayan ranges contain several high peaks.
Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world.
• The Himalayan Mountains stretch in a long curve
from Jammu and Kashmir in the west to
Arunachal Pradesh in the east.
• Their length is about 2000 kilometers and width
between 230 and 400 kilometers.

The Himalayas are quite useful to us. The
advantages are as follows:-
 High mountain ranges and peaks act a barrier for enemies and so
play a great role in the Defense of India.
 The Himalayas protect the country against the cold winds blowing
from Siberia through central Asia.
 The Himalayas check rain bearing wind and cause heavy rainfall.
The eastern part of the mountain prevents the monsoon
 clouds from escaping northwards out of India. This causes rain in
the whole of northern India.
 There are dense forests up to an altitude of 1500 meters. Different
types of trees, bushes and wild animals are found in these forests.

The Himalayan Ranges
The Himalayas consist of main three parallel
ranges. 1)
The Siwalik Range / The southernmost
The Outer Himalaya range.
2) The lesser Himalaya / The ranges lying
The Middle Himalaya / north of the
The Himachal Siwalik
3) The Great Himalaya / The northernmost
The Himadri ranges of the
Himalayas.

The Greater Himalayas:-
 The highest range of the Himalayas is known as the greater Himalayas. It is
also called the Nimadi.
 The great Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world, extend
along the northern frontiers of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Burma.
They were formed geologically as a result of the collision of the Indian
subcontinent with Asia.
 The Greater Himalayas, or northern range, average approximately 6,000
meters in height and contain the three highest mountains on earth:
Mount Everest (8,796 meters) on the China-Nepal border; K2 (8,611
meters, also known as Mount Godwin-Austen, and in China as Qogir Feng
in an area claimed by India, Pakistan, and China; and Kanchenjunga (8,598
meters) on the India-Nepal border.
 Many major mountains are located entirely within India, such as Nanda
Devi (7,817 meters) in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Importance of Greater Himalayas:-
 The wetlands of the greater Himalayan region such as lakes,
marshes, peat lands and rivers provide important ecological
functions and services to sustain livelihoods.
 River flow regimes and quality of ten major rivers of Asia
namely Amu Darya , Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy,
Salween, Mekong, Yellow and Yangtze are to a large extent
determined by these wetlands, in turn affecting water resources
in more populous and agriculturally/industrially valuable areas
downstream.
 Furthermore climate change and variability will dramatically
affect these wetlands and the provision of their services as it
will change the water cycle on which these wetlands depend.
This will in many cases magnify the effects of other threats.

Images
of
Greater Himalaya
The Peak of Greater
Himalayas
The View of Greater
Himalayas

(ii) The Lesser Himalayas
• The Lower Himalayan Range (also known as the Lesser
Himalayan Range) lies north of the Sub-Himalayan
Range or Siwalik Range and south of the Great
Himalayas.
• The Lesser Himalayas is a prominent range 2,000 to
3,000 meters (6,600 to 9,800 ft) high formed along the
Main Boundary .

Importance of Lesser Himalaya
• They provide a physical screen within
which the monsoon system operates and are
the source of the great river systems that
water the alluvial plains below.
• As a result of erosion, the rivers coming
from the mountains carry vast quantities
of silt that enrich the plains.

Images of Lesser Himalayas
Darjeeling - Tea field in Lesser
Himalaya.
A view of Lesser Himalayas.

(iii) The Shivalik ranges
• The Shivalik Hills or Range are the southernmost and geologically
youngest east-west mountain chain of the Himalayas.
• The Shivalik form a belt, which runs continuously from Jammu,
Kangra valley, Sirmur district to Dehradun and finally ending up in the
Bhabbar tracts of Garhwal and Kumaon. The Sivalik extends about
1,689 km from southwest Kashmir through northern India into
southern Nepal. The hills consists of 6000 meters of layered rocks
• The Shivaliks crest at 600 to 1,200 metres and have many sub-ranges.
They extend 1,600 km from the Teesta River in Sikkim, westward
through Nepal and Uttarkhand, continuing into Kashmir and Northern
Pakistan, and are cut through at wide intervals by large rivers flowing
south from the Himalayas.

Importance of Shivalik hills
•The physical features and the climatic conditions of
this region have played an important role in shaping
and making it an important part from the rest of the
country.
•The physical features and the climatic conditions of
this region have played an important role in shaping
and making it an important part from the rest of the
country.

Images of Shivalik Ranges
Shivalik Hills
A view of Shivalik Range
Kedarnath (Shivalik)

Mt. Everest ( 8848 metres ) in Nepal is the
world's highest peak.

Kanchenjunga ( 8598 metres ) in Sikkim is the
highest peak of the Himalayas, in India.

SOME OTHGER IMPORTANT PEAKS
Dhaulagiri(8172 m)
Nepal Makalu (8481 m)
Annapurna(8176m)
Gouri Sankar (7145 m)
Tibet -------- Namcha Barwa (7756 m )
Nanda Devi (7817 m) India
Kamet (7756 m)
Nanga Parbat (8125 m)
Rakaposhi (7788 m)

THREE LONGITUDINAL BELTS
PLAINS
MIDDLE HIMALAYAS
SIWALIKS
GREAT HIMALAYAS
1100 m
4500 m
6000 m

PASSES
 Himalayan ranges are forbidding and can be
crossed by a few passes which are generally
higher than 4600 metres above sea level.
 The Burzil & the Zojila – Jammu & Kashmir.
 The Baralachala &
the Shipkila Himachal Pradesh
 The Nathula & Jelepla – Sikkim

REGIONAL DIVISIONS OF HIMALAYAS
 The Himalayas have been divided on the basis
of regions from west to east.
 These divisions have been demarcated by
river valleys.

REGIONWISE HIMALAYAS
 Punjab Himalayas:--
The part of the Himalayas lying between Indus
river and Satluj river.
 Kumaon Himalayas:--
The part of the Himalayas lying between Satluj
river and Kali river.

REGIONWISE HIMALAYAS
 Nepal Himalayas:--
The part of the Himalayas lying between Kali river
and Tista river.
 Assam Himalayas:--
The part of the Himalayas lying between Tista
river and Dihang river.

C) THE PURVANCHAL
 The eastern extension of the Himalayan
mountains along the border of Myanmar is
known as the Purvanchal or the Eastern Hills
and Mountains.

The Purvachal
 These hills are mostly composed of strong
sandstones which are sedimentary rocks and
covered with dense forests.

The Purvachal
 It is consist of the Garo, Khasi, Jaintia, Lushai,
Patkai – Bum, Miri and the Mishmi hills.

 It has been made by the three major river systems:-
 The Indus
 The Ganga
 The Brahmaputra
 It plain is formed by alluvial soil.
 The area covered by this plain is 7 lakh kilometers.
 The plain is about 2400 km long and 240 to 320 km
broad is a densely physiographic division.

 THE PUNJAB PLAIN
 THE GANGA PLAIN
 THE BRAHMAPUTRA PLAIN

 The Western Part of the northern plain is called the
Punjab Plain.
 It is formed by Indus and its tributaries. The large part
of this plain lies in Pakistan.
 The Indus and its tributaries :-the Ravi, the Chenab
,etc.
 The section of the plain is dominated by Doabs.

 It extends between Ghaggar and testa
river.

 It spreads over the states of North India ,
Haryana, Delhi , Bihar, U.P. , Jharkhand
,and West Bengal, particularly in Assam lies
the Brahmaputra

 The narrow belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying
parallel to the slopes of shiwalik are called bhabar.
 The streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet
,swampy and marshy region known as terai.
 The flood plains of the rivers and present a terrace like
feature is known as bhangar.
 The soil in this region contains calcareous deposits
known as kankar.

Physical Features of India
The Himalayan Mountains
The Northern Plains
The Peninsular Plateau
The Indian Desert
The Coastal Plains
The Islands

What is Peninsula?
A body or piece of land enclosed on three sides
by water, jutting out from a larger body of land.

The Peninsular Plateau
 Location :--
The Peninsular
Plateau lies to the
south of the
Northern Plains of
the India.

It was formed due to the
breaking and drifting of the
Gondwana land. Hence, it is
a part of the oldest
landmass.

 It is a tableland made up of the old crystalline,
igneous and metamorphic rocks.
 The plateau has broad and shallow valleys and
rounded hills.

Divisions of the Peninsular Plateau
A)The Central Highlands B)The Deccan Plateau
1.The Malwa Plateau 1.The Deccan Trap
2.The Bundelkhand 2.The Western Ghats
3.The Baghelkhand 3.The Eastern Ghats
4.The Chotanagpur 4.The North – East
Plateau extension

 The Peninsular Plateau
is flanked by Aravallis
on the northwest, the
Western Ghats in the
west and the dissected
Eastern Ghats in the
east.
 This plateau ranges in
an elevation from 100
metres in the northern
side to 1000 metres to

 The Deccan Trap is famous for black soils.
 The Peninsular Plateau is rich in
valuable minerals such as mananese,
iron, mica, coal, bauxite, gold
and copper.

The Malwa Plateau
 An area – 81,767 sq.km.
 An average height is 500 metres.
 The landscape slope downwards towards the
north and the northeast.
 The Chamble River and its tributaries drain most
of the Malwa Plateau.
 Important Cities – Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain, Sagar,
Ratlam, Devas etc.

3.The Baghelkhand
 Located to the east of the Bundelkhand Plateau.
 The Baghelkhand is a region of Central India, in
northeastern Madhya Pradesh and adjacent
southern part of Uttar Pradesh.
 The total area is
14,323 sq. m.

The Chotanagpur Plateau
 The Indo – Gangetic plain lies to the north and
east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi
River lies to the south.
 The total area is approximately 65,000 square
kilometres.
 Its height ranges from 1100 m – 300 m.
 Important rivers – Damodar, Son, Bokaro,
Subarnarekha, Kanchi, Gaya, Koel, Karo, Raru,
Lilajan, Sankh etc.

B) The Deccan Plateau
 The southern part of the Peninsula, south of the
Vindhyas, is known as the Deccan Plateau.

The Deccan Plateau
 The Deccan Plateau is a large triangular plateau in
India, covering up the majority of the southern part
of the country. It rises a hundred metres high in the
north, rising further to more than a kilometre high
in the south.

The Deccan Plateau
 The Deccan Plateau is made up of basalt and
granite rocks having a region of highlands with
typically vast stretches of flat areas on top like a
table known as Table Top.

1.The Deccan Trap
Northwestern part of
the Deccan Plateau
which is made up of
lava flows.

The Deccan Trap
 The Deccan Traps are a large igneous province located on the
Deccan Plateau of west-central India. It is one of the largest
volcanic features on the Earth. They consist of multiple layers of
solidified flood basalt that
together are more than
2,000 m thick and cover an
area of 500,000 sq. km. And
a volume of 512,000 km3.

2.The Bundelkhand
 Located to the east of the Malwa Plateau.
 The Bundelkhand is spread over southern Uttar
Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh.
 Total geographical
area is around
70,000 sq.km.

 The peninsular plateau is a tableland
composed of the old crystalline, igneous
and metamorphic rocks.
 It is formed due to the breaking and
drifting of the gondwana land.
 It has a broad and shallow valleys and
rounded hills

The Peninsular Plateau of India is also
named as the Plateau of Peninsular
India. Its biggest part is known as the
Deccan Plateau, comprising the most
part of southern portion of the nation.
The plateau ascends 100 meters in
the north, ascending further to over
1,000 meters to the south, creating an
elevated triangle situated in the well-known
downhill-moving triangle of the
seashore of the Indian subcontinent.

Central Highlands
 The part of peninsular plateau lying to
the north of the narmada river covering
a major area of the malwa plateau is
known as the central highlands.
 The extend of central highlands is from
vindhya to aravalli hills.
 The slope of central highlands is from
south-west to north-east

 The rivers chambal,sind,betwa and ken
flow are according to the slope of the
plateau.
 The central highlands are wider in the
west and are narrower in the east.
 The chotanagpur plateau is the eastward
extension of central highlands.
 The chotanagpur plateau is drained from
damodar river.

Three prominent hills
ranges from the west to east are:
 Garo hills
 Khasi hills
 Jaintia hills

Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats
 The western ghats and the eastern ghats
mark the western and the eastern edges
of the deccan plateau respectively.
 Three passes from western ghats are:
1. Thal ghats
2. Bhor ghats
3. Pal ghats

 The western ghats are higher than the
eastern ghats.
 Their average elevation is 900 to 1600m
as against 600m of the eastern ghats.
 The eastern ghats stretches mahanadi
valley to the nilgiri hills in the south.
 The eastern ghats are discontinuous and
are cut by the rivers.

1) The western Ghats cause pornographic rain
by facing the rain bearing winds to rise along
the western slopes of the Ghats.
2)The heights of western Ghats increases
gradually.
3)The highest peaks include:
i) Anai mudi (2,695m)
ii) Doda betta(2,637m)
4) Mahendragiri (1,501m) is the highest peak
in eastern Ghats.

The Western Ghats
 They are continuous and
higher than the Eastern Ghats.
 The height of the Western
Ghats increases from
north to south.
 Ana Mudi 2,695
metres (8,842 ft)
in Kerala is the
highest peak in

The Western Ghats
 These hills cover 1,60,000 km² and form the catchment area for
a complex of river systems that drain almost 40% of India. The
average elevation is around 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). The area is
one of the world’s ten "Hottest biodiversity hotspots” and has
over 5000 species of flowering plants, 139 mammal species,
508 bird species and 179 amphibian species. At least 325
globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats.

3.The Eastern Ghats
 The Eastern Ghats are the
eastern edge of the
Deccan Plateau.
 They lie parallel to the
eastern coast.

The Eastern Ghats
 The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north,
through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south.
 An average elevation – 600 metres.
 The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous and irregular and
dissected by rivers (Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, Kaveri)
draining into the Bay of Bengal.

Mahendragiri ( 1501 m ) is the
highest peak in the Eastern Ghats.

The Eastern Ghats
 The Eastern Ghats are older than the Western Ghats.
 Palkonda Hills, Javadi Hills, Shevaroy Hills are located to the
southeast of the Eastern Ghats.

A place that receives less than 10 inches (25
centimeters) of rain per year is considered a desert.
Deserts cover more than one fifth of the Earth's land,
and they are found on every continent.
Deserts are. part of a wider classification of regions
called "dry lands .
These areas exist under a moisture deficit, which
means they can frequently lose more moisture
through evaporation than they receive from annual
precipitation.

The largest hot desert in the world, northern Africa's Sahara,
reaches temperatures of up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees
Celsius) during the day. covering 9 million square kilometers and 12
countries.
Hot deserts usually have a large diurnal and seasonal temperature
range, with high daytime temperatures, and low nighttime
temperatures (due to extremely low humidity).
In hot deserts the temperature in the daytime can reach 45 °C/113
°F or higher in the summer, and dip to 0 °C/32 °F or lower at
nighttime in the winter.
Urban areas in deserts lack large (more than 14 °C/25 °F) daily
temperature variations, partially due to the urban heat island effect.
Many deserts are formed by rain shadows; mountains blocking the
path of precipitation to the desert (on the lee side of the mountain).

The common conceptions of deserts as dry and hot, there
are cold deserts as well.
Desert animals have adapted ways to help them keep cool
and use less water.
FOR EXAMPLE, camel can go for days without food and
water. Many desert animals are nocturnal, coming out only
when the brutal sun has descended to hunt. Some animals,
like the desert tortoise in the southwestern United States,
spend much of their time underground. Most desert birds are
nomadic, crisscrossing the skies in search of food. Because
of their very special adaptations, desert animals are
extremely vulnerable to introduced predators and changes
to their habitat.

THE COASTAL PLAINS
 Coastal plains are
characterized by an
area of flat low lying
land that is situated
adjacent to a water
body often a sea or
ocean. It is also of note
that coastal plains are
separated from the
interior of the larger
land mass by other
unique features.

THE COASTAL PLAINS
 The total coast line of India is around 4500 km.

THE COASTAL PLAINS
 The great peninsular plateau is flanked by narrow
coastal strips on both the western and the
eastern sides along the Arabian sea and the Bay
of Bengal respectively. They are known as the
coastal plains

THE COASTAL PLAINS
The Coastal Plains
Western coastal plains Eastern coastal plains

THE COASTAL PLAINS
Western coastal plains :-
 The western coastal plains consist of a narrow
strip of land in the western part of India between
the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.

The Western Coastal Plains
 They extend from Gujarat in the north to the south in Kerala.
 It is a narrow plain whose width varies from 50 to 80 km.
 The western coastal plains are smaller than the eastern coastal
plains and the region is divided into four parts.
1) Gujarat coastal plains.
2) Konkan coastal plains.
3) Kannad coastal plains.
4) Malabar coastal plains.

THE COASTAL PLAINS
The Eastern Coastal Plains :-
The Eastern Coastal Plain is a wide stretch of land lying between
the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal.

The Eastern Coastal Plains
1) The Northern Circar.
The region between the
Mahanadi river and the
Krishna river.
2) Coromandel Coast.
The region between the
Krishna river and the
Kavery river.

The Eastern Coastal Plains
 Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna
and the Kavery have formed extensive delta on this coast. Lake
Chilika is an important feature along the eastern coast. It is the
largest salt water lake in India.
 A delta is a low triangular landform
of alluvial deposits at the mouth of a
river where that river flows into an
ocean or a large body of water.

Coastal plains are a geologic feature found around
the world and on both the eastern and western
coasts of India. Coastal plains are characterized by
an area of flat low lying land that is situated adjacent
to a water body often a sea or ocean. It is also of
note that coastal plains are separated from the
interior of the larger land mass by other unique
features. Coastal plains have limited vegetation;
however grasses and trees are not uncommon. The
coastal plains of India are relatively expansive
regions which contribute significantly to the
geography of the region.

THE ISLANDS
An island is any piece of sub-continental
land that is
surrounded by water.

THE ISLANDS
 Very small islands such as emergent land features
on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another
name for a small island or islet.

THE ISLANDS
 An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot.

THE ISLANDS
 There are two main types of islands:
1) Continental islands
2) Oceanic islands.
There are also artificial islands.
 There is no standard of size which distinguishes
islands from islets and continents.

THE ISLAND GROUPS OF INDIA
 India has a vast main land. Besides this, the
country has also two groups of islands.
1) The Lakshadweep Islands.
2) The Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

THE ISLAND GROUPS OF INDIA
Location of
the Island
Groups of
India

THE ISLANDS
 An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot.
 A grouping of geographically or geologically
related islands is called an archipelago.

Lakshadweep Islands
 Lakshadweep islands,
the smallest union
territory of India, is a
group of islands 200
to 300 km off of the
coast of Kerala in the
Arabian Sea. It's
located in 8º and 12º
North latitude and
71º and 74º East
longitude.

Lakshadweep Islands
 There are 36 coral islands that constitute
Lakshadweep islands, only 10 are inhabited
and only six have been opened for tourism.
 Their total land area is 32 km².
 These islands, formed of coral deposits, are
called atolls. Atolls are circular or horse shoe
shaped coral reefs.

Lakshadweep Islands
 Karavatti is the administrative headquarters of
Lakshadweep Islands.
 This island group has great diversity of flora
and fauna.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands
 The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are
located between 6o and 14o North
latitude and 92o and 94o East
longitude in the Bay of Bengal near
the Myanmar coast. It is located
1255 km from Kolkata and 193 km
from Cape Negrais in Myanmar.

 They are bigger in size and
are more numerous and
scattered.
 The entire group of islands is
divided into two broad
categories – The Andaman in
the north and the Nicobar in
the south. The Andamans and
Nicobars are separated by a
channel (the Ten Degree
Channel) some 150 km wide.

 They are submerged hill
ranges, some of them are of
volcanic origin.

 There are 572 islands in the
territory, of which only
approximately 38 are
permanently inhabited.
Most of the islands (about
550) are in the Andamans
group, 26 of which are
inhabited. The smaller
Nicobars comprise some 22
main islands (10 inhabited).
These islands spread over a

 The total area of the
Andaman & Nicobar islands
territory is approximately
8337 km² in which the total
area of the Andaman Islands
is about 6,496 sq.km and the
total area of the Nicobar
Islands is approximately
1,841 sq.km.
 The highest point is located
in North Andaman Island

 There is diversity of flora and
fauna in this group of
islands. These islands lie
close to equator and
experience equatorial
climate and has thick forest
cover.

 These island groups are of
great economic and
strategic importance for the
country.
– Tourism potential.
– Security.
– Trade. –
Migration. –
Arms smuggling. –
Smuggling of all natural
resources

 India's only active volcano is
found on Barren island in
Andaman & Nicobar group of
Islands.

Wake Island is a volcanic island that
has become an atoll.

ANDAMAN
AND
NICOBAR
ISLANDS

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