Physical Features of India Grade IX

Glossary

1. Asthenosphere – A transitional layer of the semi- molten rocks below earth’s crust. 2. Tectonic or Lithospheric plates: Large fragments of crust divided by the rising currents. 3. Gondwana land: An ancient super continent consisting of the present, South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica located in the southern hemisphere. 4. European plate: The portion of land/earth’s crust much bigger and older than the Gondwana land situated in the north 5. Tethys: The narrow and the elongated oceanic trough lying between European plate and Gondwana land. 6. Great or Inner Himalaya or Himadri: The northern most range of the Himalayas is referred to as the great or inner Himalayas or Himadri 7. Middle Himalayas or Himachal: The middle range of the Himalayas situated south of Himadri. 8. Outer Himalayas or the Shivalik: The southernmost range of the Himalayas, made of the unconsolidated sediments/rocks 9. Gorges: Gorges are the I-shaped valleys having steep walls on either side of the river. 10. Alluvial fans: Triangular deposits with their base towards the plain at the junction of the mountains and the plains. 11. Tributary: A stream or small rivers joining a big river and adding waters from its basin. 12. Distributary: Small channels, coming into existence due to the splitting of a main river by the obstruction. 13. Delta: A vast alluvial plain, triangular in shape at the mouth of a river. 14. Bhabar: A narrow belt covered with the pebbles at the foot of the Shiwaliks from the Indus to the Tista. 15. Tarai: Wet and marshy belt of the fine silt situated to the south of Bhabar is given the name of tarai. 16. Doab: Area between two rivers. 17. Punjab : A plain made by the work of the five rivers ( Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Satluj) 18. Bhangar: it is the plain formed of the older alluvium. 19. Khadar: younger alluvium of the flood plains. 20. Malwa Plateau: the plateau situated between the landmass encircled by the water from all the directions. 21. Denudation: the wearing, tearing, decomposition and disintegration of the surface rocks. 22. Pass: a pass is a gap in a mountain range providing natural route across. Eg: Shipkila, Bomdila, Khyper. 23. Glacier: it is a slow moving mass of snow and ice. Eg: Siachen, Gangotri, Yamunotri. 24. Water divide: the highland which divides the courses of the two or more river systems. 25. Gorge or Canyon: the narrow, steep edged river valleys. They are also known as the I- shaped river valleys. 26. Ghats: hill chains of the old rocks. 27. Duns: Wide, elongated valleys in the Shiwalik mountains. Eg: Dehradun, Kotharidun, Patlidun etc 28. Tethys sea: it is a narrow, shallow, elongated sea with the shrinking bottom situated between the Angaraland and Gondwana land in the geological past. 29. Flood plains: A gently sloping plain formed by the layers of the sediments deposited by the rivers extending over the entire floor of its valley. 30. Bar: A deposit of the sand or mud in a river channel. 31. Bluff: A high, bold headed or steep, prominent cliff but used specifically to denote a river cliff or a steep slope on the outside of the meander. 32. Levees: An elevated bank flanking the channel of the river and standing above the level of the flood plain. 33. Riverine island: Island (alluvial deposit) in the middle course of the river. Eg: Majuli island amisdst the course of Brahmaputra. 34. Lagoon: a salt water lake separated from the sea by the sand bars. 35. Pass: Any gap in the mountain range providing a natural route across. 36. Alluvial Plain: Flat low – lying lands made of the alluvium 37. Diverging plates/boundaries: The plates which are moving away from each other. 38. Converging plates/boundaries: Plates that are coming together. 39. Perennial rivers: The rivers which flow throughout the year. 40. Doab: land between the two rivers. 41. Escarpment: A wall like the steep slope of the ridge. 42. Major Physiographic Divisions of India: the Himalayan Mountains, the Northern Plains, the peninsular plateau, the Indian desert, the Coastal Plains, the peninsular plateau, the Indian desert, the coastal plains, the islands. 43. The Himalayan mountains: The most rugged mountain barrier of the world covers about 2400km.Three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent i.e. The Greater or Inner Himalayas or Himadri, Himachal or the lesser Himalayas, outer range of the Himalayas or Shiwaliks 44. Division of the Himalayas on the basis of the region: Punjab Himalayas, or Kashmir, Himachal Himalayas, Kumaon Himalayas, Nepal Himalayas, Assam Himalayas, Purvanchal or Eastern hills 45. The northern plain: Formed of the alluvial soil; very productive, three sections the Punjab plain, the Ganga plain, the Brahmaputra plain; the four regions bhabar, terai, bhangar and khadar. 46. The Peninsular plateau: A tableland, broad and the shallow valleys and the rounded hills, two broad divisions i.e. Central highlands and the Deccan plateau, the Western Ghats, and the Eastern Ghats as the western and the eastern edges, black soil area known as the Deccan trap. 47. The Indian desert: An undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes; low rainfall and the arid climate 48. The Coastal plains: Narrow coastal strips, running along the Arabian sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east; the Western Coast and the three sections i.e. Konkan, Kannad plain, Malabar coast, eastern Coast known as the Northern Circar. 49. Corals: Coral polyps are short microscopic organisms that live in colonies, flourish in shallow mud and free warm waters. 50. Tributary: it adds water and silt to the main river, originates from glaciers, does not change its course eg: Yamuna is a tributary of river Ganga. Important Questions with their answers

Differentiate between the following: (i) Converging plate and Diverging plates Converging plate 1. Two plate coming towards each Two plates going in the opposite directions from each other other 2. They form the convergent They form the divergent boundaries. boundaries. 3. They may collide and crumble or They may not collide and crumble or they may not slide under each other. may slide under each other. 4. They may pass horizontally each They may diverge horizontally but do not form the divergent boundary. other and form the transform boundaries. 5. They cause folding and the They cause faulting. mountain building. 6. They have formed present land Rift valleys, Black mountains etc are the result of these plates features of Himalayas

(ii) Bhangar and Khadar Bhangar 1. The plain formed by the older The plain formed by the newer alluvium. alluvium. 2. Large part of the Northern plain is This plain covers the flood plains. formed by the older alluvium. 3. It lies above the flood plains of the It lies in the flood plains of the rivers and does not present the terrace like features. rivers and present the terrace like features. 4. Soil in this region contains Soil in this plain does not contain calcareous deposits. calcareous deposits. They are known as the Kankar. 5. They are less fertile as soil is not They are fertile and suitable for intensive agriculture due to renewal of the soil year. renewed every year. (iii) Glacier and River Glacier 1. The moving heaps of snow and ice Running water 2. Glacier is found either on the snow Rivers are found from the mountain top to the mouth of the oceans and from the equator to the poles. capped mountains or the higher latitudes. 3. Example: Pirpanjal Glacier, and the Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra Siachen glacier. (iv) The Himalayan Peaks and the Peninsular Peaks The Himalayan Peaks 1. Himalayan peaks are located in the Peninsular peaks are located in the Peninsular plateau region. Himalayan mountains of the north. 2. Their height is above 6000m from Their height does not exceed 3000m from the mean sea level. the mean sea level. 3. They are snow covered. They never experience snow. 4. Major mountain peaks include Mt. These peaks include Anaimudi, Doda Beta, Kalrubai,Mahabaleshwar Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga etc. 5. Mt. Everest (8848m) is the highest Anaimudi (2995m) is the highest peak of Peninsular India. peak of the world and that of the Himalayas.

(vi) Himadri and Himachal Himadri 1. Northern most range. South of Himadri. 2. Continuous range with loftiest peak Most rugged mountain system and the average height is 3700m and 4500m. and average height of 6000m. 3. Composed of granite Composed of highly compressed and altered rocks. 4. Example:Kanchenjunga Examples: Pir Panjal Range

(vii) Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats Eastern Ghats 1. The western ghats form the western The eastern ghats form the eastern side or arm of the Peninsular plateau. side or arm of the Peninsular Plateau. 2. These ghats are regular and They are comparatively denuded resulting in low elevation. They are broken at places by the flowing of numerous rivers to the east. comparatively higher in the elevation. Advancing towards south their elevation goes on increasing. No major river has cut them across. 3. The western ghats are divided into They are subdivided into two subdivisions: The northern portion is called the Nallamala hills and the southern portion is named as the Palkonda range and Javadi Hills. 4 subdivisions as Sahyadri, Nilgiri, Anamalai and Cardamom. Sahyadri is the northern portion, Nilgiri, Anamalai and Cardamom going towards South. (viii) The Himalayan Region and Peninsular plateau Himalayan Region 1. Himalayan Mountain comprises of The Peninsular Plateau is rugged, dissected and is a remnant portion of the great old landmass called Gondwana land. the greatest and the highest mountain ranges in the world. 2. These mountains are the young fold This plateau is the result of the split of the old landmass, the Gondwana land. It has igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks in the abundance. mountains and have come into existence as a result of the uplift of the strata formed by the sedimentary rocks. 3. These mountain ranges are parallel. These plateaus have been dissected by the rivers, faulting and vertical movements of the earth. They are separated by the intervening valleys and the undulating plains. 4. These ranges abound I –shaped There is abundance of the rift valleys and the troughs. valleys and the U-shaped valleys 5. Perennial rivers originate from the In the absence of the snow capped mountain ranges the rivers originating in this region is rainfed and seasonal. snow capped mountain ranges 6. Major mountain peaks situated in The Anaimudi, Dodabets, Mahabaleshwar etc are important peaks and the hillocks. the Himalayas include the Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga etc. (ix) The Western Coastal strip and the Eastern Coastal Strip Western Coastal strip 1. Plain sandwiched between the Plain located between the Eastern Ghats along the Bay of Bengal. Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea 2. Narrow plain Plain is wider and levelled. 3. Plain is drained by many short swift Big rivers like Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna form large deltas. streams which are unable to form the deltas.

(x) Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats Western Ghats 1. Runs parallel to the western coast Runs parallel to eastern coast (Orissa to Nilgiri). (River Tapi to Kanyakumari) 2. Average elevation:900 – 1100 m. Average elevation= 600m 3. Average width: 50- 80 km. Wider than the western ghats 100-200km 4. Continuous wall crossed through Divided into several parts by large rivers making passage to the sea. the passes. 5. Sources of many large rivers. No rivers originate. 6. Receives heavy rainfall from south- No rainfall from the monsoon. west monsoon. 7. The highest peaks include Anaimudi Mohedragiri (1501 m ) is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats (2695m). (xi) The Northern Plains and the Coastal Plains The Northern Plains 1. They are quite vast in their extent. They are very small in size. They are hardly 60 to 120 km wide. They are about 2400 km long and about 240km to 320 km broad. 2. They lie in North India. They lie in South India. 3. They lie to the south of Himalayas They lie on both sides of the Indian coasts. But are separated from each other by hundreds of kilometres. in one stretch of land. 4. They are watered by many They are fed by the rainwater and seasonal rivers. perennial rivers. 5. These plains have levelled land so These plains have slanting surface so they are not so ideal for laying out the roads and the railway lines. they are ideal for all means of transportation. 6. In one thing both these plains These plains are also fertile and in this respect they resemble the Northern Plains. resemble each other. Both are fertile. (xii) A Tributary and A Distributary A Tributary 1. A river or stream that joins the large It is a channel formed by the rivers at the mouth to bypass the deposits it has left in the main channel. river. 2. It is generally found in the upper or It is found in the lower course of a river, a little before it joins the sea. the middle course of the river. 3. As for example Yamuna river is the As an example, when Ganga enters the Bay of Bengal forming itself into many distributaries. tributary of the river Ganga. 4. It increases the volume of the water It decreases the volume of the main river. of the main river. (xiii) An Estuary and A delta An Estuary 1. It is a narrow deep valley at the It is a triangular landform which is formed by the deposition of the sediments at the mouth of the river. It is formed by the river. The river is often very swift at the source and in its upper course. As a result, it carries large quantities of mud and silt. In the course of time, mouth of the river where the the river bed is raised and the currents have to find their new channel. As a result it is divided into branches which together form the delta. currents or the tides are strong or the currents of the river itself are swift. The sediments are automatically removed before they are deposited and so the mouth of the river remains clear of the mud to form an estuary. (xiv) Indo- Gangetic Plain and The Deccan Plateau Indo- Gangetic Plain 1. It extends from the Punjab plain in It lies in the south of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is triangular in shape. It bounded on its north by the Vindhyas and the Satpura hills while its eastern and the western boundaries are formed by the eastern and the western ghats. the west to Brahmaputra valley in the east. This plain lies to the south of the Himalayas. 2. Its surface is even and the soil is Its surface is uneven and rocky. The soil is not as fertile as in the Indo-Gangetic plain. very fertile. 3. A fine network of the perennial Krishna, Godavari, Mahanadi, Cauveri are the chief rivers. In this region, these rivers are swift and make waterfalls so they are not navigable. These rivers are not perennial and go dry in the hot season. rivers like Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra flow through this plain. The rivers are also the useful for navigation, irrigation and generation of the hydroelectricity. 4. The Indo-Gangetic plain possesses The Deccan plateau is formed of the hard igneous and metamorphic rocks. the alluvial deposits transported by the Himalayan rivers. 5. The South-west monsoons bring The Plateau is surrounded by the mountains on all the sides so the rainfall is scanty. extensive rains in summer. While the eastern portion gets heavy rains, and the western portion is comparatively dry. 6. The Indo-Gangetic plain is well Tanks are the chief means of irrigation. Storage canals carry water from these tanks to the fields. irrigated by the canals, wells and the tube wells. 7. The Indo- Gangetic plain is most The Deccan plateau is not thickly populated as is the Indo- Gangetic plain. densely populated plains of the world.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which type of the plate boundary led to the formation of Himalayan mountains, the highest in the world? (a) Convergent (b) 2. Which part of India was once part of Gondwanaland? (a) Northern part (b) 3. Where do most of the earthquakes and the volcanoes occur? (a) Near plates (b) 4. In what ways does the transform boundary differ from the boundary types? (a) They are always found on the ocean (b) floor

5. Name the northern most range of the Himalayas. (a) Himadri (b) 6. What is the average height of the mountain peaks in the inner Himalayas? (a) 2400m (b) 7. Which mountain system represents the loftiest and one of the rugged mountain barriers of the world? (a) Alps (b) 8. The width of the Himalayas varies from 400 km in Kashmir to 1500 km in ______: (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) 9. What types of rocks are mostly found in Himalayas? (a) Sedimentary (b) 10. Which of the following is true for the Himalayan mountains? (a) They often act as the climate (b) barriers 11. What is topography of the Himalayan mountain system? (a) Old, low hills, wide valleys (b)

12. In which state of India are Kangra (b) and Kullu valley located? (a) Jammu and Kashmir (b) 13. Which one of the following hills is part of Purvanchal? (a) Naga hills (b) 14. Mt. Everest is located in: (a) India (b) 15. Which soil is suited for intensive agriculture? (a) Bhabar (b) 16. The rivers descending from mountains are involved in: (a) Erosional work (b) 17. The western part of Northern plains refers to: (a) Assam plain (b) 18. Which of the following rivers forms the Northern plains? (a) Ganga (b) 19. Which among the following physiographic divisions is considered the oldest landmass? (a) Himalayas (b) 20. Which one of the following plateau is in the form of the triangle? (a) Deccan plateau (b) 21. Name the highest peak in the Western ghats: (a) Anaimudi (b) 22. Name the desert situated on the western margins of the Aravalli Hills: (a) Rann of Kutch (b) 23. Which is the most distinct feature of the desert in India? (a) Barchans (b) 24. Which one of the following coastal strips is situated on the west coast of India? (a) Coromandel Coast (b) 25. Where is the northern circar situated? (a) North of Malabar coast (b) 26. Which one of the following rivers forms deltas on the eastern coast? (a) Godavari (b) 27. In which state is the largest salt water lake of Asia located? (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) 28. Mumbai-Goa coast is also called: (a) Northern Circars (b) 29. Name the administrative headquarters of the Lakshadweep Islands: (a) Pitli (b) 30. What is the name given to the eastern mountain range that forms its boundary with Myanmar? (a) Uttarakhand (b) 31. Some plates come towards each other and form: (a) Convergent boundary (b) 32. The Gondwana land as one single landmass included which of the following countries: (a) India (b) 33. The most recent landforms of India are: (a) The Himalayas (b) 34. The highest peaks of the Himalayas is : (a) Kanchenjunga (b) 35. In which of the following states Mussoorie and Nainital are located? (a) Uttar Pradesh (b) 36. The parts of Himalayas lying between Indus and Satluj is known as: (a) Kumaon Himalayas (b) 37. Which river marks the easternmost boundary of the Himalayas? (a) Ganga (b) 38. Which part of India is agriculturally very productive due to rich soil, adequate water supply and favourable climate? (a) Peninsular Plateau (b) 39. Which of the following states is the land of five rivers? (a) Haryana (b) 40. Major portion of which part of the Northern Plains lies in Pakistan: (a) Ganga Plain (b) 41. Which one of the following is not a division of the Northern Plain on the basis of the variation in the relief features? (a) Bhabhar (b) 42. The Deccan Trap of the Peninsular plateau is an area of: (a) Black soil (b) 43. Chilika lake lies in the state of: (a) Jharkhand (b) 44. Mahendragiri is the highest peak in the: (a) Western Ghats (b) 45. Which one of the following is the only larger river in India? (a) Luni (b) 35. Which one of the following group of islands is composed of the small coral islands? (a) Maldives (b) 36. The northern part of the western coast is called: (a) Konkan plain (b) 37. The southern part of the plain along the Bay of Bengal is called as: (a) Coromandel coast (b) 38. Which of the following groups of islands is one of the great strategic importances for India? (a) Lakshadweep (b) 39. Why is India a vast country in terms of the landforms? (a) Due to the varied landforms (b) 40. Name one of the following rocks used for making the talcum powder: (a) Marbel (b) 41. Which of the following theories are most plausible theories in explaining the formation of the physical features of India? (a) Theory of the star dust (b)

Important Questions

1. Which process led the formation of the present landforms or the relief features of India? 2. What is asthenosphere? 3. What produces heat in the interior of the earth? 4. Name the major plate tectonic. 5. What are the three types of the tectonic plates? 6. What happens when the two plates come together? 7. How did the crust caused to the fracture and the fold? 8. Name the ancient supercontinent. 9. Where does India rank among the countries of the world in respect of the area? 10. Name the principle of the formation of the landforms which is broadly accepted these days. 11. Name the four important passes situated across the Himalayan mountains in the Indian subcontinent. 12. Enumerate the major loftiest mountain peaks of the Himadri. 13. Where lies the Himachal or the lesser Himalayan range? 14. Name the important sub-ranges of the Himachal Ranges. 15. Which valleys are situated in the Himachal Range? 16. What is this range known for? 17. Where are Kailash and Mansarover situated? 18. Name the highest peak of main Himalayas in India. 19. Name the highest mountain peak of India. 20. Name the second highest peak of the world. 21. Which rivers in India flow in the rift valley? 22. Name the main physical features of the of the North plain. 23. Divide the northern plains into the subdivisions. 24. Which is the highest peak of the Peninsular India? 25. Which coast is known for its back waters? (Ans: Malabar Coast in Kerela) 26. Name 2 hill stations of Peninsular India. ( Ans: Udagmandalam (Ooty) and Kodai Kanal) 27. Name the only active volcano of the country. Where is it situated? (Ans: Barren islands in Andaman and Nicobar islands) 28. Which Union Territory is situated in the Arabian Sea and is a group of islands? 29. Name the group of islands situated in the Bay of Bengal. What is their origin? 30. What is the highest mountain peak of the Indian subcontinent? 31. In which states are the Aravallis mainly situated? 32. What are the North- west Himalayas? 33. Name the three parallel ranges of the Himalayas. 34. Enumerate the important hills of the Purvanchal mountains. 35. Locate some of the major peaks on the map according to the altitudinal variations. 36. Which two forces are responsible for shaping the present landform features of India? 37. Which continents of today were parts of Gondwana land? 38. What is bhabhar? 39. Name the mountain ranges of the Purvanchal. 40. Name the oldest landmass of the Indian subcontinent. 41. In which state is the Satpura range located? 42. In which sea is Lakshadweep situated? 43. In which two states is Shivalik range situated? 44. Name the coast on which Cochin is situated. 45. What is the name of the southern part of the western coast of India? 46. Which is the highest peak of India? 47. Which side of the Western Ghats has the steep slopes? (Ans: Southern side) 48. Name two passes of the Eastern Himalayas. 49. Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhyan Ranges? 50. Name the island group of India having the coral origin. 51. What type of the mountain range is the Vindhyas? 52. On which coast of India, the Malabar coast lies? 53. Which physiographic division of India do the Aravallis belong? 54. Name the two island groups possessed by India. 55. What are the tectonic plates? 56. How was the Arabian Sea formed? 57. Why are the Shiwaliks prone to the landslides? Or Shivaliks are prone to the landslides. Give reasons 58. Why the Himalayas are called the young fold mountains? 59. Why the peninsular mass if is considered oldest landmass? 60. Write any four characteristics of Ganga-Brahmaputra. 61. What is the Great Himalayas? Write two characteristic features of the Great Himalayas. 62. What are duns and where are they found? 63. Write any four features of the Ganga Basin Or Mention the three features of the Ganga basin. 64. What do you mean by a pass? Name any six passes of the Indian subcontinent. How have they affected India? 65. Distinguish between a plateau and a plain. 66. Give three features of the Ganga- Brahmaputra Delta. 67. Eastern Coastal plains are more fertile. Give reasons. Ans: (i) Have thick alluvial deposits because of the more rivers. (ii) These plains get rains both in the summer and winters. (iii) These plains are wider than the western coastal plains.

68. Describe how the Himalayas were formed? 69. Describe the Ganga plain for (i) soil (ii) drainage 70. Name the two main divisions of the Peninsular plateau. Describe one important feature of each division. Or Write the short note on Central Highlands. 71. Distinguish between : (i) Converging and Diverging Plates (ii) Estuary and Delta 72. Compare and contrast the Northern plains and the Coastal plains. 73. Distinguish between : (i) Tributary and Distributary (ii) Bhangar and Khadar (iii) Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats 74. Write three facts which prove that physiographic divisions of India are complementary to each other. 75. Write a short note on the Indian desert. 76. Name the six major physical divisions of India. What are the main mountains and the hill ranges? Find out the main rivers flowing out into the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. 77. What is Shiwaliks? Write two characteristics of it. 78. Name the two island groups possessed by India. Write briefly 3 features of the Shivaliks range which affect the human life badly. 79. Write 2 differences between the Glacier and the river. Name one glacier lying in UttarPradesh. Also name the river rising from this glacier. 80. Name any of the two physiographic divisions of India. Write one feature each of all the three Himalayan ranges. 81. Compare the Himalayan peaks with the Peninsular peak. 82. “India is a huge assemblage of landmass varying in age”. How? 83. Define the concept of the plate tectonics. According to this concept in how many plates is the crust divided? 84. How was the Great plains of India divided? 85. Give an account of the Deccan Trap. 86. What is Lagoon? Give an example of a lagoon. 87. Name the three types of the plate movements. Explain. 88. Differentiate between Himadri and Himachal. 89. Briefly describe the Shiwaliks. 90. Write a note on the eastern hills. 91. Differentiate between Bhangar and Khadar soil. 92. Write a note on the Terai and Bhabhar regions. 93. Why is peninsular plateau the oldest landmass? State its division. 94. Write a note on Aravali hills. 95. Briefly describe the Indian desert. 96. Differentiate between the western coastal strip and eastern coastal strip. 97. Write a note on island groups of India. 98. State differences between Western and Eastern Ghats. 99. Contrast the relief of the Himalayan region with that of the peninsular plateau. 100. Why the Himalayas are called the Young Fold mountains? 101. Classify the plate movements. What are its effects? 102. What do you mean by the plate tectonics? Explain the theory of the plate tectonics. 103. Mention some highest peaks of the Himalayas with their location of the country. 104. What are the features of the Great Himalayas or the Inner Himalayas or the Himadri? 105. Describe the main features of the Himachal or lesser Himalayas? 106. Describe the features of the outer Himalayas or Shiwaliks. 107. Describe the divisions of Himalayas that have been demarcated by the river valleys. 108. Write the short note of Purvanchal or the eastern hills. 109. Which region is known as the terai region? Which people have been settled here and how? 110. How was the peninsular plateau formed? Describe its main features. 111. Write a short note on the coastal plains. 112. How does the each physiographic division of India complement the other and makes the country richer in its natural resources? 113. Why is the peninsular plateau the oldest landmass? State its divisions. 114. What are the uses of Himalayas to India? Or Explain how the Himalayas act as a boon for India in four different ways.