PHYSICAL SET UP India exhibits a variety of physical features ranging from plains, Deccan, Eastern Plateaux and Eastern Hills. The Western Hills are plateau, islands to some of the highest peaks of the world like Mt.K2 popularly known as the Western Ghats or Sahyadri. It is divided into (Godwin Austin), Kanchenjunga, Nanga Parvat, Nanda Devi, Kamet three parts – the North Sahyadri, the Central Sahyadri and the South and others. Indian topography is having seven major units. These are: Sahyadri. The North Sahyadri is composed of horizontal sheets of 1) Northern Mountains; 2) Great Plains; 3) Central Highlands; 4) lava. A typical trap landscape has developed, which viewed from the Peninsular Plateaus; 5) East Coast; 6) West Coast and 7) Islands. east appears as steps. Palghat Gap lies between the Central and the South Sahyadri and it appears to be a rift valley. Three ranges of Northern Mountains: Along the northern border of the country, this South Sahyadri radiate in three different directions from Anai Mudi physiographic division appears as a gigantic crescent with the convex peak (2,695m), the Anai Malai to the north, the Palni to the northeast side towards the north Indian plain. From the foothills, the land rises and the Ealmalai (Cardamom hills) to the south. abruptly northwards to over 8,000 metres within a short distance of 150 km. Toward the north, it merges gently with the edge of the The Eastern Plateaux has a much more diversified topography than Tibetan plateau. The terrain is characterized by a series of mountain the Deccan Plateau. It comprises of five provinces – Baghelkhand chains with snow-capped summits, longitudinal valleys and rolling plateau, Chhotanagpur plateau, Garhjat hills, Mahanadi basin, and foothills. The gigantic Great Himalayan range is 2,400 km long and Dandakaranya. Geologically Meghalaya Plateau is a part of this 250-400 km wide with a mean elevation of 6,000m.This mountain subdivision. region is subdivided into three segments, namely, i) Western Himalaya; ii) Central Himalaya, and iii) Eastern Himalaya. Garhwal, The Eastern hills are a coastal range popularly known as the Eastern Kumaun and Jammu & Kashmir mountains are included in the Ghats. Due to denudation, nowhere the Eastern Ghats exhibits a true Western Himalaya. The Central Himalaya covers the mountains of mountain character. The Tamil Nadu upland is a fairly wide belt of Nepal. The ranges of Arunachal Pradesh, Darjiling and Bhutan make undulating land lying at the foot of the Eastern Ghats. Its highest peak up the Eastern Himalaya. The northeastern ranges on Nagaland- is Doda Beta (2,637m). Myanmar border strike north - south through Myanmar in an arc bulging towards the west. Beyond the Western Himalaya lie the The North Deccan comprises of two physiographic provinces, viz., North Western Ranges stretching over Afghanistan and Pakistan. Satpura range and the Maharashtra plateau. The Satpura consists of three hill groups. The western hill group is known as Rajpipla hills. Great Plains: The great plains are one of the largest and most The central part is the Mahadeo hills. The eastern part is known as densely populated alluvial plains of the world, stretching along the the Maikala range. Basaltic lava with younger trap formations marks foot of the Himalayas, fanning out at both ends to include the humid the Maharashtra Plateau over which flow the rivers of Godavari, Bengal Basin in the east and the arid Marusthali in the west. Built by Bhima and Krishna. The South Deccan comprises of Telangana the fluvial deposits of the Indus, Ganga and the Brahmaputra river plateau and Karnataka plateau. systems, this vast plain is one of the recent landform units. Depth of alluvium ranges from 100m to 4,000 m. The plain is divided into East Coast: The east coastal plain is wider than its western three sub-divisions viz., western plain, northern plain and eastern counterpart. It is 100 to 130 km wide along Tamil Nadu and Andhra plain. The western plain is divided into two provinces – Marusthali Pradesh. The Utkal coastal plain merges with the vast Bengal plain. and Rajasthan Bagar. The former is a region of moving sands and Chilika in Odisha and Pulicat in Seemandhra-Tamil Nadu border are deficient rainfall while the later is a steppe land drained by the Luni two important lagoons. The Mahanadi delta in Odisha, Ganga delta in River. Bengal, Godavari-Krishna delta in Andhra Pradesh and Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu are highly fertile deltaic plains. The Adam’s bridge, a The northern plain is divided into four provinces – Punjab plain, submerged reef, connects the two necks of India and Sri Lanka. Ganga-Yamuna doab, Rohilkhand plain and Avadh plain. Punjab plain is remarkably fertile. The Bari doab between Beas and the Ravi West Coast: Large, medium and small inlets indent the western and the Bist doab between the Beas and the Sutluj deserve special littoral. Both the Great and the Little Rann are dark silty plains with mention. The Ganga-Yamuna doab is by far the best fertile tract. saline patches. From north to south the west coast has been divided Farther east exists the low lying Rohilkhand and Avadh plains. into Kutchchh peninsula, Kathiawar peninsula, Gujarat plain, Konkan coast, Karnataka coast and Kerala plain (Malabar coast). The The eastern plain is divided into four parts – North Bihar Plain, South northern part of Kathiawar peninsula is a rolling upwarp. The central Bihar Plain, Bengal Basin and Assam Plain. Here the thickness of part consists of residual hills including the Girnar (1,117m). Quaternary alluvium is around 1,000m. Oceanic Islands: The Andaman and Nicobar group of islands in the Central Highlands: The central highland forms a wide belt of hilly Bay of Bengal forms a north-south trending arcuate chain of un- country bordered on the west by the Aravalli and on the south by the submerged peaks. It is composed of 265 islands covering a Satpura Range. It separates the Great Plains from the peninsular cumulative area of 8,090 sq km. These islands stretch from latitudes plateau. It is divided into two sub-divisions, viz., (i) North Central 14° N to 6° 30' N in two distinct groups – the Andaman chain on the Highland, and (ii) South Central Highland. These are further north separated by the Ten Degree Channel from the Nicobar group subdivided into eight physiographic provinces, viz., Aravalli Range, on the south. The Lakshadweep group of islands in the Arabian Sea is East Rajasthan Uplands, Madhya Bharat Pathar and Bundelkhand an assemblage of 25 small islands between latitudes 11°45' N and 8° uplands belonging to the northern part, the Malwa Plateau, Vindhyan 0´N Scarpland, Vindhya Ranges and Narmada Valley belonging to the southern part. Table: Major Altitudinal Zone. Regions Altitude (in Area (sq.km) Percentage Peninsular Plateau: The Peninsular plateau constitutes the largest metres) and the oldest physiographic division of India. It is triangular in Plains <300 1,435,576 43.66 shape - one arm extends from Kanyakumari on the south up to the Plateau 300-1000 1.092,893 33.24 Rajmahal hills on the northeast. Two other sides run along the Hills 300-2000 486,349 14.80 Mountains 2000>6000 272,959 8.30 Satpura hills on the north and the Sahyadri on the west. It comprises Total 3,287,782 100.00 of five subdivisions, viz., Western Hills, North Deccan, South.