E-Content Geography Class-9 Dated: 30.04.20
Duration: 45m
Chapter-2 Physical Features of India (contd…):
MAJOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS: The physical features of India can be grouped under the following physiographic divisions:
(1) The Great Mountain Wall of the North (2) The Northern Plains (3) The Peninsular Plateau (4) The Indian Desert (5) The Coastal Plains (6) The Islands Introduction: Pamir Knot is the highest summit in Central Asia (many high loftiest mountain ranges meet at a point to form a summit). This Pamir Knot is often termed as Roof of the World. From Pamir Knot in Central Asia, many mountain ranges radiate in all directions like an octopus. To the east of Pamir Knot (from north to south) extended the Tien Shan (to the north-east), the Kunlun Shan (to the east), the Karakoram mountain range (to the south-east) and the Himalayas (to the south-south-east).
A long and high mountain wall runs all along the land frontier of the subcontinent from north-west to the north-east. It maybe sub-divided into three sections, with reference to Pamir Knot. They are as follows: 1. The North-Western Ranges or Offshoots ( they include the Hindukush, the Sulaiman, the Kirthar etc. that run all along Afghanistan and Pakistan Regions) 2. The Great Mountain Wall of the North 3. The North-Eastern Ranges or Offshoots (The Purvachal is a part of these ranges)
The first major Physiographic division; 1) The Great Mountain Wall of the North : They run all along the northern border of India almost like an arc. They consist of a) The Trans-Himalayan Ranges b) The Himalayan Mountains a) The Trans-Himalayan Ranges : Those mountain systems which are found beyond Himalayas are called Trans-Himalayan Ranges. There are many such ranges. But, only the Karakoram, the Ladakh and the Zaskar ranges run all along the northernmost border of India beyond the Himalayas. The Karakoram Range : - It is the second highest mountain range in the world. - It runs all along the northernmost border of Jummu-Kashmir and Ladakh in India as a continuous formidable range. - Its eastern extension in Tibet is highly broken and dissected, known as the Kailash Range. - The plateau of Aksai Chin lies to the north of it. - It has the famous Karakoram Pass which provides passage between India and Central Asia. The highest peak of Karakoram Range is K2 (Godwin Austin) which is the second highest peak in the world after the Mount Everest of Nepal. - The Siachin is the longest ice-cap glacier in the world (about 72km long) found here. Boltaro is the is the another giant ice-cap glacier of this range.
The Ladakh and the Zaskar Ranges : - These are the two parallel ranges which lie to the south of the Karakoram. - The Ladakh Range is found running to the north-west of Zaskar Range b) The Himalayan Mountains : - The Himalayas are geologically young and structurally fold mountains. They are called young mountains as they have been formed relatively recently in the geological history of the earth. They are called fold mountains as they have been formed by horizontal lateral compressional forces and as a result, the sedimentary strata in the Sea of Tethys got folded to form fold mountains of Himalaya .
- The stretch over the northern borders of India and they run from Indus in the north-west to Brahmaputra in the south-east direction almost like an arc. - The total extent of Himalaya, from west to east, is 2400km and their average width varies from 400km in Kashmir to 150km in Arunachal Pradesh. Hence, they are broader in the west and go on tapering in the east. - The Himalayas represent the loftiest (highest) and one of the most rugged mountain barriers of the world. - They are higher in the east and relatively lower in the west. - They are Abode of Snow (permanently covered by snow and ice all through the year). - The Himalaya consists of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent and a number of valleys are found between these ranges. -
Assignment: 1) Name the major physiographic divisions of India. 2) Describe the main features of Karakoram Range. 3) Why are the Himalayas called young fold mountains? 4) Write an account of the salient features of the Himalayas.