DOWNLOAD MOBILE APPLICATION TO LEARN MORE: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA
DOWNLOAD MOBILE APPLICATION TO LEARN MORE: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA
DOWNLOAD MOBILE APPLICATION TO LEARN MORE: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA
Location
India has all major physical features of the Earth, i.e., mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus, and islands.
In India, the soil colour varies from place to place as it is formed from different types of rocks.
India has varied physical features whose formation can be explained on the basis of the ‘Theory of Plate Tectonics’.
According to the theory of Plate Tectonics, the seven major and minor plates that form the Earth’s crust keep moving, causing stress and thus leading to folding, faulting and volcanic activity.
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The physical features of India can be grouped under the following physiographic divisions:
- The Himalayan Mountains or the Northern Mountains
- The Northern Plains or the Indo-Gangetic Plains
- The Peninsular Plateau
- The Great Indian Desert
- The Coastal Plains
- The Islands
The Himalayan Mountains
The Himalayas are young-fold mountains which are the loftiest and one of the most rugged mountain barriers of the world.
The Himalayas are 2400 km long, 400 km to 150 km wide from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh respectively.
The Himalayas have three parallel ranges in the longitudinal extent namely :
- Great or Inner Himalayas also called Himadri.
- Middle Himalayas or Himachal.
- Outer Himalayas or Shiwaliks.
The Himalayas can be divided into four sections :
- Punjab Himalayas – between Indus and Satluj.
- Kumaon Himalayas – between Satluj and Kali.
- Nepal Himalayas – between Kali and the Tista.
- Assam Himalayas (Eastern Himalayas) – Between Tista and the Dibang (Tsangpo).
The Northern Plains
The Northern Plains spread over an area of 7 lakh sq. km, 240 km long and 240 km to 320 km broad.
The rivers that flow to the plains from the mountains are involved in depositional work.
The difference in relief causes the Northern Plains to have four regions.
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- Bhabar – Adjacent to the foothills of Shiwaliks, a narrow 8 to 16 km wide belt of pebbles and boulders.
- Bangar – Older alluvial plain which rises above the level of the flood plains.
- Khadar – Newer and younger alluvial of the flood plains deposited by the rivers flowing down the plain.
- Tarai – Lies adjacent to Bhabar region, composed of newer alluvium and is thickly forested.
The Peninsular Plateau
The Peninsular Plateau is the tableland formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwanaland.
The plateau consists of two broad divisions, namely, the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.
The eastward extensions of Peninsular Plateau are locally known as Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand. The Chhota Nagpur Plateau marks the further eastward extension drained by the Damodar river.
The Deccan Plateau, a triangular mass, lies to the south of the river Narmada.
The western and eastern edges of the Deccan Plateau are marked by the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats respectively.
The Western Ghats are higher than the Eastern Ghats.
The Malwa Plateau is spread across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and slopes towards the
north.
A distinct feature of the peninsular plateau is the black soil area known as Deccan Trap.
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The Indian Desert
The undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes towards the western margins of the Aravalli Hills is the Indian Desert.
Crescent-shaped dunes called barchans cover large parts of the Indian Desert.
Luni is the only large river that flouts in this region.
The Coastal Plains
The narrow’ coastal strips flank the Peninsular Plateau.
On the west, the coastal strips are divided into Konkan (Mumbai-Goa), Kannada Plain and the Malabar Coast from northern to the southern part.
On the east the coastal strip is divided into Northern Circar and the Coromandel Coast from northern to southern part.
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The Islands
The Lakshadweep Islands group in the Arabian Sea is close to Kerala.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the two island groups. Andaman Island consists of 204 small islands. India’s only active volcano, Barren Island is situated here.
Table of Contents
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA
1. Which of the following is the highest peak in India?
(a) Mt. Everest
(b) Kanchenjunga
(c) Nanga Parbat
(d) Nandadevi
2. The Himalayan uplift out of the Tethys Sea and subsidence of the northern flank of the peninsular plateau resulted in the formation of a large basin. Which of the following physical divisions of India was formed due to filling up of this depression?
(a) The Himalayas
(b) The Northern Plains
(c) The Peninsular Plateau
(d) The Coastal Plains
3. The Himalayas consist of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent. Which of the following is the name of the northern-most range?
(a) The Himadri
(b) The Himachal
(c) The Shivaliks
(d) The Purvanchal
4. A landmass bounded by sea on three sides is referred to as _______.
(a) Coast
(b) Island
(c) Peninsula
(d) None of the above
5. Which of the following divisions of India has the oldest landmass?
(a) The Himalayas
(b) The Northern Plains
(c) The Peninsular Plateau
(d) The Indian Desert
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6. According to the ‘Theory of Plate Tectonics,’ when some plates come towards each other, which of the following is formed?
(a) Convergent boundary
(b) Divergent boundary
(c) Transform boundary
(d) Colliding boundary
7. Which of the following is a plausible theory presented by Earth scientists to explain the formation of continents and oceans and the various landforms?
(a) Theory of Motion
(b) Theory of Plate Tectonics
(c) Theory of Evolution
(d) Theory of Relativity
8. The longitudinal valleys lying between lesser Himalayas and Shivaliks are known as _______.
(a) Kangra Valley
(b) Patkai Bum
(c) Passes
(d) Duns
9. A narrow gap in a mountain range providing access to the other side is:
(a) Mound
(b) Pass
(c) Strait
(d) Valley
10. Which two hills are located in the south-east of Eastern Ghats?
(a) Mizo Hills and Naga Hills
(b) Javadi Hills and Shevroy Hills
(c) Patkoi Hills and Manipuri Hills
(d) Mizo Hills and Patkoi Hills
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11. What are Lesser Himalayas known as?
(a) Himadri
(b) Himachal
(c) Shivaliks
(d) Purvanchal
12. In which division of the Himalayas are the famous valleys of Kashmir, Kangra and Kullu located?
(a) The Himadri
(b) The Himachal
(c) The Shivaliks
(d) The Duns
13. Geologically, which of the following physiographic divisions of India is supposed to be one of the most stable land blocks?
(a) The Himalayas
(b) The Northern Plains
(c) The Peninsular Plateau
(d) The Indian Desert
14. From the point of view of geology, which of the following physiographic divisions of India is considered to be an unstable zone?
(a) The Himalayan Mountains
(b) The Peninsular Plateau
(c) The Indian Desert
(d) The Islands
15. Which continents of today were part of the Gondwanaland?
(a) Asia and Africa
(b) Europe and Asia
(c) Europe and Africa
(d) Australia and South America
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16. Which of the following countries or continents was not a part of the ancient landmass of Gondwanaland?
(a) India
(b) Australia
(c) Europe
(d) South America
17. Which of the following has not been a factor in the creation and modification of India’s relief features?
(a) Geological formations
(b) Population density
(c) Weathering
(d) Erosion and deposition
18. Which islands of India are called Coral Islands?
(a) Lakshdeep
(b) Andman and Nikobar
(c) both
(d) None of these
19. The largest delta in the world is:
(a) Ganga Delta
(b) Mahanadi Delta
(c) Sunderban Delta
(d) Godavari
20. In which division of the Himalayas are the famous valleys of Kashmir, Kangra and Kullu located?
(a) The Himadri
(b) The Himachal
(c) The Shivaliks
(d) The Duns
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21. Which of the following is not a mountain pass in the Great Himalayas?
(a) Bara Lapcha La and Shipkila
(b) Nathula
(c) Khyber pass
(d) Jojila and Lipu Lekh
22.The northern most range of the Himalayas is known as
(a) Himadri
(b) lesser Himalaya
(c) Shivalik
(d) none of the above.
23. Mountain ranges in the eastern part of India forming its bound¬ary with Myanmar are collectively called-
(a) Himachal
(b) Purvanchal
(c) Uttaranchal
(d) None of the above
24. The Kangra and Kullu valley are located in
(a) Uttarakhand
(b) Jammu and Kashmir
(c) Himachal Pradesh
(d) Uttar Pradesh
25..Guru Shikhar is the highest peak of the-
(a) Aravallis
(b) Vindhya
(c) Satpura
(d) Western Himalayas
26. Majuli is a riverine island located in the river
(a) Ganga
(b) Brahmaputra
(c) Yamuna
(d) Kaveri
27. The minimum height of the Shiwaliks is …………… metres.
(a) 800
(b) 1,100
(c) 700
(d) 900
28. Dudhwa National Park is located in the state of
(a) Assam
(b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Rajasthan
29. The soil containing calcareous deposits is locally known as
(a) Bhangar
(b) Khadar
(c) Bhabar
(d) Kankar
30. Which river flows between Jhelum and Ravi?
(a) Chenab
(b) Beas
(c) Sone
(d) Kosi
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Answer key
| 1. b 2. b 3. a 4. c 5. c 6. a 7. b 8. d 9. b 10. b 11. a 12. b 13. c 14. a 15. d | 16. c 17. b 18. a 19. c 20. b 21. c 22. a 23. b 24. c 25. c 26. b 27. b 28. b 29. d 30. a |
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ALSO VISIT: GEOGRAPHY