IAS OUR DREAM

Authored by: Nisha Dolas

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MOUNTAINS THE PENINSULAR MOUNTAINS : classified as follows

The Western Ghats (sahaydris )

Run along the west coast from south of the Tapti river valley to Kanyakumari; Deccan trap constitutes the northern portion of the Ghats;

Southern part : composed of Archean gneisses, Schists and Charnockites

Anai Muddi in the Anaimalai Hills 2,695 m (8,842 ft) in Kerala is the highest peak in the Western Ghats.

The Eastern Ghats Irregular hill ranges stretches from northern Orissa to the Kerala and Tamil Nadu across coastal Andhra;

Highest Peak at 1680m in Vishakhapatnam dist( Andhra)

THE MEETING POINT OF THE WESTERN AND EASTERN GHATS IN THE NILGIRI HILLS (BLUE MOUNTAINS) HAS THE HIGHEST POINT AT DODA BETTA PEAK.

The Vindhya RangeRunning from Sasaram(Bihar) in the east to Jobat(Gujarat) in the west

separates northern India from the southern mainland

They are believed to have been formed by the wastes created by the weathering of the ancient Aravali mountains.[

The Satpura Range Extends from Narmada valley(N) to the Tapti valley (S) ; It is triangular in shape, with its apex at Ratnapur

Highest point : Dhupgarh near Pachmarhi(M.P.)

The Aravalis The oldest mountain range in India; most ancient fold mountain ranges ;

Separates the semi desert and fertile regions of Rajasthan

Highest point: Gurushikhar peak of Abu hills Cardamom hills or Ealaimalai is the southernmost mountain range of India.

THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS :

The Himalayas: Means ‘Abode of Snow’. They are one of the youngest fold mountain ranges in the world and comprise mainly sedimentary rocks.

They stretch from the Indus River in the west to the Brahmaputra River in the east. Total length is about 5000 km. The width of the Himalayas varies from 500 km in Kashmir to 200 km in

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Arunachal Pradesh. Their average height is 2000m.

The Eastern Himalayas-made up of Patkai Hills, Naga Hills, Mizo Hills and the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills-are also known as Purvanchal.

The Pamir, popularly known as the Roof of the World, is the connecting link between the Himalayas and the high ranges of Central Asia.

Can be divided into 3 parallel or longitudinal zones, each with separate features.

The Outer Himalayas

(The Siwaliks )

composed of tertiary sediments; emerged as most recent phase in Himalaya OROGENY .

THE OUTER HIMALAYAS ARE SEPERATED FROM THE LESSER HIMALAYAS BY DUNS ( VALLEYS RESULTING FROM DRAINING AWAY OF THE TEMPORARY LAKES FORMED BY RIDGES WHEN THESE OBSTRUCTED THE COURSE OF RIVERS

The Lesser/Outer Himalayas (TheHimachal)

the ranges include the 400km Pir Panjal range, the longest range of the Himalayas

The Greater Himalayas ( The Himadri)

the innermost Himalayan Range is the world’s highest and most continuous of Himalayan ranges ; Himadri’s highest peak include world’s highest peak- Mt Everest

The Trans Himalayan Zone

include imp ranges such as Zaskar Range and the Great Karakoram Range :extends 2wards south-east to form the Kailash Range; highest peak K2

longest glacier : Siachen ( Nubra Valley – 72 km )

THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU : largest and oldest of all the physiographic division ; north- east limit: Aravali Range ‘ northern extreme – Bundelkhand and western and eastern ends : Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats resp.

The Central Plateaus

the upland of Central India with river Ganga (N) , Vindhya and Satpura ranges (S)Kaimur-Maikal Range (E) and Aravalis and Kutch to (W)

comprise Mewar,Malwa(in M.P. formed of lava ) and Vindhya Plateaus

The Eastern Plateaus

diversified to topography ; low lying Mahanandi basin to undulating plateatus of the Bhaghelkhand , Chhota Nagpur and Dandakaranya

Meghalaya Plateau : beyond lava ridden Rajhmahal Hills

The Kathiawar And Kutch Plateaus

joined to the Peninsular Plateaus by Gujrat’s plain; Deccan lava make up this region while Kutch – tertiary rocks

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The Deccan Plateaus

occupy land between the Western and Eastern Ghats and south of Mahadeo ,Maikal and Satpura ranges ; comprise the Maharashtra Plateau(basalt) ‘Karnataka and Telangana plateaus ( Archaean gneisses)

India’s largest plateaus

THE GREAT PLAINS : lies between the Himalayas and the peninsular Plateau , alluvial in nature

The Punjab Haryana Plains

Comprise the Bist Doab (betn Sutlej &Beas Rivers); Upper Bari Doab ( betn Beas and Ravi Rivers) and south- east Malwa Plain.

The Rajasthan Plains

comprise the marusthali of Thar and nearly Bagar areas

Luni river : flowing 2wards south-east ,only river in region

Rajasthan desert : sloping 2wards 2 direction – Indus valley in Pak ( W-wards ) and Ran of Kutch (S-wards)

The Ganga Plains spreading across the states of Uttar Pradesh ,West Bengal &Bihar

divided into : Ganga –Yamuna Doab , Rohilkhand Plain ,Avadh plain ( U.P.),Bihar Plain and Bengal Plain

Ganga Delta : constitutes the Ben gal basin , covered with tidal forests ( the Sunderbans)

The Brahmaputra Plains

formed by deposit carried by Brahmaputra River , moist soil conditions

THE COASTAL PLAINS : 4500 –km long coastline , Arabian Sea (W) , the Bay of Bengal (E)&Indian ocean (S) runs from Rann of Kutch (W) to the delta of the Ganga- Brahmaputra(E)

The East Coastal Plains

extend betn the source of Subarnarekha and Kanyakumari ; contain deltas of almost all rivers ( except Tapti and Narmada ) ; include Tamil Nadu plains, Andhra Plain and Utkal Plain

The West Coastal Plains

run from Rann of Kutch to Kanyakumari; sandy plains

ISLANDS : has a no. of islands (247) ; Bay of Bengal ( 204) & Arabian Sea (43)

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands: in the Bay of Bengal, represent elevated potions of submarine mountains. Mount Harriet (460m): in South Andaman Islands is the highest point.

The Nicobar group contains 19 Islands. The Great Nicobar – largest island in group

Islands in Arabian Sea : coral origin & surrounded by fringing reefs e.g. Lakshadweep islands

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Facts about position of india

Jammu and Kashmir, himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and arunachal prADESH are the states of india lying completely in the Himalayas, while the state of Uttaranchal lies partly in the himalays and partly in the northern plains.

Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka , Kerala and Tamil Nadu together make the great peninsular plateau.

Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya are the Indian provinces made up of the hills in the north-east India.

Gujrat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, tamil Nadu, andra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal are states on the coast of India. Among our Union territories, Daman and Pondicherry have sea boundries.

The Indian states on international boundries are Gujrat, Rajasthan, Punjab : Pakistan Jammu n Kashmir: China and Pakistan Himachal Pradesh : China Bihar, Uttar Pradesh : Nepal Uttarnchal : China and Nepal West Bengal: Bhutan and Bagladesh Sikkim : China, Bhutan and Nepal Arunachal Pradesh : Bhutan, China and Myanmar Nagaland, Manipur : Myanmar Mizoram: Bagladesh & Myanmar Meghalaya, Tripura : Bagladesh Assam : Bagladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar

The states of Harayana , Madhya Pardesh , Chattisagarh & Jharkhand are the only land locked states. They are not on an international border either.

UP borders the maximum number of States-8 (Uttarakhand, HP, Haryana, Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar). After UP is Assam, which touches the border of 7 States.

Tropic of Cancer passes through 8 States : Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, WB, Tripura, Mizoram.

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Indian Standard Meridian passes through 5 States: UP, MP, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, AP.

9 States form the coast of India. They are: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, And Tamil Nadu. Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal.

2 Union Territories, viz. Daman & Diu and Pondicherry are also on the coast.

The Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are made up of islands only.