Its Physical divisions

Geographical Unity of India

The Himalayas act as an effective barrier separating the tropical monsoon climate of India from severe climate of central Asia ; good source for hydro electricity.

River water used for agriculture, domestic & industrial purposes; supplies water to the Northern plains.

Plateaus are a store house of mineral resources.Coastal areas important for agriculture , fishing &

trading.

Physical divisionsThe Great Mountain Wall of

the NorthThe Northern PlainsThe Great Peninsular PlateauThe Great Indian DesertThe Coastal PlainsIslands of Arabian Sea and

Bay of Bengal

The Great Mountain WallConsist of the Karakoram & the

Himalayan rangeK2 / Godwin Austin (8611m) in POK

is the highest mountain peak in India.

Kanchenjunga in Sikkim (8586m) is the second highest.

From north to south the Himalayas consist of 3 parallel ranges- Himadri; Himachal/ Lesser Himalayas; Shivalik / Outer Himalayas

The Northern PlainsThey are extensive, low & flat plains made of

fine soil called alluvium which were brought down and deposited by rivers. They consist of three basins-

Indus basin located mainly in the state of J & K, Himachal Pradesh & Punjab; drained by river Indus & its tributaries.

The Ganga basin covers a major portion of Northern Plains, drained by river Ganga & its tributaries.

The Brahmaputra basin which covers Arunachal P, Assam, Bangladesh & drains into the Bay of Bengal.

Ganga-Brahmaputra forms the largest delta.

The Great Peninsular PlateauIt lies to the south of

northern plains; oldest land mass of India

Composed of hard igneous rock & metamorphic rocks;

Has 3 distinct parts- the Malwa Plateau or Central Highlands, Chhotanagpur Plateau and the Deccan Plateau

The Malwa Plateau bounded by the Aravallis in the north-west & the Vindhyas in the south; slopes towards the Ganga basin in the east, where it is called Bundelkhand & Baghelkhand in southern U.P. & Chhotanagpur in Jharkhand

The Deccan Plateau is triangular in shape; tilted to the east; most peninsular river flow eastwards; northwestern portion made of lava deposits; occupy the whole of Maharashtra, parts of Gujarat & MP; flanked by Western & Eastern Ghats.

The Great Indian DesertThe Thar Desert lies beyond the Aravalli

Range and extends into PakistanDry, sandy & gets very little rainfall;

regions of inland drainageLuni river flows through the southern part

of the desert for some part of the year

The Coastal PlainsIt borders the Deccan Plateau on the east

& west The western coastal plain has estuaries,

lagoons and backwaters; the northern part is called the Konkan & the southern part is called Malabar

The eastern coastal plain is wider; rivers form deltas; northern part is known as Northern Circars & the southern part is known as Coromandel Coast

Islands of Arabian Sea & Bay of BengalThe Lakshadweep Islands are

located in Arabian Sea, 300 km to the west of Kerala Coast ; group of 36 coral islands

The Andaman & Nicobar Islands are located in the Bay of Bengal; remnants of submerged volcanic mountain range; extends from the Arakan Mountains of Myanmar & continues through the island of Java & Sumatra in Indonesia; Barren Island, the only active volcano in India is found here