Geography of India Coastal Plains and Indian Desert Quiz

The Northern Plain

• The Northern Plain is divided into three sections: the Punjab Plains, the Ganga Plain, and the Brahmaputra Plain.
• The Punjab Plains are formed by the Indus and its tributaries, and the larger part of this plain lies in Pakistan.
• The Indus and its tributaries originate in the Himalayas.
• The Ganga Plain extends between the Ghaggar and Teesta rivers, and is spread over North India in Haryana, Delhi, U.P., Bihar, and part of Jharkhand and West Bengal.
• The Brahmaputra Plain lies in the East, particularly in Assam.

Relief Features of the Northern Plain

• The Northern Plain is not entirely flat, but has diverse relief features.
• The rivers, after descending from the mountains, deposit pebbles in a narrow belt of about 8 to 16 km in width, known as the bhabar.
• All the streams disappear in this bhabar belt.
• South of this belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet, swampy, and marshy region known as terai.
• The terai region is a thickly forested area full of wildlife.

The Purvachal or Eastern Hills and Mountains

• The Purvachal comprises the Patkai hills, the Naga hills, the Manipur hills, and the Mizo hills.
• These hills are mostly composed of strong sandstones, which are sedimentary rocks.
• They are covered with dense forests and run as parallel ranges and valleys.

The Formation of the Northern Plain

• The Northern Plain has been formed by the interplay of three major river systems, namely the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra, along with their tributaries.
• The plain is formed of alluvial soil.
• The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying at the foothills of the Himalaya over millions of years formed this fertile plain.
• The plain spreads over an area of 7 lakh sq.km and is a densely populated physiographic division.

The Rivers and their Features

• The rivers coming from the northern mountains are involved in depositional work.
• In the lower course, due to the gentle slope, the velocity of the river decreases, resulting in the formation of riverine islands.
• Majuli, in the Brahmaputra river, is the largest inhabited riverine island in the world.
• The rivers in their lower course split into numerous channels due to the deposition of silt.

The Central Highlands

• The Central Highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east.
• The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
• The Chotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension, drained by the Damodar river.

The Deccan Plateau

• The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.
• The Satpura range flanks its broad base in the north, while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills, and the Maikal range form its eastern extensions.
• The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards.
• An extension of the Plateau is also visible in the northeast, locally known as the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau, and North Cachar Hills.

The Peninsular Plateau

• The Peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of old crystalline, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.
• It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land, making it a part of the oldest landmass.
• The plateau has broad and shallow valleys and rounded hills.
• It consists of two broad divisions, namely the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.

The Coastal Plains

• The Peninsular plateau is flanked by a stretch of narrow coastal strips, running along the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east.
• The western coast is a narrow plain, consisting of three sections: the Konkan, the Kannad Plain, and the Malabar coast.
• The Indian Desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills.
• It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes.
• This region receives very low rainfall below 150 mm per year and has an arid climate with low vegetation cover.

Other Features

• Luni is the only large river in the Indian Desert.
• The plains along the Bay of Bengal are wide and level, with large rivers, such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri, having formed extensive deltas on this coast.
• Lake Chilika is an important feature along the eastern coast.
• The Chilika Lake is the largest saltwater lake in India.