INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

Basics of India:
Location -India is located in the northern hemisphere
3. From south to north, India extends between 8°4' N and 37°6' N
latitudes.
4. From west to east, India extends between 68°7 ' E and97°25 'E
longitudes.
Size- India’s total area accounts for about 2.4% of the total
geographical area of the world. Thus, it is the 7th largest country in
the world, by its size.
 India has a land boundary of about 15,200 km. The total length of
the coastline of the mainland is 7,516.6 km including Andaman and
Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
 Time along the Standard Meridian of India (82°30’E) passing
through Mirzapur (in Uttar Pradesh) is taken as the standard time for
India.
• The southernmost point of India is the Pygmalion Point, or Indira
Point.
• North-south extent from Indira Col in Kashmir to Kanyakumari is
3,214 km.
• East-west width from the Rann of Kutch to Arunachal Pradesh is
2,933 km.
East-West time difference is nearly 2 hrs. (A difference of 1° longitude
will make a difference of 4 minutes in time.
• India's longest border is with Bangladesh while the shortest border
is with Afghanistan.
 1) Bangladesh 2) China 3) Pakistan 4) Nepal 5) Myanmar
6)Bhutan 7) Afghanistan
The boundary between India and China separated by the Mc
Mahon Line. The Indo-Pakistan boundary is the result of the
partition under the Radcliffe. The India-Bangladesh Border
boundary has been determined under the Radcliffe. The
India and Sri Lanka are separated from each other by a
narrow and shallow sea called Palk Strait.
Physical Features of India
(1) The Northern and North-eastern Mountains
(2) The Northern Plain
(3) The Peninsular Plateau
(4) The Indian Desert
(5) The Coastal Plains and The Islands
Northern Mountain Ranges
 The Himalayas stretching over the northern borders of India are
geologically young and structurally fold mountain ranges of the
world. The formation of Himalayas took place due to the collision of
the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate.
 Himalayas extending from the Indus Gorge in the west
Brahmaputra Gorge in the east terminates suddenly taking sharp
southward bend. These bends are called Syntaxial bends of the
Himalayas.
Karewas are the lacustrine deposits of glacial clay and other material
embedded with moraines. They are found on the slopes of Pir Panjal
in Jammu & Kashmir.
Valley- A valley is a low lying area between hills or mountains.
Important Peaks of the Himalayan Mountains Peak Country
 Mt. Everest (Nepal 8,848.86)  (K²)/Godwin Austen (India 8,611)
 Kanchenjunga (India 8,598)  Lhotse (Nepal/Tibet 8,501)
 Makalu (Nepal 8,481)  Dhaulagiri (Nepal 8,172)
 Mansalu (Nepal 8,163)  Nanga Parbat (India 8,124)
 Annapurna (Nepal 7,817)  Nanda Devi (India 7,816)
 Kamet (India 7,756)  Namcha Barwa (India/Tibet)
Trans-Himalayas/Tibetan Himalayas
 Trans-Himalayas are the northern parts of the Great Himalayas.
These ranges have been formed from sedimentary rocks. Antecedent
rivers like Sutlej, Indus, Brahmaputra or Tsangpo originate from this
region.  It is separated in the north from Great Himalayas by the
Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone (ITSZ) or Kailash mountain ranges are
categorized under this Himalayas.  Karakoram ranges are known as
the backbone of the Asia. The highest mountain peak of India, K² or
Godwin Austen is located in this range.  Karakoram ranges meet the
Pamir knot in the west whereas it is extended in the southeast as
Kailash range. In the south of this range, Ladakh range acts as a water
divide between Indus River and its tributary Shyok River.
Indus River flows between Zanskar and Ladakh range and forms the
deepest Gorge (5,200 m) in India by cutting the Ladakh range at bunji

The Trans Himalayas

 The Himalayan ranges immediately north of the Great Himalayan
range.
 Also called the Tibetan Himalaya because most of it lies in Tibet.
 The Zaskar, the Ladakh, the Kailas and the Karakoram are the
main ranges.
 It stretches for a distance of about 1,000 km in the east-west
direction.
  The average elevation is 3000 m above mean sea level.
 The average width of this region is 40 km at the extremities and
about 225 km in the central part.
 The Nanga Parbat (8126 m) is an important range which is in The
Zaskar Range.
 North of the Zaskar Range and running parallel to it is the Ladakh
Range. Only a few peaks of this range attain heights of over 6000
meters.
 The Kailas Range (Gangdise in Chinese) in western Tibet is an
offshoot of the Ladakh Range. The highest peak is Mount Kailas
(6714 m). River Indus originates from the northern slopes of the
Kailas range.
 The northernmost range of the Trans-Himalayan Ranges in India is
the Great Karakoram Range also known as the Krishnagiri range.
 Karakoram Range extends eastwards from the Pamir for about 800
km. It is a range with lofty peaks [elevation 5,500 m and above]. It is
the abode of some of the greatest glaciers of the world outside the
polar regions.
 Some of the peaks are more than 8,000 meters above sea level. K2
(8,611 m)[Godwin Austen or Qogir] is the second highest peak in
the world and the highest peak in the Indian Union.
 The Ladakh Plateau lies to the north-east of the Karakoram Range. It
has been dissected into a number of plains and mountains {Soda
Plains, Aksai Chin, Lingzi Tang, Depsang Plains, and Chang
Chenmo}.

The Great Himalaya

 Also known as Inner Himalaya, Central Himalaya, or Himadri.
 The average elevation of 6,100 m above sea level and an average
width of about 25 km.
 It is mainly formed of the central crystallines (granites and
gneisses) overlain by metamorphosed sediments [limestone].
 The folds in this range are asymmetrical with a steep south slope
and gentle north slope giving ‘hogback (a long, steep hill or
mountain ridge)’ topography.
 This mountain arc convexes to the south just like the other two.
  Terminates abruptly at the syntaxial bends. One in the Nanga
Parbat in the north-west and the other in the Namcha Barwa in the
north-east.

Middle or the Lesser Himalaya

 In between the Shiwaliks in the south and the Greater Himalayas
in the north.
 Runs almost parallel to both ranges.
 It is also called the Himachal or Lower Himalaya.
 Lower Himalayan ranges are 60-80 km wide and about 2400 km in
length.
 Elevations vary from 3,500 to 4,500 m above sea level.
 Many peaks are more than 5,050 m above sea level and are snow-
covered throughout the year.
 Lower Himalayas have steep, bare southern slopes (steep
slopes prevent soil formation) and more gentle, forest-covered
northern slopes.
 In Uttarakhand, the Middle Himalayas are marked by
the Mussoorie and the Nag Tibba ranges.
 The Mahabharat Lekh, in southern Nepal, is a continuation of the
Mussoorie Range
 East of the Kosi River, the Sapt Kosi, Sikkim, Bhutan, Miri, Abor,
and Mishmi hills represent the lower Himalayas.
 The Middle Himalayan ranges are more friendly to human contact.
 The majority of the Himalayan hill resorts like Shimla, Mussoorie,
Ranikhet, Nainital, Almora, and Darjeeling, etc. are located here.

Important ranges of Lesser Himalayas Region

The Pir Panjal Range Jammu and Kashmir (They are to the south

The Dhaola Dhar Range Himachal Pradesh

The Mussoorie Range and The Nag Tiba Range Uttarakhand

Mahabharat Lekh Nepal

Shiwalik Range
  Also known as Outer Himalayas.
 Located in between the Great Plains and Lesser Himalayas.
 The altitude varies from 600 to 1500 meters.
 Runs for a distance of 2,400 km from the Potwar Plateau to
the Brahmaputra valley.
 The southern slopes are steep while the northern slopes are gentle.
 The width of the Shiwaliks varies from 50 km in Himachal
Pradesh to less than 15 km in Arunachal Pradesh.
 They are an almost unbroken chain of low hills except for a gap of
80-90 km which is occupied by the valley of the Tista River and
Raidak River.
 Shiwalik range from North-East India up to Nepal are covered
with thick forests but the forest cover decreases towards west
from Nepal (The quantum of rainfall decreases from east to west in
Shiwaliks and Ganga Plains).
 The southern slopes of the Shiwalik range in Punjab and Himachal
Pradesh are almost devoid of forest cover. These slopes are highly
dissected by seasonal streams called Chos.
 Valleys are part of synclines and hills are part of anticlines or
antisynclines.
 The Shiwaliks are known by different names in different areas

Region Name of Shiwali

Jammu Region Jammu Hills

Dafla, Miri, Abor and Mishmi Hills Arunachal Prad

The Dhang Range, Dundwa Range Uttarakhand

Churia Ghat Hills Nepal

Purvanchal or Eastern Hills

 Eastern Hills or The Purvanchals are the southward extensions
of the Himalayas running along the north-eastern edge of India.
 At the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas take a sudden southward bend
and form a series of comparatively low hills which are collectively
called as the Purvanchal.
  Purvanchal hills are convex to the west.
 They run along the India-Myanmar Border extending from
Arunachal Pradesh in the north to Mizoram in the south.
 Patkai Bum hills are made up of strong sandstone; elevation
varying from 2,000 m to 3,000 m; merges into Naga
Hills where Saramati (3,826 m) is the highest peak.
 Patkai Bum and Naga Hills form the watershed between India
and Myanmar.
 South of Naga Hills is the Manipur hills which are generally less than
2,500 meters in elevation.
 The Barail range separates Naga Hills from Manipur Hills.
 Further south the Barail Range swings to the west into Jaintia,
Khasi, and Garo hills which are an eastward continuation of
the Indian peninsular block. They are separated from the main
block by Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers.
 South of the Manipur Hills is the Mizo Hills (previously known as
the Lushai hills) which have an elevation of less than 1,500 meters.
The highest point is the Blue Mountain (2,157 m) in the south.

Western Himalayas - Between the Indus in the west and the Kali river in
the east (880 km).

• Spread across three states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh

and Uttarakhand.

• It encompasses three physiographic provinces namely Kashmir Himalaya,

Himachal Himalaya and Ku-maon Himalaya (Uttarakhand Himalayas).

• The Ladakh plateau and the Kashmir valley are two important areas of the
Kashmir Himalayan region.

• In Himachal Himalayas, The Greater Himalaya is represented by the

Zaskar range, lesser Himalaya by PirPanjal and Dhauladhar ranges and
the Outer Himalaya by the Shiwalik range.

• The southern slopes are rugged, steep and forested while the northern
slopes are bare and gentle.

• The Kumaon Himalayas lie in Uttarakhand and extend from the Satluj to
the Kali river.
• The Lesser Himalayas in Kumaon Himalaya is represented by the
Mussoorie and Nag Tiba ranges.

• The Shiwalik in this region runs south of the Mussoorie range between the
Ganga and the Yamuna rivers.

• The flat valleys between the Lesser Himalaya and the Shiwalik range are
called ‘doons’ or ‘Duns’ ofwhich Dehra Dun is the most famous.

Peninsular Plateau The formation of peninsular plateau can be

traced to the Paleozoic era. It was formed due to the breaking and
the drifting of the Gondwanaland because of which it is a part of an
old landmass. Aravalli Ranges  Aravalli ranges are located on the
western and north-western side of the Peninsular plateau which are
highly dissected and are relict of the world’s oldest mountain. 
Aravalli hills extend upto 800 km from south-west in Gujarat to
north-east in Delhi. They are known as Delhi Ridge near Delhi. The
average height of Aravalli is 300-920 m. its highest peak, gurushikhar
near Mt. Abu is 1,722 m high.  These ranges were formed 600 to
570 million years ago during Pre-Cambrian period.  Mahi and Luhi
River originates from the west of Aravallies. Luni river disappears in
the Rann of Kutch.

Vindhayan Ranges  These ranges extend parallel to the north of

the Narmada-Son rift valley form west to east. They are old residual
fold mountains. It extends in the north of Malwa Plateau in
Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It separates North India
from South India. Its average altitude is 450-600m.  It extends from
west to east upto 1,200 km in the form of Bhander, Kaimur and
Parasnath hills.

Satpura Ranges  Satpura ranges are a part of Deccan plateau. The

rift valley of Narmada and Tapi surrounds it from both the sides
Structurally, Satpura has been divided into three parts. Rajpipla hills
in the west, Mahadeo hills at the centre and Maikal hills in the east.
Dhupgarh (1,350 m) is the highest peak of Satpura ranges located on
the pachmarhi hills.  Mailkal range is located in the state of
Chhattisgarh. The highest peak of Maikal range is Amarkantak (1,036
m).

Central Highlands  The portion of the Peninsular plateau which is

located to the north of the Narmada river covers a huge part of the
Malwa Plateau.  A major portion of the Central Highlands is known
as Malwa plateau. This plateau region is surrounded by Mahadeo
ranges in the east, Aravalli ranges in the north-west and Vindhayan
ranges at the centre.  The rivers that flow in this region are
Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken.  Its eastward extension is locally
known as Bundelkhand or Baghelkhand. The eastern end of the
Central Highlands is drained by Damodar and Subarnarekha rivers
which is known as Chhotanagpur plateau.  Satpura ranges lie
parallel to the Vindhayan ranges in its south whereas Amarkantak
and Chhotanagpur plateau are located in its east.

Dandakaranya region  It is a part of the Peninsular plateau of the

South India. It is extended upto 89,078 km² area in Odisha (Korapet,
Kalahandi district), Chhattisgarh (Bastar) and Andhra Pradesh (East
Godavari, Visakhapatanam and Srikakulam district).

Deccan Plateau  It is bordered by the Western Ghats in the west,

Eastern Ghats in the east and the Satpura, Maikal range and
Mahadeo hills in the north.  Anaimudi (2,695 m) is the highest peak
of Peninsular plateau which is located on the Anaimalai hills of the
Western Ghats. It is followed by Doddabetta (2,637 m) on the Nilgiri
hills.  The mojar parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Western
Andhra Pradesh along with parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu comes
under Deccan plateau.  Krishna River originates from
Mahabaleshwar (1,438 m) which is the major peak of Sahyadri. The
eastern part of the plateau is known as Vidarbha.  Dharwar plateau
is located in Karnataka which is made up of metamorphic rocks. Baba
Budan Hills and Brahmagiri Hills are located to its west.
The North-Eastern Plateau  Meghalaya Plateau is the extension of
the peninsular plateau which is separated by a fault, Malda Gap,
from the Penninsular plateau.

Eastern Ghats  The average height of the Eastern Ghats is 900-1,100

m which extends for 1,800 m, parallel to the eastern coastal plain
from Mahanadi Valley to Nilgiri in the south. North Easter Plateau
Comprises of Garo, Khasi, Jaintia hills and the outlying Mikir and
Rengma hills Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari and Kaveri Rivers have
eroded it at various places.  Eastern Ghats are residual mountains.
The highest peak is Jindhagoda Peak (1,680m) and Mahendragiri in
(1,501m) is the second highest peak.  It is highly dissected and
present in the form of hills. Mahendragiri in Odisha, Nallamala,
Palkonda in Andhra Pradesh and Anaimalai, Javadi, Shevroy, Palni,
Velangiri in Tamil Ndu are major peaks of Eastern Ghats. These hills
are separated by Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri rivers.
Western Ghats  The average heights of Western Ghats are 1,000 m
to 1,300 m as compared to Eastern Ghats which are 600 m high.
Western Ghats extend for a length of 1,600 m from the Tapi river
valley in the north to Nilgiri Hills in the South.  The four important
passes from north to south are Thalghat, Bhorghat, Palghat and
Senkota. The highest peak of Northern Sahyadri is Kalsubai (1,646 m)
whereas the highest peak of southern Sahyadri is Kudremukh (1,892
m). The second highest peak of Southern Sahyadri is Pushpagiri (1714
m). Kaveri river originates near Pushpagiri.  Cardamom Hills are
located in the south of Western Ghats in Kerala and the south of the
Annamalai hills in Tamil Nadu. Annamalai is located to its south west,
Palani hills to the north-east and the Agasthyamalai is located to its
south. The highest peak of the south India is Anaimudi (2,695 m)
which is located on the Annamalai Hills. Dodabetta (2,637 m) is the
second highest peak of south India. Nilgiri Mountains are located at
the meeting point of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Himalayan Drainage System of India

 The upliftment of the Himalayas in the different geological periods resulted in the
present drainage system of Himalayan rivers. The water divide, watershed and
channel of these rivers have changed at different times, and the folding leads to the
creation of many rivers. There are three major river systems in the Himalayas:

 Indus River System

 Brahmaputra River System
 Ganga River System

The following table shows the complete description of the rivers in the Himalayan
drainage system along with their tributaries:

RIVER SOURCE TRIBUTARIES MOUTH

Left: Jhelum, Sutlej,

Chenab, Ravi, Zanskar,
Beas
Near Bokhar Chu Glacier,
Indus Right: Shyok, Gilgit, Arabian Sea (near Karachi, Pakis
Tibetan Plateau
Tochi, Kabul, Hunza,
Khurram, Gomal,
Sangar, Viboa

Left: Ramganga,
Confluence of R. Bhagirathi Gomati, Gandak, Kosi,
Ganga and R. Alaknanda at Ghaghara, Mahananda Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh)
DevPrayag Right: Yamuna, Son,
Chambal, Betwa

Jhelum Verinag, J & K Right: Neelum, Sind R. Chenab (in Pakistan)

Chenab Tandi, Himachal Pradesh Right: Marusadar river R. Indus (in Pakistan)

Rohtang Pass, Himachal

Ravi R. Chenab
Pradesh

Raksas Tal, near Mansarovar, Left: Baspa

Sutlej R. Chenab, Pakistan
Tibet Right: Spiti, Beas

Beas Kund, near Rohtang pass,

Beas R. Sutlej
Himachal Pradesh

Left: Banas
Chambal Mhow, Malwa plateau R. Yamuna, Madhya Pradesh
Right: Parbati, Shipra

Mahananda Darjeeling Hills R. Ganga, West Bengal

Left: Trisuli
Gandak Mustang, Nepal R. Ganga, Sonpur, Bihar
Right: Kali Gandak
 Ramganga Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand R. Ganga, Uttar Pradesh

Left: Rapti
Ghagra Mapchachungo, Tibet Right: Sarda, Budhi R. Ganga, Bihar
Ganga

Kosi Tribenighat, Nepal R. Ganga, Bihar

Son Amarkantak Plateau R. Ganga, Bihar

Left: Burhi Dihing,

Dhansri, Lohit
Brahmaputr Chemayungdung Glacier,
Right: Subansri, Bay of Bengal
a Kailash Range, Tibet
Manas, Kameng,
Sankosh

Left: Rishiganga
Yamuna Yamunotri Glacier Right: Chambal, R. Ganga, Allahabad (UP)
Betwa, Ken, Sind

Peninsular Drainage System of India

The Western Ghats acts as a water divide. Thus, most of the peninsular rivers of
India flow towards the east and few flow through the west, reaching the Arabian
Sea with few exemptions which flow northwards.

 Krishna River System

 Godavari River System
 Cauvery River System
 Mahanadi River System

PENINSULA
SOURCE TRIBUTARIES MOUTH
R RIVER

Amarkantak Hills, Left: Tawa, Shakkar

Narmada Gulf of Khambat, Arabian Sea
Madhya Pradesh Right:Hiran, Kolar, Dindori

Left: Prahnita, Indravati

Brahmagiri Hills,
Godavari Right: Manjira, Pravara, Bay of Bengal, Andhra Pradesh
Nasik, Maharashtra
Manair

Left: Seonath, Mand, Ib

Mahanadi Sihawa, Chattisgarh Bay of Bengal ( Odisha)
Right: Ong, Jonk, Telen

Krishna Mahabaleshwar, Left: Bhima, Musi, Krishna district , Bay of Bengal

Maharashtra Munneru
Right: Tungabhadra,
Koyna, Dudhganga,
 Ghataprabha

Left: Hemavathi, Arkavathy

Brahmagiri Hills,
Cauvery Right: Kabini, Bhavani, Tamil Nadu, Bay of Bengal
Karnataka
Noyyal, Amaravati

Betul District, Madhya

Tapi Gulf of Khambat, Surat, Arabian Sea
Pradesh

Types of Drainage System: Comparison

There exist differences between the Himalayan and peninsular rivers based on
aspects such as the nature of the flow, drainage type, etc., which makes them
distinguished.

S. No. Aspect Peninsular River Himalayan River

1. Place of origin Peninsular plateau and central highland Himalayan Mountains

2. Nature of flow Seasonal Perennial

3. Nature of river Smaller course Long course

4. Type of drainage Trellis, Rectangular and Radial pattern Dendritic pattern

5. Catchment area Smaller basin Larger basin

6. Age of the river Old rivers Young rivers