Physical Features of India

This geography chapter describes the physical features of India and how they were formed. You will learn how the theory of plate tectonics explains the break-up of Gondwana land and the collision of the Indo-Australian plate with the Eurasian plate, which folded the Himalayas. The country can be divided into six physiographic divisions: the Himalayan Mountains, the Northern Plains, the Peninsular Plateau, the Indian Desert, the Coastal Plains and the Islands. You will study the Himalayas, which stretch about 2,400 km and have three parallel ranges, the Himadri, the Himachal and the Shiwaliks. You will learn how the Northern Plains, about 7 lakh square km in area, were formed by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra, and how they are divided into bhabar, terai, bhangar and khadar. You will examine the Peninsular Plateau with the Central Highlands, the Deccan Plateau and the Western and Eastern Ghats, then the Thar Desert, the coastal plains and the Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The chapter shows how each division contributes to India's wealth.

Detailed Worksheet: Physical Features of India Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. What is the theory of plate tectonics? (2 marks) 2. What are duns? Name two. (2 marks) 3. Distinguish between bhangar and khadar. (2 marks) 4. What is the bhabar? What is the terai? (2 marks) 5. Name the highest peaks of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. The Himalayas are about 2,400 km long. Their width is about 400 km in Kashmir and 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh. Find the difference in width and the average of the two widths. (3 marks) 7. The Northern Plains are about 2,400 km long and 240 to 320 km wide. Using an average width of 280 km, estimate their area. Compare it with the given figure of about 7 lakh square km. (3 marks) 8. Mount Everest is 8,848 m high and Kanchenjunga is 8,598 m. Anai Mudi is 2,695 m. Find how much higher Everest is than Kanchenjunga and how many times higher it is than Anai Mudi, correct to one decimal place. (3 marks) 9. The average height of the Himadri is 6,000 m, the Himachal ranges from 3,700 to 4,500 m and the Shiwaliks from 900 to 1,100 m. Find the average height of the Himachal and the Shiwaliks and the difference between the Himadri and the Shiwaliks. (3 marks) 10. The Western Ghats have an average elevation of 900 to 1,600 m and the Eastern Ghats about 600 m. Find the difference between the lower limit of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. Why do the Western Ghats get more rainfall? (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. On an outline map of India, mark the six physiographic divisions. (4 marks) 12. Draw a cross-section diagram of the Himalayas showing the Himadri, Himachal and Shiwaliks with their heights. (3 marks) 13. On an outline map of India, mark the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Anai Mudi and the Thar Desert. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. Describe the three parallel ranges of the Himalayas. Explain how the Himalayas are divided from west to east. (5 marks) 15. Compare the Himalayan region with the Peninsular Plateau in origin, rocks and relief. (5 marks) 16. Explain how each physiographic division complements the others and makes India rich in natural resources. (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Show all calculations and label maps and diagrams clearly.