India - Geography
Geography
India Table of Contents
India's total land mass is 2,973,190 square kilometers and is divided         into three main geological regions: the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the         Himalayas, and the Peninsula region. The Indo-Gangetic         Plain and those portions of the Himalayas within India are collectively         known as North India. South India consists of the peninsular region,         often termed simply the Peninsula. On the basis of its physiography,         India is divided into ten regions: the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the northern         mountains of the Himalayas, the Central Highlands, the Deccan or         Peninsular Plateau, the East Coast (Coromandel Coast in the south), the         West Coast (Konkan, Kankara, and Malabar coasts), the Great Indian         Desert (a geographic feature known as the Thar Desert in Pakistan) and         the Rann of Kutch, the valley of the Brahmaputra in Assam, the         northeastern hill ranges surrounding the Assam Valley, and the islands         of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Indo-Gangetic Plain
In social and economic terms, the Indo-Gangetic Plain is the most         important region of India. The plain is a great alluvial crescent         stretching from the Indus River system in Pakistan to the Punjab Plain         (in both Pakistan and India) and the Haryana Plain to the delta of the         Ganga (or Ganges) in Bangladesh (where it is called the Padma).         Topographically the plain is homogeneous, with only floodplain bluffs         and other related features of river erosion and changes in river         channels forming important natural features.
Two narrow terrain belts, collectively known as the Terai, constitute         the northern boundary of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Where the foothills of         the Himalayas encounter the plain, small hills known locally as ghar (meaning house in Hindi) have been formed by coarse sands and pebbles         deposited by mountain streams. Groundwater from these areas flows on the         surface where the plains begin and converts large areas along the rivers         into swamps. The southern boundary of the plain begins along the edge of         the Great Indian Desert in the state of Rajasthan and continues east         along the base of the hills of the Central Highlands to the Bay of         Bengal. The hills, varying in elevation from 300 to 1,200         meters, lie on a general east-west axis. The Central Highlands are         divided into northern and southern parts. The northern part is centered         on the Aravalli Range of eastern Rajasthan. In the northern part of the         state of Madhya Pradesh, the Malwa Plateau comprises the southern part         of the Central Highlands and merges with the Vindhya Range to the south.         The main rivers that flow through the southern part of the plain--the         Narmada, the Tapti, and the Mahanadi--delineate North India from South         India.
Some geographers subdivide the Indo-Gangetic Plain into three parts:         the Indus Valley (mostly in Pakistan), the Punjab (divided between India         and Pakistan) and Haryana plains, and the middle and lower Ganga. These         regional distinctions are based primarily on the availability of water.         By another definition, the Indo-Gangetic Plain is divided into two         drainage basins by the Delhi Ridge; the western part consists of the         Punjab Plain and the Haryana Plain, and the eastern part consists of the         Ganga-Brahmaputra drainage systems. This divide is only 300 meters above         sea level, contributing to the perception that the Indo-Gangetic Plain         appears to be continuous between the two drainage basins. The Punjab         Plain is centered in the land between five rivers: the Jhelum, the         Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej. (The name Punjab comes from the Sanskrit pancha ab , meaning five waters or         rivers.)
Both the Punjab and Haryana plains are irrigated with water from the         Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. The irrigation projects emanating from         these rivers have led to a decrease in the flow of water reaching the         lower drainage areas in the state of Punjab in India and the Indus         Valley in Pakistan. The benefits that increased irrigation has brought         to farmers in the state of Haryana are controversial in light of the         effects that irrigation has had on agricultural life in the Punjab areas         of both India and Pakistan.
The middle Ganga extends from the Yamuna River in the west to the         state of West Bengal in the east. The lower Ganga and the Assam Valley         are more lush and verdant than the middle Ganga. The lower Ganga is         centered in West Bengal from which it flows into Bangladesh and, after         joining the Jamuna (as the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra are known in         Bangladesh), forms the delta of the Ganga. The Brahmaputra (meaning son         of Brahma) rises in Tibet (China's Xizang Autonomous Region) as the         Yarlung Zangbo River, flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and         then crosses into Bangladesh. Average annual rainfall increases moving         west to east from approximately 600 millimeters in the Punjab Plain to         1,500 millimeters around the lower Ganga and Brahmaputra.
The Himalayas
The Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world, extend along         the northern frontiers of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Burma.         They were formed geologically as a result of the collision of the Indian         subcontinent with Asia. This process of plate tectonics is ongoing, and         the gradual northward drift of the Indian subcontinent still causes         earthquakes (see Earthquakes, this ch.). Lesser ranges jut southward         from the main body of the Himalayas at both the eastern and western         ends. The Himalayan system, about 2,400 kilometers in length and varying         in width from 240 to 330 kilometers, is made up of three parallel         ranges--the Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and the Outer         Himalayas--sometimes collectively called the Great Himalayan Range. The         Greater Himalayas, or northern range, average approximately 6,000 meters         in height and contain the three highest mountains on earth: Mount         Everest (8,796 meters) on the China-Nepal border; K2 (8,611 meters, also         known as Mount Godwin-Austen, and in China as Qogir Feng) in an area         claimed by India, Pakistan, and China; and Kanchenjunga (8,598 meters)         on the India-Nepal border. Many major mountains are located entirely         within India, such as Nanda Devi (7,817 meters) in the state of Uttar         Pradesh. The snow line averages 4,500 to 6,000 meters on the southern         side of the Greater Himalayas and 5,500 to 6,000 on the northern side.         Because of climatic conditions, the snow line in the eastern Himalayas         averages 4,300 meters, while in the western Himalayas it averages 5,800         meters.
The Lesser Himalayas, located in northwestern India in the states of         Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, in north-central India in the state         of Sikkim, and in northeastern India in the state of Arunachal Pradesh,         range from 1,500 to 5,000 meters in height. Located in the Lesser         Himalayas are the hill stations of Shimla (Simla) and Darjiling         (Darjeeling). During the colonial period, these and other hill stations         were used by the British as summer retreats to escape the intense heat         of the plains. It is in this transitional vegetation zone that the         contrasts between the bare southern slopes and the forested northern         slopes become most noticeable.
The Outer or Southern Himalayas, averaging 900 to 1,200 meters in         elevation, lie between the Lesser Himalayas and the Indo-Gangetic Plain.         In Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, this southernmost range is often         referred to as the Siwalik Hills. It is possible to identify a fourth,         and northernmost range, known as the Trans-Himalaya. This range is         located entirely on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, north of the great         west-to-east trending valley of the Yarlung Zangbo River. Although the         Trans-Himalaya Range is divided from the Great Himalayan Range for most         of its length, it merges with the Great Himalayan Range in the western         section--the Karakoram Range--where India, Pakistan, and China meet.
The southern slopes of each of the Himalayan ranges are too steep to         accumulate snow or support much tree life; the northern slopes generally         are forested below the snow line. Between the ranges are extensive high         plateaus, deep gorges, and fertile valleys, such as the vales of Kashmir         and Kulu. The Himalayas serve a very important purpose. They provide a         physical screen within which the monsoon system operates and are the         source of the great river systems that water the alluvial plains below         (see Climate, this ch.). As a result of erosion, the rivers coming from         the mountains carry vast quantities of silt that enrich the plains.
The area of northeastern India adjacent to Burma and Bangladesh         consists of numerous hill tracts, averaging between 1,000 and 2,000         meters in elevation, that are not associated with the eastern part of         the Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh. The Naga Hills, rising to heights of         more than 3,000 meters, form the watershed between India and Burma. The         Mizo Hills are the southern part of the northeastern ranges in India.         The Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia hills are centered in the state of         Meghalaya and, isolated from the northeastern ranges, divide the Assam         Valley from Bangladesh to the south and west.
The Peninsula
The Peninsula proper is an old, geologically stable region with an         average elevation between 300 and 1,800 meters. The Vindhya Range         constitutes the main dividing line between the geological regions of the         Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Peninsula. This range lies north of the         Narmada River, and when viewed from there, it is possible to discern the         prominent escarpments that rise between 800 and 1,400 meters. The         Vindhya Range defines the north-central and northwestern boundary of the         Peninsula, and the Chota Nagpur Plateau of southern Bihar forms the         northeastern boundary. The uplifting of the plateau of the central         Peninsula and its eastward tilt formed the Western Ghats, a line of         hills running from the Tapti River south to the tip of the Peninsula.         The Eastern Ghats mark the eastern end of the plateau; they begin in the         hills of the Mahanadi River basin and converge with the Western Ghats at         the Peninsula's southern tip.
The interior of the Peninsula, south of the Narmada River, often         termed the Deccan Plateau or simply the Deccan (from the Sanskrit daksina , meaning south), is a series of plateaus topped by rolling hills and         intersected by many rivers. The plateau averages roughly 300 to 750         meters in elevation. Its major rivers--the Godavari, the Krishna, and         the Kaveri--rise in the Western Ghats and flow eastward into the Bay of         Bengal.
The coastal plain borders the plateau. On the northwestern side, it         is characterized by tidal marshes, drowned valleys, and estuaries; and         in the south by lagoons, marshes, and beach ridges. Coastal plains on         the eastern side are wider than those in the west; they are focused on         large river deltas that serve as the centers of human settlement.
Offshore Islands
India's offshore islands, constituting roughly one-quarter of 1         percent of the nation's territory, lie in two groups located off the         east and west coasts. The northernmost point of the union territory of         the Andaman and Nicobar Islands lies 1,100 kilometers southeast of         Calcutta. Situated in the Bay of Bengal in a chain stretching some 800         kilometers, the Andaman Islands comprise 204 islands and islets, and         their topography is characterized by hills and narrow valleys. Although         their location is tropical, the climate of the islands is tempered by         sea breezes; rainfall is irregular. The Nicobar Islands, which are south         of the Andaman Islands, comprise nineteen islands, some with flat,         coral-covered surfaces and others with hills. The islands have a nearly         equatorial climate, heavy rainfall, and high temperatures. The union         territory of Lakshadweep (the name means 100,000 islands) in the Arabian         Sea, comprises--from north to south--the Amindivi, Laccadive, Cannanore,         and Minicoy islands. The islands, only ten of which are inhabited, are         spread throughout an area of approximately 77,000 square kilometers. The         islands are low-lying coral-based formations capable of limited         cultivation.