Indian Geography

Northern Mountains of India

The Northern Mountains of India are located in the areas from northwest of Ladakh to the eastern border of India (Arunachal Pradesh). The Northern Mountains are spread over the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya. The Northern Mountains are classified into three categories based on the mountain ranges located in that region. Trans-Himalayan Ranges, Himalayan Ranges, and Purvachal/Eastern Ranges. The Trans-Himalayan region, which is a plateau with an average elevation of 9800 feet, is known as the 'Tibetan Himalayas'. Based on geographical features, the Himalayan ranges are classified into three parallel mountain ranges: Siwalik Hills, Himachal (Lesser Himalayas), and Himadri (Greater Himalayas). The Siwalik Hills are a region of hills that exists parallel to the great Himalayas and have a maximum height of about 3200 feet. The Himachal ranges have higher ranges that reach a maximum height of about 10800 feet. The Himadri is the mountain range that forms the backbone of the Himalayas, with huge mountains like Everest. The Naga Hills (Nagaland), Manipur Hills, Tripura Hills, and Khasi-Garo Hills (Meghalaya) are the main hills located in the eastern mountain range (Purvachal) of the Uttar Parvata region.

Trans Himalayan Ranges

The Trans Himalayas are a mountain range located to the north and northeast of Jammu and Kashmir. The Trans Himalayas include the Ladakh, Karakoram, and Saskar mountain ranges. The second highest peak in the world, Mount K2 (Godwin Austin), is in the Karakoram Range. The height of Godwin Austin is 8661 meters. It is located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Himalayan Ranges

The Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world, is spread across India, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The Himalayas extend for about 2400 km from the Indus in the west to the Brahmaputra in the east. The height and width of the Himalayas decrease as you go east. The width of the Himalayas is 400 km in the Kashmir-Ladakh region and 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh. The Himalayas are a series of three parallel ranges: the Greater Himalayas or Himadri, the Lesser Himalayas or Himachal, and the Outer Himalayas or Siwalik. The Indian states that form part of the Himalayas are Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian Union Territories that form part of the Himalayas are Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Himadri

The Himadri is the highest mountain range in the Himalayas. It is known as the backbone of the Himalayas. The surface of the Himadri is made of granite. The Himadri, the northern part of the Himalayas, has many peaks. Nine of the world's 10 highest peaks are located in the Himadri. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Nanga Parvat, and Nanda Devi are the peaks of Himadri.

Major peaks of Himadri

■ Mount Everest (Nepal) - 8850 m

■ Kanchenjunga (India) - 8586 m

■ Lhotse (Nepal) - 8516 m

■ Makalu (Nepal) - 8481 m

■ Dhaulagiri (Nepal) - 8172 m

■ Nanga Parvat (India) - 8126 m

■ Annapurna (Nepal) - 8078 m

■ Nanda Devi (India) - 7817 m

■ Kamet (India) - 7756 m

■ Namcha barwa (India) - 7756 m

Mount Everest

Mount Everest, known as "Sagarmatha" in Nepal and "Chomolungma" in Tibet, is located in Nepal. The highest peak in the world, Mount Everest, is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) high. Initially, Mount Everest was named 'Peak XV'. In 1862, a surveyor from Bengal, Radhanath Sikdar, identified the world's highest peak as 'Peak XV'. In 1865, Andrew Waugh, the Surveyor General of India, gave the peak the name 'Everest'. The peak was named in memory of Sir George Everest, the long-serving Surveyor General of India.

Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary were the first to summit Mount Everest at 11:30 a.m. local time on 29 May 1953. They were members of the 9th British Expedition led by John Hunt. Tenzing was born in Nepal but spent most of his time in India. Hillary is a New Zealander. The first woman to summit Everest was Japanese Junko Tabe; this was on 16 May 1975. The first Indian team to summit Everest was in 1965 under the leadership of Lieutenant Commander M.S. Kohli. Nine members of this team reached the summit of Everest. Bachendripal was the first Indian woman to summit Everest. This was in May 1984.

Kanchenjunga Peak

Kanchenjunga is the third highest peak in the world. This 8586-meter-high mountain is located between Sikkim and Nepal. Kanchenjunga is made up of five mountain peaks. The name means 'five snow treasures'. The mountain was first climbed in 1955 by a team led by a British man named Charles Evans.

Godwin Austin (K2 / Mount Godwin-Austen)

K2 (Godwin-Austen) is the second highest peak in the world. This 8611-meter-high mountain giant is located in the Karakoram region on the China-Pakistan border. The mountain was first surveyed in 1856 by a British colonel named T.G. Montgomery. Although attempts to climb this peak began in 1902, an Italian mountaineering team succeeded on July 31, 1954. The peak is considered the most difficult to climb.

Himachal

Himachal is a mountain range located between Himadri and Siwalik. Kashmir, Kullu, and Kangra valleys are in this region. The resort towns of Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital, Almora, and Darjeeling are also part of Himachal. The Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh is the main pass in this region.

Sivalik

The Sivalik Range is the southernmost low mountain range in the Himalayan ranges. The average elevation of the Sivalik Range is 1220 meters above sea level. The dunes are the wide valleys that appear perpendicular to this range.

Glaciers

The word Himalayas means 'house of snow'. The Himalayas are covered with glaciers. These are called glaciers. Glaciers are found in the Himalayan region in India. It is estimated that there are about 15,000 glaciers in the Himalayas between the Hindu Kush Karakoram mountain range and the Patkai mountain range. These are mainly divided into seven regions. After the polar regions, the largest glaciers in the world are found in the Himalayas and the glaciers are found at the highest altitude in the world. Siachen (76 km) is the longest glacier outside the polar regions. It is the longest in the Himalayan region and in India. This glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram region. Gangotri, Yamunotri, Semu, Khumbu etc. are the major glaciers here. The Baltoro Glacier is the second largest glacier in the Himalayan region. The Baltoro Glacier is located in the Karakoram Range.

Eastern Range/Purvanchal

The Eastern Range includes the Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, the Mizo Hills in Mizoram, and the Naga and Patkai Hills in Nagaland. They are called hills/mountain ranges because their height is less than 900 meters. The Patkai Range extends in the northeast of India towards the Myanmar border. The Patkai Range is also known as the Purvanchal. This range, which consists of the Patkai, Garo-Khasi, Lushai, and Jaintia Hills, was created along with the Himalayas.

Passes in India

Passes connecting points

■ Banihal: Jammu - Srinagar

■ Debsa: Kullu - Spiti Valley

■ Lipulekh: Uttarakhand - Tibet

■ Shipkila: Himachal Pradesh - Tibet

■ Zojila: Srinagar - Kargil

■ Nathula: Sikkim - Tibet

■ Bomdila: Arunachal Pradesh - Tibet (Lhasa)

■ Rohtang: Kullu - Lahul - Spiti Valley

■ Dihang Pass: Arunachal Pradesh - Mandalay (Myanmar)

■ Baralachla: Himachal Pradesh - Leh, Ladakh

■ Jelappla: Sikkim - Lhasa

■ Kumbharli Ghat: Ratnagiri - Satara (Konkan Plain)

■ Talghat : Nashik - Mumbai

■ Borghat : Mumbai - Pune

Majuli (River Island)

Majuli Island in the Brahmaputra River is the largest river island in South Asia (in the world). Majuli has won the Guinness World Record by beating Marajo Island in Brazil. Majuli Island was located in Jorhat district of Assam. Majuli Island, which has an area of ​​880 square kilometers, is home to about 1.5 lakh people. In 2016, the island was declared a district. Majuli, the 34th district of Assam, is also the first island district in India. Nong, the second largest river island in Asia, is also located in Meghalaya.

Dams in India

Jawaharlal Nehru described dams as the 'temples of modern India'. Dams lead the country towards progress by providing facilities for irrigation and power generation. India has built over 3,200 dams, both large and small, for various purposes, including power generation and irrigation.

Bridges in India

Many bridges, both large and small, have been built across India for pedestrian and transport purposes. The longest bridge in India is located on the Lohit River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra in Assam. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 May 2017. It is named after the famous singer Bhupen Hazarika. The 9.1 km long bridge connects Sadiya and Dhola in Tinsukia district near Arunachal Pradesh. The Mahatma Gandhi Setu, built across the Ganges in Patna, the capital of Bihar, was the longest river bridge in India till the construction of Bhupen Hazarika Bridge. It is 5575 meters long. It was inaugurated in May 1982.

Northern Great Plains

The Himalayan rivers originate from the northern mountain range. The major Himalayan rivers are the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra. The Northern Great Plains are fertile plains formed by the deposition of sediments carried by these rivers and their tributaries. The Northern Great Plains is the largest single plain in the world. The Northern Great Plains include parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, and Rajasthan. The Northern Great Plains are divided into four types based on the rivers that contribute to the deposition of sediments.

■ Punjab-Haryana Plain - Indus River, tributaries Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.

■ Gangetic Plain - Ganges, Kosi, Gomati, Yamuna, Gandak, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar are included in this region.

■ Brahmaputra Plain - Brahmaputra and Manas rivers. Brahmaputra Valley in Assam.

■ Marusthali-Bagar Plain - Luni River, Saraswati River, and Marusthali-Bagar regions of Rajasthan.

Thar Desert

The Thar is the largest desert in India. The majority of the Thar Desert is located in Rajasthan (61 percent). Parts of the Thar Desert are also located in the states of Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana. In the Punjab province of Pakistan, the Thar is known as the 'Cholistan Desert'. In the Sindh province of Pakistan, the Thar is called the 'Nara Desert'. The Thar is the seventh largest desert in the world. The Thar Desert covers an area of ​​about 2,38,700 square kilometers.

Sundarbans Delta

The Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers join the Meghna River in Bangladesh to flow into the Bay of Bengal. The Sundarbans is the delta formed by these rivers in Bangladesh and India during their flow. It is the largest and fastest growing delta in the world! It is home to the world's largest mangrove forest on the coast. The Sundarbans is also home to the Bengal tiger. The Sundarbans Delta has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Peninsular Plateau

The land area between the Northern Plateau and the Coastal Plain. The plateaus here are located at an altitude of about 400 meters above sea level. The Peninsular Plateau area covers an area of ​​1.5 million sq. km. These are the oldest areas in India and are the result of volcanic eruptions. Igneous rocks are mainly found here. About twelve states are part of the Peninsular Plateau. The states of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra. Some areas of the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

Major geographical divisions of the Peninsular Plateau

■ Deccan Plateau

■ Central Highlands

■ North-Eastern Plateau

Boundaries of the Peninsular Plateau

■ North-West - Aravalli

■ East - Rajmahal Hills

■ West - Gir Ranges

■ North-East - Shillong & Karbi Anglo Plateau

■ South - Nilgiris

Deccan Plateau

The Deccan Plateau is located in the southern part of the Peninsular Plateau, between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. The Deccan Plateau can be divided into three parts - the Maharashtra Plateau, the Karnataka (Mysore) Plateau, and the Telangana Plateau.

Central Highlands of India

The geographical division located north of the Narmada River. The Central Highlands are more extensive in the west and less extensive in the east. The Central Highlands can be divided into seven main ranges. The Aravalli Range, the Eastern Rajasthan Hills, the Malwa Plateau, the Bundelkhand, the Baghelkhand, the Chotanagpur Plateau, and the Vindhya Range. Most of the Central Highlands are part of the Malwa Plateau. The Chotanagpur Plateau is found to the east of the Central Region. The Ranchi Plateau, the Hazaribagh Plateau, and the Koderma Plateau are collectively known as the Chotanagpur Plateau.

The North Eastern Plateau

The North Eastern Plateau is located to the east of the Peninsular Plateau. The Meghalaya Plateau and the Karbi Anglo Plateau are the major landforms of the North Eastern Plateau.

Aravalli Range

The Aravalli Range extends for 700 km from the southwest of the Delhi border, through Haryana and Rajasthan, and into eastern Gujarat. The Aravalli also serves as a watershed separating the Indus-Gangetic river systems. The Aravalli divides Rajasthan into east and west. The northwest is a desert. The southeast has a relatively mild climate. The highest peak in the Aravalli Range is Guru Shikhar (1722 m) in Mount Abu. The Aravalli is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Although the Aravalli was formed as a fold mountain, it also shows the characteristics of a relic mountain as a result of erosional activity.

Vindhya-Satpura Mountain Ranges

The Vindhya Ranges divide the Gangetic Plain (northern India) from southern India. It is spread over the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The Vindhya ranges are located in an east-west direction with a northward slope. The Chambal, Ken and Betwa rivers, which are tributaries of the Yamuna, originate from here. The Vindhya ranges are formed from the mountain ranges that have been eroded and removed from the Aravalli.

Parallel to the Vindhyas in the south, the Satpura ranges lie. Starting from the eastern part of Gujarat, the Satpura extends through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh. The Narmada River, which originates near the Amarkantak peak in the Satpura and flows westward to the Arabian Sea, is supplied with water and electricity by various dams. The Tapti River, which flows westward, also originates in the Satpura ranges. As the name Satpura suggests, this mountain range is made up of many parallel fold mountains.

Eastern Ghats in India

The Eastern Ghats are a series of low, rugged mountain ranges that stretch 1,750 km along the Bay of Bengal coast between the Vaiga and Mahanadi rivers, and are located in the states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The Eastern Ghats are older than the Western Ghats. The highest point is in Visakhapatnam district (1,680 m). The second highest is Mahendragiri (1,501 m). The southernmost point of the Eastern Ghats is Sirumala and Karanthamala in Tamil Nadu. Only small rivers originate from here. The Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, and the Pennar Rivers in the south and north, and the Vaiga and their tributaries flow through the Eastern Ghats in many places. The Tirumala Tirupati temple is located in the Eastern Ghats.

Western Ghats in India

The Western Ghats are located on the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, parallel to the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats are also known as the 'Sahyadri'. The Western Ghats extend for about 1600 km from the Tapti River valley to Kanyakumari on the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Western Ghats pass through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. The average elevation of the Western Ghats above sea level is 1200 meters. The width of the Western Ghats is 100 km. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats meet in the Nilgiri Plateau of Tamil Nadu. The Western Ghats have seven ranges: Agasthyamala, Periyar, Anamala, Nilgiri, Talakaveri, Kundremukh, and Sahyadri.

Islands in India

An island means a place surrounded by water. There are more than a thousand islands in India. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the largest archipelago in India. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands consist of 572 islands.

Coastal Plain (Eastern and Western Coastal Plains of India)

The coastal plain of India extends from the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat to the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta region (Sunderbans Delta). (About 6100 km long). The Indian coastline is divided into two parts: the Eastern Coastal Plain (East Coast) and the Western Coastal Plain (West Coast). The Western Coastal Plain is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats. This plain has an average width of 50 km. The Western Coastal Plain extends from Kutch in Gujarat to Kanyakumari. The Western Coastal Plain is divided into three parts - the Gujarat Coast, the Konkan Coast, and the Malabar Coast.

The Eastern Coastal Plain extends from the Ganges River to about Kanyakumari. Its average width is 100 km. It extends from the confluence of the Krishna River into the Bay of Bengal to the confluence of the Kaveri River. The deltas formed by the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri rivers are characteristic of the eastern coastal plain. The eastern coastal plain is wider than the western coastal plain. The eastern coastal plain is divided into two parts - the Coromandel Coast and the Northern Circars.

Climate in India

The climate in India is called 'tropical monsoon climate'. The factors that influence the climate of India are latitude, topography, proximity to the sea, altitude, distance from the sea, the Himalayan mountain range, and monsoon winds. India experiences four main seasons - winter, summer, southwest monsoon, and northeast monsoon. Winter is the period from December to February. During winter, there is occasional rain in some parts of North India. The hot season in India is from March to May. During this time, the temperature in North India soars. The main rainy season in India is the southwest monsoon, which lasts for four months from June to September. Monsoon winds reach the Kerala coast in early June and advance in a northeasterly direction. The months of October and November are the months of withdrawal of the monsoon. This is also known as the northeast monsoon season. During this time, a low pressure area and a cyclone form in the Bay of Bengal due to the winds blowing from the northeast of India. This results in heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

Traditional Seasons in India

Although the seasons are generally divided into four, India is considered to have six distinct seasons based on the changes in atmospheric conditions - Shishir, Hemanta, Sharat, Varsha, Grisma and Vasantha.

Minerals of India

Mineral resources are divided into metallic and non-metallic minerals. Metallic minerals can be classified as ferrous and non-ferrous. Non-metallic minerals are further divided into mineral fuels and other minerals. Iron and manganese are examples of ferrous minerals. Gold, silver, copper, bauxite, zinc, tungsten, nickel, and chromite are examples of non-ferrous minerals. Coal and petroleum are mineral fuels, and mica and limestone are examples of other minerals. Uranium, thorium, ilmenite, and zirconium are the major nuclear minerals found in India.

Metallic Minerals in India

Metallic minerals can be classified as ferrous and non-ferrous. Iron and manganese are examples of ferrous metallic minerals. Gold, silver, copper, bauxite, zinc, tungsten, nickel, and chromite are examples of non-ferrous metallic minerals.

Non-metallic Minerals

Non-metallic minerals are divided into mineral fuels and other minerals. Coal, petroleum (mineral fuels), mica, and limestone (other minerals) are examples of non-metallic minerals.