India has a wide range of physical characteristics. The Indian Plate, which is the northernmost section of the Indo-Australian Plate, constitutes the Indian subcontinent's continental crust. Natural arrangement distinguishes physical divides. On the basis of various physiographic traits, India is categorised into six physiographic divisions: Northern and North-eastern Mountain; Northern Plain; Peninsular Plateau; Indian Desert; Coastal Plains; and Islands. This article will explain to you about India's Physiographic Divisions which will be helpful in Geography preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

India's Physiographic Divisions

• The geological structure of India is quite complex since Indian rocks come from several geologic eras, going back to the Eoarchean Era.
• The Archaean System, Dharwar System, Cuddapah System, Vindhyan System, Gondwana System, Deccan Trap; Tertiary System; Quaternary System can all be found in its geographical land region.
• The physiography of a place is determined by its structure, process, and stage of development.
• The physical characteristics of India's terrain are marked by significant variation.
• The rocky geography of the north includes a succession of mountain ranges with varying peaks, magnificent valleys, and deep canyons.
• The south is characterised by stable table land, dissected plateaus, denuded rocks, and developed scarps.
• The enormous north Indian plain sits in between these two.
• The following physiographic divisions can be used to categorise India's physical characteristics.
  • The Himalayan Mountains
  • The Northern Plains
  • The Peninsular Plateau
  • The Indian Desert
  • The Coastal Plains
  • The Islands

The Himalayan Mountains

• The Himalayas, geologically young and structurally fold mountains that reach beyond India's northern boundaries, are geologically young and structurally fold mountains.
• From the Indus to the Brahmaputra, these mountain ranges stretch west to east.
• The Himalayas are the world's highest and one of the most difficult mountain ranges.
• It is made up of three parallel ranges: Himadri (Greater Himalayas), Himachal (Lower Himalayas), and Shiwaliks(Outer Himalaya).
• Himadri (Greater Himalayas): With an average height of 6100 metres, it has some of the highest peaks and passes, including Jalep La in Sikkim's Chumbi Valley and Shipki La in the Sutlej Valley.
• Nepal is home to Mt. Everest, also known as Sagarmatha, the world's tallest mountain.
• Himachal Lower Himalaya) has an average elevation of 3700-4500 metres. Dhauladhar, Pir Panjal, Nag Tibba, and Musoorie are the most important ranges.
• Shimla, Ranikhet, Almora, Nainital, and Darjeeling Valley lowlands, as well as 'Doon or Doar,' are important hill resorts abutting the outer Himalayas.
• Shiwaliks: It is of recent origin, with an average elevation of 900-1200 m and a hogback aspect to the south.
• The Trans Himalayan Zones are located to the north of the Great Himalayas, near the Tibetan border.
• Karakoram, Ladakh, and Zaskar are some of the zone's most important ranges. Outside of the arctic area, this is the biggest snowfield.

The Northern Plains

• The northern plain is shaped by the confluence of three main river systems: the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra, as well as their tributaries.
• Alluvial soil makes up this plain. This rich plain was produced by millions of years of alluvium deposition in a large basin in the foothills of the Himalaya.
• From east to west, the plains stretch for around 3,200 kilometres.
• The plains' typical breadth varies between 150 and 300 kilometres. Alluvium deposits can be found at depths ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 metres.
• These may be separated into three primary zones from north to south: the Bhabar, the Tarai, and the alluvial plains.
• At the break-up of the slope, Bhabar is a thin band that runs parallel to the Shivalik foothills for 8-10 kilometres.
• As a result, streams and rivers flowing from the mountains dump heavy materials such as rocks and boulders in this zone, and at times, they disappear entirely.
• Marshy tracts resurface south of Bhabar, and this region is known as Terai.
• This area features a lush growth of natural vegetation and is home to a diverse range of fauna.
• The uplands generated by older alluvium are represented by Bhangar Plains.
• Kankar is a dark-colored alluvium that is often high in calcium.
• If the river is named Khadar, the floodplains have younger alluvium. Its alluvium has a pale colour and contains little calcareous materials.
• The Great Plains are incredibly homogenous, having hundreds of kilometres of terrain characteristics with little variation. Bluffs, levees, ravines, and khols break up the monotony.
• It is an agriculturally productive portion of India, with a rich soil cover, enough water supply, and a favourable climate.

The Peninsular Plateau

• The Indian Plateau is generally triangular in form, with its base parallel to the Ganga Valley and its apex pointing to the country's southernmost points.
• It is a hard ancient mass of igneous and metamorphic rocks that is part of the Gondwanaland tectonic plate.
• The Peninsular plateau is a tableland made up of crystalline, igneous, and metamorphic rocks from the past.
• It was produced by the breakup and drifting of the Gondwana continent, making it the oldest landmass on the planet.
• The plateau is characterised by vast and shallow valleys, as well as rounded hills. The Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau are the two major sections of this plateau.
• The Western Ghats in the west, the Eastern Ghats in the east, and the Satpura, Maikal range, and Mahadeo hills in the north define the Peninsular Plateau.
• The Sahyadri in Maharashtra, the Nilgiri hills in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and the Anaimalai hills and Cardamom hills in Kerala are all local names for the Western Ghats.
• Tors, block mountains, rift valleys, spurs, bare rocky formations, series of hummocky hills, and wall-like quartzite dykes are some of the region's key physiographic characteristics, which provide natural water storage sites.
• The plateau's western and northern corners are dominated by black dirt.
• This Peninsular plateau has been uplifted and submerged several times, with crustal faulting and cracks in between.
• The relief of the Peninsular plateau has become more varied as a result of these spatial changes.
• The plateau's northern section features a complicated terrain with ravines and gorges.
• Chambal, Bhind, and Morena ravines are some of the most well-known examples.

The Indian Desert

• The Aravali Hills' western edges are home to the Indian desert. It's a sand-dunes-covered undulating sandy plain.
• The average annual rainfall in this area is less than 150 mm. It has a dry climate with little vegetation. During the wet season, streams appear.
• It has a dry climate with little vegetation. Because of these distinguishing characteristics, it is also known as Marusthali.
• This area was thought to be under water during the Mesozoic era.
• This is supported by evidence found in the Akal Wood Fossil Park and in marine sediments.
• The Luni River, which flows across the desert's southern reaches, is significant. It is a water deficit zone due to little precipitation and significant evaporation.
• Some streams cease after a short distance of flow and form a typical occurrence of inland drainage by joining a lake or playa.
• The major source of salt is brackish water, which may be found in lakes and playas.

The Coastal Plains

• The Peninsular plateau is bordered on the west by the Arabian Sea and on the east by the Bay of Bengal by a length of small coastal strips.
• The western shore is a small plain situated between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
• It is divided into three pieces. The northern half of the coast is known as the Konkan (Mumbai – Goa), while the centre length is known as the Kannad Plain and the southern stretch as the Malabar coast.
• The plains that run parallel to the Bay of Bengal are broad and flat. The Northern Circar in the north is known as the Northern Circar, whereas the Coromandel Coast in the south is known as the Coromandel Coast.
• The eastern coastal plain is wider than the western coastal plain and is an example of an emerging coast.
• The rivers flowing eastward into the Bay of Bengal have created well-developed deltas.
• The Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri all have deltas. It has a smaller number of ports and harbours due to its newness.

The Islands

• In India, there are two large island groups: one in the Bay of Bengal and one in the Arabian Sea.
• There are about 572 islands/islets in the Bay of Bengal island groupings.
• The Andaman Islands in the north and the Nicobar Islands in the south make up the complete group of islands.
• They are separated by the Ten Degree Channel, which is a body of water. These islands are thought to represent raised portions of undersea mountains.
• Some smaller islands, on the other hand, are volcanic in nature. The Nicobar Islands also contain Barren Island, India's only active volcano.
• There are some coral deposits along the shore, as well as magnificent beaches. These islands feature tropical vegetation and get Convectional rainfall.
• Lakshadweep and Minicoy are two of the Arabian Sea's islands.
• These islands are located between 280 and 480 kilometres off the coast of Kerala.
• The entire collection of islands is made up of coral deposits. There are 36 islands in all, 11 of which are inhabited.
• Minicoy is the biggest island, with 453 square kilometres.
• The Ten Degree Channel divides the entire collection of islands, with the Amini Island to the north and the Cannanore Island to the south.
• On the eastern shore, the islands of this archipelago contain storm beaches made up of unconsolidated pebbles, shingles, cobbles, and boulders.

Significance of India's Physiographic Divisions

• From Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, the Great Mountain Wall of the North is made up of fold mountains.
• Their length is around 2,500 kilometres, and their breadth ranges from 230 to 400 kilometres.
• The Himalayas protect the nation from chilly waves from Central Asia, whilst the lowlands are recognised for their fertility due to alluvial soils.
• The Great Northern Plain stretches from the Punjab plain in the west to the Brahmaputra valley in the east, and is located to the south of the Himalayas.
• The northern plains are a riverine region with good soil, a temperate temperature, a flat terrain that allows for the development of roads and trains, and slow-moving rivers. All of these things have combined to make this point critical.
• The Peninsular plateau is the Indian subcontinent's oldest structure, with the central highlands in the north and the Deccan plateau in the south.
• The Plateau area is rich in resources and minerals, among other things.
• The coastal plains are narrow coastal strips that run along the western and eastern Ghats and are known as the west and east coastal plains, respectively.
• They serve as vital hinterlands for major ports. These ports are necessary for the country's economic development.
• They serve as hubs for both domestic and international trade. Apart from rice, several regions of the Indian coastal plains feature rich, fertile soil on which a wide range of crops are cultivated.
• India contains two sets of islands, Andaman and Nicobar Island and Lakshadweep Island, in addition to the mainland.
• The islands allow India to play an important role in protecting chokepoints. The presence of armed forces on these islands helps to dissuade pirate assaults in Indian waters.
• These islands are used to undertake joint drills with other navies in order to strengthen the security of India's maritime assets.

Conclusion

The Indian Plate, which is the northernmost section of the Indo-Australian Plate, constitutes the Indian subcontinent's continental crust. Natural arrangement distinguishes physical divides. The physical characteristics of India's terrain are marked by significant variation. India's geological structure is highly complicated since its rocks span various geologic ages, dating back to the Eoarchean Era.

Previous Year Questions on India’s Physiographic Divisions

1. UPSC CSE Prelims 2018:

Question: Which of the following is NOT a physiographic division of India?

A. Northern Mountains

B. Central Plains

C. Peninsular Plateau

D. Islands

Answer: B

Explanation: The correct term is Northern Plains, not Central Plains. The major physiographic divisions include Northern Mountains, Northern Plains, Peninsular Plateau, etc.

2. UPSC CSE Mains 2016 (GS Paper 1):

Question: Discuss the significance of the Northern Plains in the socio-economic development of India.

Answer: The Northern Plains of India, formed by the deposition of rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra, are highly fertile, making them suitable for agriculture. They support the highest population density in the country due to their fertile soil, abundant water resources, and conducive climate. The region is also economically significant as it contributes to India’s agricultural output and hosts important cities like Delhi and Kolkata. The plains play a crucial role in transportation, with well-connected roadways, railways, and waterways.

3. UPSC CSE Prelims 2017:

Question: The Deccan Trap is part of which physiographic division of India?

A. Northern Plains

B. Peninsular Plateau

C. Coastal Plains

D. Himalayan Region

Answer: B

Explanation: The Deccan Trap, a large volcanic province, is part of the Peninsular Plateau, formed millions of years ago by volcanic eruptions.

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