Class 9 geography chapter

Physical Features of India Class 9 Notes

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This article has explained the chapter 2 geography physical features of India Class 9 Notes which will enhance the knowledge of students that would boost his/her confidence to achieve good grades in his class 9 Social Science.

Physical Features of India Class 9 Notes

Here,there is a comprehensive discussion of class 9 geography chapter 2 Physical Features of India which is an important part of the SST class 9 geography syllabus.In this post the different Physiographic divisions of India namely Himalayan Mountains, Northern Plains,Peninsular Plateau, Coastal Plains and Islands Groups are explained in an attractive manner that would make easy for students to understand the chapter 2 Class 9 Physical Features of India Ncert.

Chapter 2 Geography Physical Features of India Class 9 Notes

India is a vast country with varied landforms like mountains , plains, desert, plateaus and islands and  display great physical variation. From the geographical point of view, Peninsular Plateau is an ancient landmass and one of the stable land blocks.Himalayas and Northern Plains are the most recent landforms. The Himalayan mountain has  youthful topography and is unstable zone with High peaks, deep valleys and fast flowing rivers. The Northern Plains are formed of alluvial deposits and peninsular plateau is composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks with gently rising and wide valleys.

Major Physiographic Divisions

The physical features of India is grouped under the following Physiographic divisions which are given below

  1. The Himalayan Mountains
  2. The Northern Plains
  3. The Peninsular Plateau
  4. The Indian Desert
  5. The Coastal Plains
  6. The Islands

The  Himalayan Mountains

  • Geologically young and structurally fold mountains spread over northern border of India.
  • Ranges run from west to east from Indus to Brahmaputra river
  • Loftiest and rugged mountain barrier of the world.
  • Cover a distance of about 2400 Km
  • Width varies from 400 Km in Kashmir to 150 Km in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Altitudes are greater in eastern than western half.

The Himalayas consists of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent

Greater Himalaya or Inner Himalaya or Himadri

 It is the most continuous range, consisting of the highest peaks with an average height of 6000 metres. The core of this Himalayan region is made of granite and folds are asymmetrical in nature.

Lesser Himalayas or the Himachal

 The rugged mountain region to the south of the Himadri is known as the Lesser Himalayas or Himachal. The altitude of this mountain range varies between 3700 and 4500 meters whereas the average width is 50 kilometres. Important ranges  like Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar, and Mahabharat, of which the Pir Panjal range forms the longest and the most important range exist in Lesser Himalaya. This Himalaya is famous for hill stations.

The Shiwaliks

The outermost range of the Himalayas is known as the Shiwaliks whose altitude varies between 900 and 1100 metres and extends over a width of 10-50 kilometres. The term “Duns” refers to the longitudinal valley that spans between the Lesser Himalayas and the Shiwaliks. Some of the well-known Duns is DehraDun, Kotli Dun, and Patli Dun.These valley are covered with gravel and alluvium.

The Himalayas have also been divided into regions from west to east:

  • Punjab Himalaya or Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya – between Indus and Satluj river
  • Kumaon Himalaya – between Satluj and Kali river
  • Nepal Himalaya – between Kali and Teesta river
  • Assam Himalaya – between Teesta and Dihang river

The Brahmaputra marks the eastern most boundary of the Himalayas .The Himalayas curve sharply to the south beyond the Dihang gorge and spread along India’s eastern border, known as the Purvachal, or Eastern hills and mountains. Purvachal is comprised of the Patkai, Naga, Manipur, and Mizo hills.

The Northern Plains

  • The northern plain has formed by the interplay of India’s three major river systems, namely the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra, as well as their tributaries.
  • Formed of alluvial soil
  • Deposition of alluvium in vast basin lying at foothills of Himalayas forms this plain.
  • Spreads over an area of 7 lakhs sq km and it is 2400 km in length and 240-320 km in width.
  • With rich soil cover, favourable climate, adequate water supply,this Physiographic division is agriculturally productive and densely part of India.

Northern Plain is divided into three sections

  • Western part – Punjab Plains formed by Indus and its tributaries and is dominated by doab.
  • North-  Ganga plains extends between Ghaggar and Teesta river in Haryana Delhi,UP,Bihar, partly Jharkhand and West Bengal
  • East- Brahmaputra Plain lies particularly in Assam

According to the variation in relief features , Northern Plains is divided into four regions

  1. Bhabhar

A narrow Belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying parallel to the slope of Shiwaliks .All rivers disappear in bhabhar.

  • Terai

South of bhabhar and streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet,swampy and marshy land.It was a thickly forested region full of wildlife but it has been cleared for agriculture.

  • Bhanger

         Largest part of plain formed of older alluvium lies above the floodplain.The soil contains calcareous deposits known as kankar.

  • Khadar

The newer, younger deposits of floodplains that are renewed every year and are fertile so ideal for intensive agriculture

The Peninsular Plateau

  • Tableland composed of old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks
  • Formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land and is part of the oldest landmass
  • Has broad and shallow valley and rounded hills
  • consists of two broad divisions namely Central Highlands and Deccan Plateau
  • Black soil area known as Deccan trap
  • Volcanic origin so rock is igneous

Central Highlands

  • Lying to the north of Narmada river covering major area of Malwa plateau and is known as Central Highlands
  • Vindhaya range is bounded by Satpura range on the south and Aravali on the northwest
  • Western extension of highlands touches sandy and Rocky desert of Rajasthan
  • Wider in west and narrower in east
  • Chambal,Sind,Betwa and Ken flows from southwest to northeast indicating the slope

Deccan Plateau

  • Triangular landmass lies to the south of river Narmada
  • Satpura range with its broad based in north while Mahadev,Kaimur hills and Maikal range forms its eastward extension
  • An extension of this plateau is in northeast known as meghalaya, Karbi Anglong plateau and north cachar hills
  • Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats are the western and eastern edges of Deccan Plateau

Western Ghats

  • Lies parallel to the western coast
  • Have continuous and can be crossed through passes only
  • Average elevation is 900-1600 metres
  • Height increases from north to south
  • highest peaks include Anai Mudi(2695m) and Doda Betta (2697m)

Eastern Ghats

  • Stretch from Mahanadi valley to Nilgiri in South
  • Are discontinuous and irregular and dissected by rivers
  • Mahendergiri (1501m) is the highest peak in the eastern ghats
  • Shevroy Hills and Javedi Hills are to the southeast of Eastern Ghats

Indian Desert

  • Lies towards the western margin of the Aravali hills
  • Undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes.
  • Receives low rainfall below 150 mm per year
  • Has arid climate with low vegetation.
  • Luni is the only large river in this region

Barchans( crescent -shaped dunes) cover large area but longitudinal dunes are more prominent near India- Pakistan border.

The Coastal Plains

It is a narrow strip of  plain lies between Arabian Sea and Western Ghats on the western coast known as Western Coastal Plains which are narrow and between Eastern Ghats and Bay of Bengal on the eastern coast known as eastern coastal plains which are wide and level

West Coastal Plains is divided into three parts

  • Konkan (Mumbai -Goa) Plain – Northern part
  • Kannad plain- Central part
  • Malabar Coast – southern part

East Coastal Plains

  • Northern Circar
  • Coromandel Coast

Large rivers such as Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri form large delta on eastern coast.

 Chilika Lake is the largest saltwater lake lies in Odisha to the south of Mahanadi is an important lake along eastern coast.

The Islands

India has two groups of islands

  • Lakshadweep Islands
    •  Lying close to Malabar Coast of Kerala
    • Composed of small coral islands
    • Has an area of  32 sq km
    • Kavaratti is the administrative headquarter
    • Earlier they were known as Laccadive,Minicoy and Amindive and in 1973 these were named as Lakshadweep
    • Have great diversity of flora and fauna
    • Pitti Islands,an unhabitated has a bird sanctuary

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

  • Elongated chain of islands located in the Bay of Bengal
  • Andaman lies in north and Nicobar lies in South
  • Bigger in size and are more numerous and scattered
  • These islands are elevated portion of submarine mountains
  • Lie close to equator and experience equatorial climate and has thick forest cover
  • Have great diversity of flora and fauna
The different Physiographic divisions  highlights unique features of each region.
  • Mountains are major source of water and forest wealth
  • Northern Plains are the granaries of the country and become base for civilisation
  • Plateaus are storehouse of minerals that are important for industrial development of the country
  • Coastal Plains and Islands groups provide  for fishing and port activities

The diverse physical features of land have immense future possibilities of development. Each region complement the other and makes the country rich in natural resources.

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