GEOGRAPHY (IX)-LESSON-2 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA (QUESTION ANSWER)

 

GEOGRAPHY (IX)-LESSON-2

PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

(QUESTION ANSWER)

______________________________________________________________

(NCERT EXERCISE)

 

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.

(i) A landmass bounded by the sea on three sides is referred to as

(a) Coast

(b) Island

(c) Peninsula

(d) None of the above

Answer: (c)

(ii) Mountain ranges in the eastern part of India forming its boundary with Myanmar are collectively called

(a) Himachal

(b) Uttarakhand

(c) Purvachal

(d) None of the above

Answer: (c)

(iii) The western coastal strip, south of Goa is referred to as

(a) Coromandel

(b) Konkan

(c) Kannada

(d) Northern Circar

Answer: (c)

(iv) The highest peak in the Eastern Ghats is

(a) Anai Mudi

(b) Kanchenjunga

(c) Mahendragiri

(d) Khasi

Answer: C

2. Answer the following questions briefly.

(i) What is the bhabar?

Answer: The northern plains are generally described as flatlands, with no variations in its relief. But, It is not true. These vast plains also have diverse relief features. According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains can be divided into four regions. The rivers, after descending from the mountains deposit pebbles in a narrow belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks. This region is known as bhabar

.

(ii) Name the three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south.

Answer: (i) The northernmost range is known as The Great or Inner Himalayas or Himadri.

(ii) Himachal or Lesser Himalaya.

(iii) Outer Himalayas or Shiwaliks.

(iii) Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhya ranges?

Answer: The Malwa plateau lies between Aravali and Vindhya ranges.

(iv) Name the island group of India having a coral origin.

Answer: Lakshadweep Islands is the island group of India having with a coral origin.

3. Distinguish between

(i) Bhangar and Khadar

Answer:

Bangar – Older alluvial plain which rises above the level of the flood plains is known as Bangar. The soil in this region contains calcareous

deposits, locally known as kankar.

Khadar – Newer and younger alluvial of the flood plains deposited by the rivers flowing down the plain is known as Khadar. They are renewed almost every year and so are fertile, thus, ideal for intensive agriculture.

(ii) the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats

Answer:

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EASTERN GHAT AND WESTERN GHAT

WESTERN GHAT(Sahyadri)	EASTERN GHAT
1.    It lies in between western coastal plain and Deccan plateau.	It lies in between eastern coastal plain and Deccan plateau.
2.    The Western Ghats are higher than the Eastern Ghats	The eastern Ghat is lower than western ghat.
3.    They are continuous and can be crossed through passes only as Thal, Bhor and Pal Ghats.	The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous and irregular and dissected by rivers.
4.    The Western Ghats cause orographic rain.	It does not cause of rainfall due to lower height.
5.    The highest peaks is the Anai Mudi (2,695 metres) and Doda Betta (2,637 metres) is highest peak of Nilgiri hills.	Mahendragiri (1,501 metres) is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats.

 

4. Which are the major physiographic divisions of India? Contrast the relief of the Himalayan region with that of the Peninsular plateau

Answer: The major physiographic divisions of India are

(i) The Himalayan Mountains

(ii) The Northern Plains

(iii) The Peninsular Plateau

(iv) The Indian Desert

(v) The Coastal Plains

(vi) The Islands

Contrast the relief of Himalayan region and Peninsular Plateau

Geologically, the Peninsular Plateau constitutes one of the ancient landmasses on the earth’s surface. It was supposed to be one of the most stable land blocks. The Himalayas are the most recent landforms. From the viewpoint of geology, Himalayan mountains form an unstable zone. The whole mountain system of Himalaya represents a very youthful topography with high peaks, deep valleys and fast-flowing rivers. The northern plains are formed of alluvial deposits. The peninsular plateau is composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks with gently rising hills and wide valleys.

5. Give an account of the Northern Plains of India.

Answer:

Ø The Northern Plains spread over an area of 7 lakh sq. km, 240 km long and 240 km to 320 km broad.

Ø It is formed by the depositional work of the rivers over millions of years.

Ø  Due to rich soil cover combined with adequate water supply and favourable climate, it is densely populated areas.

Ø In the eastern side due to gentle slope, the velocity of the river decreases, which results in the formation of riverine islands. Like Majuli in Assam.

Ø Division of Northern Plain: -

§  Punjab Plain: - The Western part of the Northern Plain is referred to as the Punjab Plains. It is formed by the Indus and its tributaries, the larger part of this plain lies in Pakistan This section of the plain is dominated by the doabs.(Land between water).

§  Ganga Plain: - It extends between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers.

§  Brahmaputra plain: - It is formed by Brahmaputra river. Assam lies the Brahmaputra plain.

 

6. Write short notes on the following.

(i) The Indian Desert

Answer: The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes. This region receives very low rainfall. The average rainfall is below 150 mm per year. It has an arid climate with low vegetation cover. Streams appear during the rainy season. Soon after they disappear into the sand as they do not have enough water to reach the sea. Luni is the only large river in this region.

(ii) The Central Highlands

Answer: Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau. The part of the Peninsular plateau lying to the north of the Narmada river, covering a major area of the Malwa plateau, is known as the Central Highlands. The Central Highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east. The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand. The Chotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension, drained by the Damodar river.

(iii) The Island groups of India

Answer:

Lakshadweep Islands

Lakshadweep group of islands is composed of small coral islands. Earlier they were known as Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindive. In 1973, these were re-named as Lakshadweep. It covers a small area of 32 sq km. Kavaratti Island is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep. This island group has a great diversity of flora and fauna. The Pitti island, which is uninhabited, has a bird sanctuary.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The elongated chain of islands located in the Bay of Bengal extending from north to south. These are the Andaman and Nicobar islands. They are bigger in size and are more numerous and scattered. The entire group of islands is divided into two broad categories – The Andaman in the north and the Nicobar in the south. It is believed that these islands are an elevated portion of submarine mountains. These island groups are of great strategic importance for the country. There is a great diversity of flora and fauna in this group of islands too. These islands lie close to the equator and experience equatorial climate and have thick forest cover.

 

OTHER IMPORTANT QUESTION

 

 1. The Northern Plains has been formed by the interplay of three major river systems, namely ________ .
Answer: The Indus-Ganga-Brahmaputr

 2. The formation of the Northern Plains of India is a result of extensive
Answer: Alluvial deposits

 3. The most continuous range consisting of the loftiest peaks with an average height of 6,000 metres is known as the ________ .
Answer: Himadri

 4. Name the western and the eastern edges of the Deccan Plateau.
Answer: The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.

 5. The part lying between Teesta and Dihang rivers is the ________ .
Answer: Assam Himalayas

 6. Name the mountain ranges located in the eastern part of India.
Answer: Purvachal or the eastern hill and mountain.

 7. The valleys lying between Lesser Himalayas and the Shiwaliks are known as the ________ .
Answer: Duns

 8. The hills of Purvachal or the Eastern hills are composed of ________ .
Answer: Sedimentary rocks

 9. Due to the deposition of silt, the rivers in their lower course split into numerous channels, known as ________ .
Answer: Distributaries

11. What are barchans?
Answer: Barchans are crescent-shaped dunes found in the Indian desert.

 12. Which is the highest peak in India?
Answer: Kanchenjunga

 13. The largest delta in the world is ________ .
Answer: Sunderban Delta

 14. Which two hills are in the southeast of the Eastern Ghats?
Answer: Javadi Hills and Shevroy Hills

 15. What do we mean by the term ‘Bhangar’?
Answer: Bhangar is the older alluvial soil region lying above the floodplains and presenting a terrace like feature.

 16. What is the name of the part of the Himalayas lying between the Kali and the Teesta rivers?
Answer: The part of the Himalayas lying between the Kali and the Teesta rivers is called Nepal Himalayas.

 17. The state of Meghalaya forms a part of which physiographic division of India?
Answer: Meghalaya is a part of the eastern extension of the Peninsular Plateau.

 18. What do you understand by the term “peninsula”?
Answer: Peninsula is a landmass that is bounded by sea on three sides.

 19. Name the Indian state where Kanchenjunga is located.
Answer: Kanchenjunga is located in Sikkim.

 20. What do you understand by ‘duns’?
Answer: The longitudinal valley lying between lesser Himalayas and the Shiwaliks are known as duns.

 21. What is the Peninsular Plateau composed of?
Answer: The Peninsular Plateau is composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks.

 22. Which is the largest inhabited riverine island in the world?
Answer: Majuli, in the Brahmaputra river, is the largest inhabited riverine island in the world.

 23. What do you mean by the word ‘Doab?
Answer: ‘Doab’ is made up of two words— ‘do’ meaning ‘two’ and ‘ab’ meaning ‘water’.

 24. What is the shape of the Deccan Plateau?
Answer: The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.

 25. The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains are called ________ .
Answer: Khadar

 26. The flow of rivers, the Chambal, the Sindh, the Betwa and the Ken, is from ________ .
Answer: Southwest to northeast

 27. Which river drains the Chotanagpur Plateau?
Answer: The Damodar river drains the Chotanagpur Plateau.

 28. The Indian Desert lies towards the western margin of ________ .
Answer: Aravali hills

 29. The Lakshadweep islands covers a small area of ________ .
Answer: 32 sq. km.

 30. How long and wide are the Himalayas?
Answer: The Himalayan region extends along the north of India. The Himalayas are the longest and the highest mountain range in the world. The Himalayas are 2400 km long, 400 to 150 km wide from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh respectively.

 31. Which range of the Himalayas has hill stations?
Answer: The lower ranges or the Lesser Himalayas have beautiful hill stations such as Srinagar, Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital and Darjeeling. Many people visit these hill stations in summer, because these places are cooler than the plains.

 32. Name the three types of plate boundaries. Which one of them lies in the Himalayan belt?
Answer: The three types of plate boundaries are Convergent, Divergent and Trans form.

The Himalayas have been formed by the convergent boundary.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

 1. How the Himalayas have been divided on the basis of regions from west to east?
Answer: (i) Punjab Himalayas: These divisions have been demarcated by river valleys. The part of Himalayas lying between Indus and Satluj has been traditionally known as Punjab Himalaya, but it is also known regionally as Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya from west to east respectively.

(ii) Kumaon Himalayas: The part of the Himalayas lying between Satluj and Kali rivers is known as Kumaon Himalayas.

(iii) Nepal Himalayas: The Kali and Teesta rivers demarcate the Nepal Himalayas.

(iv) Assam Himalayas: the part lying between Teesta and Dihang rivers is known as Assam Himalayas.

 2. Which are the three main ranges of the Himalayas?
Answer: The Himalayas have three ranges which run almost parallel to each other. The distance between these ranges is wider in the west and becomes narrow in the east.
These ranges are—

(i) the Outer Himalayas or the Shiwalik Range

(ii) the Middle Himalayas or the Himachal Range and

(iii) the Inner or Great Himalayas or the Himadri.

3. Why is the soil in the Northern Plain fertile?
Answer:
The soil of this plain has been formed by the sediments brought down by the rivers from the Himalayas. Such plain is called an alluvial plain and it is very fertile. This plain is one of the largest and most fertile plains of world. It is the most thickly populated plain. This is also the major crop growing area in India. This plain is drained by river Ganga, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The slope of this plain in the west is south-west and in the east is south-east.

An area through which a river and its tributaries flow is called its basin.

 4. Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhya range? Write a brief note on this plateau.
Answer: The Malwa Plateau lies between the Aravali hills and the Vindhya range. The Aravali hills lie to the west of the plateau and the Vindhya range lies to its south. The part of the peninsular plateau lying to the north of the Narmada river, covering a major area of the Malwa plateau, is known as the Central Highlands.

The Malwa plateau lies in Madhya Pradesh. It is composed of extensive lava flows. There are rolling plains separated by flat-topped hills. The plateau is largely broken in form of ravines near the Chambal Valley in its east.

 6. What do you mean Great Himalayas? Write its two characteristics.
Answer: The northern most range of the Himalayas is known as the Great or Inner Himalayas or the Himadri.
(a) It is the most continuous range consisting of the loftiest peaks with an average height of 6000 metres. It contains all prominent Himalayan peaks.
(b) Its folds are asymmetrical in nature and its core is composed of granite rock. It is perennially snow bound, and several glaciers descend from this range.

 7. How was the Great Northern Plains of India formed?
Answer: The formation of the Himalayas due to upliftment of sediments out of the Tethys Sea and subsidence of the northern flank of the Peninsular Plateau resulted in the formation of a large basin. In due course of time this depression, gradually got filled with deposition of sediments by the rivers flowing from the mountains in the north and the peninsular plateau in the south. A flat land of extensive alluvial deposits led to the formation of the northern plains of India.

 8. Write a short note on ‘coral polyps’.
Answer: Coral polyps are short-lived microscopic organisms, which live in colonies. They flourish in shallow, mud-free and warm waters. They secrete hard rock like substance. The coral secretion and their skeletons from coral deposits in the form of reefs.
They are mainly of three kinds—barrier reef, fringing reef and atolls. The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is a good example of the first kind of coral reefs. Atolls are circular or horse shoe-shaped coral reefs.

 9. Write a short note on the Western Coastal Plains.
Answer: The Peninsular plateau is flanked by stretch of narrow coastal strips, running along the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east. The western coast, sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, is a narrow plain. It consists of three sections. The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan (Mumbai-Goa), the central stretch is called the Kannad Plain while the southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar coast.

 10. Why are the Himalayas called as young mountains?
Answer: The Himalayas were formed recently in the earth’s history as a result of compression.
The sediments beneath the ocean were folded due to the compression and got uplifted. Therefore, they are known as young fold mountains. These mountains are still rising. The whole mountain represents a very youthful topography with high peaks, deep valleys and fast flowing rivers.

 11. Write any three features of the Shiwalik range.
Answer: The three features of the Shiwalik range are :
(a) This is the outermost range of the Himalayas.
(b) The average altitude varies from 900 to 1100 metres.
(c) These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by rivers from the main Himalayan ranges.

 12. Describe the river systems of the Northern Plains.
Answer: The three river systems in the Northern plains from east to west are the Brahmaputra, Ganga and Indus. A large part of the Indus system lies in Pakistan. The Indus and its tributaries – the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas and the Satluj originate in the Himalayas. This section of the plain is dominated by the doabs. The Ganga plain extends between the Ghaggar and Teesta rivers. It spreads over the states of Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, parts of Jharkhand and West Bengal. It has tributaries like the Yamuna, Gomati, Ghaghara, Son, Gandak and Kosi. The Brahmaputra Plain lies in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

 13. “The northern plains have diverse relief features”. Explain.
Answer: Northern plains have great diverse relief features. According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains can be divided into four regions. The rivers, after descending from the mountains deposit pebbles in a narrow belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks. It is known as bhabar. All the streams disappear in this bhabar belt. South of this belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet, swampy and marshy region known as terai. The largest part of the northern plain is formed of older alluvium. It lies above the floodplains of the rivers and presents a terrace like feature. This part is known as bhangar. The soil in this region contains calcareous deposits, locally known as kankar. The newer, younger deposits of the flood plains are called khadar.

 14. Write a short note on Deccan Plateau.
Answer: The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada. The Satpura range flanks its broad base in the north, while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range form its eastern extensions. The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards. An extension of the Plateau is also visible in the northeast, locally known as the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North Cachar Hills. It is separated by a fault from the Chotanagpur Plateau. Three prominent hill ranges from the west to the east are the Garo, the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and the eastern edges of the ‘ Deccan Plateau respectively.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

 1. Write in detail about the Himalayan mountains.
Answer: The Himalaya mountains lie between the Indus river and the Brahmaputra river which covers a distance of about 2,400 kilometres. They consist of three parallel ranges-the Himadri, the Himachal and the Shiwaliks from north to south. The Himadri or the Great Himalayas is the highest of all with an average height of more than 6,000 metres above sea level. It contains some of the world’s highest peaks, such as Mt. Everest in Nepal (8,848 metres high, the highest peak in the world), Kanchanjunga, Nanga Parbat, Nanda Devi, Dhaulagiri, Makalu and Annapurna. Kanchenjunga (8,598 metres) in Sikkim is the highest peak of the Himalayas in India.

To the south of the Himadri is the Himachal, also called the Middle or Lesser Himalayas. The range is mainly composed of highly compressed and altered rocks. The altitude varies between 3,600 and 4,500 metres and the average width is of 50 km. Many important hill stations such as Shimla, Manali, Kullu, Mussourie, Nainital and Darjeeling are situated in the Himachal range.

The southern-most range, which is rather discontinuous, is the Shiwalik. The extend over a width of 10-50 km and have an altitude varying between 900 and 1100 metres. There are a number of broad longitudinal valleys called duns, especially in the Kumaon Himalayas of Uttarakhand. Dehradun is situated in one such valley. There are many passes like the Shipki La, Nathu La and the Bomdi La in the Himalayas.

 2. What is the significance of the Northern Plains?
Answer: The significance of the Northern Plain are :

This plain is made up of the alluvial soil brought down by the rivers. This soil is very soft and fertile. Major crops such as wheat, rice, sugarcane, pulses, oil seeds, etc. are grown here. This plain is the ‘food bowl’ of India.

The land of this plain is soft, levelled and flat. Therefore, wells, tubewells and canals can be dug for irrigation. Due to proper irrigation, it is the largest producer of foodgrains in india.

This plain gets sufficient rainfall. There are many rivers, streams and lakes. There is also rich vegetation. These factors affect the climate. The climate of the Northern Plains is very cold in winter and very hot in summer.

This is one of the most thickly populated plain of the world. The most thickly populated states of India, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, lie in this plain.

 3. What is the significance of Himalayas?
Answer: The significance of Himalayas is as follows :
(a) The Himalayas stand like a mighty mountain wall in the north of India. They ‘ separate the Indian subcontinent from the rest of Asia.
(b) They have vast snowfields and glaciers which are the source of numerous perennial rivers. These rivers provide water for irrigation, navigation and generation of hydel power.
(c) The Himalayas act as a climatic barrier. They protect the Northern Plains from freezing cold winds. They also stop and deflect the rain-bearing winds.
(d) The forests in the Himalayas provide a suitable habitat for wildlife. They also have many wildlife sanctuaries.
(e) The Himalayas also have many beautiful hill stations like Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital and Darjeeling, which attract tourists.