Physical Features of India - Chapter 2 Geography NCERT Class 9
Summary
TLDRThis video explores India's diverse physical features, including mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus, and islands. It delves into their formation through geological processes like weathering, erosion, and deposition, and discusses the theory of plate tectonics. The script highlights the Himalayas, Northern Plains, Peninsula Plateau, Indian Desert, coastal plains, and islands, providing insights into their geological significance and impact on India's landscape.
Takeaways
- π India is a large landmass formed during different geological periods, undergoing constant physical changes.
- ποΈ The physical features of India include mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus, and islands, shaped by processes like weathering, erosion, and deposition.
- π The theory of plate tectonics explains the formation of physical features, with the Earth's crust divided into major and minor plates that move and interact.
- π³ The Peninsula Plateau is one of the oldest landmasses, part of the Gondwana land that broke into pieces and drifted apart.
- ποΈ The Himalayas were formed by the collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate, leading to the uplift of land and the creation of high peaks.
- π The Northern Plains are formed by the alluvial soil brought by the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra rivers, making it a fertile and densely populated area.
- ποΈ The Indian Desert, located near the Aravalli Hills, is characterized by its sandy terrain, arid climate, and low vegetation cover.
- ποΈ The Peninsular Plateau is composed of old crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks, with the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau as its major divisions.
- π India's coastal plains include the narrow Western Ghats and the wider Eastern Ghats, influenced by rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
- ποΈ India has two sets of islands: the Andaman and Nicobar in the Bay of Bengal, and the Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea, each with distinct climates and vegetation.
Q & A
What are the physical features of India discussed in the script?
-The script discusses the physical features of India including mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus, and islands, and how they have been formed.
What is the role of weathering, erosion, and deposition in shaping the physical features of India?
-Weathering changes the texture or appearance of soil or rocks over time. Erosion is the process by which the Earth's surface is worn away or displaced by natural forces like water, wind, and glaciers. Deposition is the end activity of erosion, where materials are moved from one place and settle in another, leading to the formation of new land masses, plateaus, rocks, and deltas.
What is the theory of plate tectonics and how does it explain the formation of physical features?
-The theory of plate tectonics suggests that the Earth's crust is made up of several major and minor plates. The movement of these plates can lead to stress within the rocks above, causing collisions, separations, or other interactions that result in folding, faulting, and volcanic activity. These movements have changed the position and size of continents over millions of years.
What is the Gondwana land and its significance in the formation of the Indian peninsula?
-Gondwana land was a supercontinent that included parts of present-day South America, Africa, India, Antarctica, and Australia. The Indian peninsula is one of the oldest landmasses and was once part of Gondwana land. The breakup of this supercontinent led to the drifting apart of these landmasses, with India eventually colliding with the Eurasian plate.
How did the Himalayas form and what are their characteristics?
-The Himalayas were formed as a result of the collision between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate. This collision caused the sedimentary rocks at the bottom of the Tethys Sea to fold up, creating the uplifted land in Northern India. The Himalayas consist of high peaks, deep valleys, and gorges, making them one of the most rugged mountain barriers in the world.
What is the significance of the Northern Plains in terms of agriculture and human civilization?
-The Northern Plains, formed by the alluvial deposits of the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra rivers, are fertile and have a dense population. The rich alluvial soil is good for agriculture, making this region highly productive and valuable to the economy.
What are the three parallel ranges of the Himalayas and their respective characteristics?
-The three parallel ranges of the Himalayas are the Greater Himalayas or Himadri, the Lesser Himalayas or Himachal, and the Outer Himalayas or Shivalik. The Greater Himalayas have the highest peaks and are made of granite, the Lesser Himalayas are lower with ranges like Pir Panjal, and the Shivalik range is the outermost with lower peaks and sedimentary rocks.
What is the Peninsula Plateau and what types of rocks does it consist of?
-The Peninsula Plateau is the oldest land block of India, composed of old crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks. It was part of the Gondwana land and is divided into the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.
What is the Indian Desert and what are its main characteristics?
-The Indian Desert, located near the Aravalli Hills, is a sandy plain that receives very low rainfall and has an arid climate. It is known for its sand dunes and the Luni River, which is the only large river in the region.
What are the two sets of islands in India and their respective locations?
-The two sets of islands in India are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are larger and more numerous, while Lakshadweep is a small coral island.
Why are the Himalayas and the Northern Plains considered high-risk zones for earthquakes?
-The Himalayas and the Northern Plains are considered high-risk zones for earthquakes due to the instability of the land caused by the ongoing tectonic activity and the recent formation of these landforms.
Outlines
ποΈ Physical Features and Formation of India
This paragraph delves into the physical features of India, including mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus, and islands, and explains their formation through geological processes like weathering, erosion, and deposition. It discusses the theory of plate tectonics, highlighting how the movement and interaction of Earth's crustal plates have shaped India's landmass over millions of years. The paragraph also touches on the formation of the Himalayas due to the collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate and the resulting upliftment of land and creation of the Northern Plains.
ποΈ The Himalayas and the Northern Plains
The second paragraph focuses on the Himalayan Mountains, describing their formation, geological youth, and the challenges they pose for infrastructure like railways due to their ruggedness. It details the mountain ranges, including the Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and the Outer Himalayas (Shivalik), and their longitudinal divisions from west to east. The paragraph also explains the formation of the Northern Plains by the alluvial deposits of the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra rivers, emphasizing their fertility and importance for agriculture and human civilization.
ποΈ The Peninsula Plateau and the Indian Desert
This section discusses the Peninsula Plateau, composed of old crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks, and its division into the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau. It explains the plateau's formation as part of the ancient Gondwana land and its distinction from the younger Northern Plains. The Indian Desert, located near the Aravalli Hills, is characterized by its arid climate, sandy terrain, and sparse vegetation, with the Luni River being a notable feature. The paragraph also describes the coastal plains of India, which are influenced by the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and the rivers that drain into these bodies of water.
π Coastal Plains and Islands of India
The final paragraph explores the coastal plains of India, which are divided into the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, each with their distinct sections and rivers. It also covers the islands of India, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are noted for their equatorial climate and dense forest cover, while the Lakshadweep Islands are known for their coral formations. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to watch a more detailed video on the islands for further understanding.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Physical Features
π‘Weathering
π‘Erosion
π‘Deposition
π‘Plate Tectonics
π‘Gondwana Land
π‘Himalayas
π‘Northern Plains
π‘Peninsular Plateau
π‘Indian Desert
π‘Coastal Plains
π‘Islands
Highlights
India's physical features like mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus, and islands are formed through geological processes such as weathering, erosion, and deposition.
The theory of plate tectonics explains the movement and interaction of Earth's crustal plates, leading to the formation of various landforms.
The Indian landmass has undergone significant changes, separating from the Australian plate and moving towards the Eurasian plate.
The Himalayas were formed due to the collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate, resulting in the uplift of the land and the creation of the world's highest mountain range.
The Northern Plains are fertile and densely populated, formed by the alluvial deposits of the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra rivers.
The Peninsula Plateau, part of the ancient Gondwana land, is composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks, making it the oldest landmass in India.
The Indian Desert, also known as the Thar Desert, is characterized by its arid climate and sandy terrain, receiving very low rainfall.
The coastal plains of India, both Western and Eastern Ghats, are narrow strips of land along the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, respectively.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal, are known for their equatorial climate and dense forest cover.
The Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea are coral islands with a unique ecosystem.
The Himalayas consist of three parallel ranges: the Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and the Outer Himalayas, each with distinct geological features.
The Northern Plains are prone to earthquakes due to the unstable nature of the land formed by the recent geological activities.
The fast-flowing rivers in the Himalayas contribute to the formation of rich alluvial soil in the Northern Plains, making it ideal for agriculture.
The Peninsula Plateau's black soil is of volcanic origin, derived from the weathering of igneous rocks.
The Indian Desert's sandy terrain and arid climate make it a unique geographical feature with limited vegetation and distinct fauna.
The coastal plains of India are influenced by the monsoon winds, affecting the climate and supporting diverse ecosystems.
Transcripts
[Music]
chapter 2 physical features of India in
this chapter we will read about our
country's physical features that is
mountains Plains deserts plateus and
Islands while reading that we will also
know how they have been formed so with
no further Ado let's begin India is a
large landmass formed during different
geological periods I'll just show you a
small section of the previous chapter
wherein we can see how India broke apart
from Australian plate and moved towards
uraan plate while doing so it went
through constant physical changes you
can see the shape of India as it was
moving towards north now with this kind
of massive formations number of
processes such as weathering erosion and
deposition have created and modified the
relief to its present form by relief I
mean the five physical feature that we
spoke about in the beginning by
weathering we mean change of texture or
appearance of soil or rocks over a long
period of time it can be due to running
water wind activity glaciers Etc and
erosion means the process by which the
surface of the Earth is WN away or
displaced by the action of water
glaciers winds waves and last deposition
is the end activity of erosion when
things go from one place and stop it
another place this leads to formation of
new land mass crust plateus rocks Deltas
Etc so now you understand what all
physical activities India went through
and not just India many other land
masses over the time but the big
question is how did we human come to
know about it I mean we can talk all
intellectually but the base has to be
through solid evidence therefore
scientists have attempted to explain the
formation of physical features with the
help of some theories one such theory is
the theory of plate tectonics so this
Theory says the crust that is the upper
part of the Earth has been formed out of
seven major and some minor plates and
when these plate moves they build up
stress within and the rocks above
Collide or sometimes large chunk of soil
gets separated leading to folding
faulting and volcanic activity these
plate movements are classified into
three types while some plates come
towards each other and form convergent
boundary some plates move away from each
other and form divergent boundary in the
event of two plates coming together they
may either Collide or crumble or one may
slide under the other at times they may
also move horizontally past the movement
of these plates have changed the
position and size of the continents over
millions of years the land of India
displays great physical variation the
peninsula Plateau is one of the ancient
land masses on the Earth's surface it
was a direct piece of gwana land let's
now read about the gwana land so the
peninsula region of India is the oldest
landmass it was a part of the Gana land
so this gwana land comprised of several
countries like South America Africa
India Antarctica Australia so this was
all one single landmar Once Upon a Time
so what happened was the crust broke
into number of pieces and everything
started drifting apart as you can see
how South America moved towards the left
hand side and Antarctica went towards
the South and India and Australia moved
towards north and east so at that time
India was a part of Australian plate but
then we got separated from that as well
and we started moving towards north and
then what happened it got collided to
the plate which is much larger which is
also called Eurasian plate so before
this Collision there was all water in
between the Indian plate and the
Eurasian plate and this water body was
named as tetis sea so all the
sedimentary rocks which were there at
the bottom of the sea they started
folding up as a result Himalaya was born
and that's why you'll see the land is
uplifted in Northern India but in the
northeastern site there was a huge
depression meaning Low Land which over
the time got filled with the deposition
of sediments brought down by by the
rivers flowing from the mountains in the
north and this is a reason why ganga and
brahmaputra drains in that region so
this is quite fascinating isn't it I
mean getting to read all of this and
going to those places and seeing those
land features no wonder the geologist
enjoy what they do and another thing is
that these Himalayas and the Northern
Plains are most recent land forms hence
they are also very high risk Zone when
it comes to earthquake because the land
is not stable unlike Peninsula region
which is a complete land block that
broke from the gondwana land on one hand
Himalayan mountains are unstable Zone
but it is very rich in alal soil so alal
soil is formed from fast flowing rivers
and Himalayan Mountains consist of high
peaks and these high peaks generate a
lot of ice Glacier and when they melt
they come rushing down passing through
deep valleys and making huge cuts in
between the mountains and flow all over
Northern India and Eastern India and
finally drain into the B of Bengal and
we know fast flowing rivers that is
running of water brings new soil and
that is the reason the entire Northern
plain consist of rich alial soil brought
down by the fast flowing Rivers but
Peninsula Plateau is quite different
than the Northern Plains it is composed
of ous and metamorphic rocks ous rocks
are those Rock which are formed through
the cooling and solidification of magma
or lava and metamorphic rock is a type
of rock which has undergone change by
extreme heat and pressure and since
peninsula plate is the oldest land mass
therefore these two rocks are bound to
be present there now we will read about
the major physiographic divisions they
are the Himalayan Mountains the Northern
Plains the peninsula Plateau the Indian
Desert the coastal plains and the
islands first one is the Himalayan
Mountains we just read about how they
were formed and also that they are
geologically young and it consists of
huge chain of mountains all residing in
the northern borders of India Himalayas
is one of the most most rugged mountain
barriers of the world the Himalaya
consist of high peaks and due to the
flow of fast- flowing Rivers deep
valleys and Gorges have been formed so
this creates very ruggedness on the
landmar and this is the reason there is
no Railway establishment also like you
don't have much of Railway facilities
and tracks in North part of India
because you need a stable land the
length of this mountain range is 2,400
km and the width is 400 km and as as you
go towards the Eastern side it becomes
much narrow by 150 km in arunachal
Pradesh the Himalaya consists of three
parallel ranges the northernmost range
is known as the greater or inner
Himalayas or the himadri the mountain
peaks over there have an average height
of 6,000 M 2,000 short of Mount Everest
that long it is so the core of Himalaya
is made out of granite and we have read
earlier Water Granite these are rocks
formed due to solidification of magma or
lava and which also tells that when
Indian plate was colliding with the
Eurasian plate there must have been a
huge volcanic eruption under the seabed
seabed of the teus sea and due to the
solidification of that magma granites
were formed which is now the core part
of Himalaya and on top from outside it's
snowbound and we know this that rivers
are formed due to the melting of these
ice snow or Glacier so I hope you
understand this part pretty clearly now
as you go towards the southern part of
Himalaya now this range over here is
called Himachal or lesser Himalaya and
obviously here the heights of the
mountain peaks has to be lesser than the
above one so here it varies between
3,700 to 4,500 M so p pel is one of the
longest and important range over here
followed by dadar and Mahabharata range
and we also have some famous valleys
like the Kashmir the kangra the Kulu
Valley and this region is well known for
its heal stations and the last and the
third part of Himalayas that is the
outermost range this is called the
shivalik and the width of this range is
10 to 50 km and the heights of the peaks
in this region has to be very low that
is 900 to 1100 m in this range you'll
find mostly sedimentary rocks brought
down by the rivers from the main
Himalaya so as the river comes fast
flowing river comes from Top they come
with a full pressure and they bring huge
chunk of rocks Boulders with them and
this range is also rich in alivium soil
and some of the famous dun like dun
kotun patun are well known and they are
present in this range so this was all
about the three important ranges of
Himalaya till now we understood
Himalayas from top to down North to
South now it's time to understand
Himalayas from west to east or which is
also called longitudinal divisions so at
the extreme Northwest lying in between
indas and satl River this part of
Himalaya is called Punjab Himalaya and
regionally it is also called Kashmir and
Himachal Himalaya as well and then as
you move towards the right hand side
that is in between satl River and Kali
River this place is called Kuma
Himalayas and as you go further away
towards the right hand side the Kali and
Tista Rivers demarcate the Nepal
Himalayas and then there is another part
which lies in between Tista and diang
rivers this part is known as Assam
Himalayas the brahmaputra river comes
from the easternmost boundary of the
Himalayas in the Eastern side the
Himalayas Bend sharply to the South here
at the e e side or the Eastern hills and
mountains are also known as purvanchal
as we have read earlier that the land
over here is low there's a depression in
the land hence due to the running of
brahmaputra river lot of sedimentary
rocks have accumulated over time and
vegetation is also very dense and due to
this kind of combination there are many
parallel ranges and valleys so some of
the hills that comprises the purvanchal
are patkai Hills the Naga Hills Manipur
Hills and the mizo hills and the next Fe
feature is the northern plane the
northern plane has been formed purely
because of three major river systems and
they are the Indus the ganga and the
brahmaputra of course along with their
tributaries as I've said before this
plane is formed of alvial soil and since
we are reading about Northern plain and
therefore it has to lie at the foothills
of the Himalaya and it has taken
millions of years to make it a fertile
plane now an amazing fact is that the
northern plane is densely populated it
means if you see around the world most
of human civilization resides in the
plain area and it is purely because of
the soil adequate supply of water and
favorable climate since this plane
exists because of the river system and
rivers bring rich soil cover when they
flow this makes that region full of
alvial soil and this particular soil is
good for agriculture purpose and
agriculture will lead to food production
and thus add value to the economy and
hence becoming the most productive part
of India when a river comes from
Mountain it rushes into the plains there
the river does not follow a uniform path
it breaks into different channels due to
deep gorges and rugged terrain so these
channels are known as distributaries the
northern plane is broadly divided into
three sections the western part of the
northern plane is referred to as Punjab
Plains and it is purely formed by the
Indus and its tributaries and the larger
portion of this plane lies in Pakistan
and the second is the ganga plane which
lies between gagar and Tista River now
remember remember this the ganga river
passes through harana Delhi UPI Bihar
part of jarand and West Bengal to its
East and then finally drains into the
Bay of Bengal usually the Northern
Plains are generally described as flat
land but it has little variation in its
relief basically I'm talking about
different types of alval soil I'm not
going to explain about alval soil
instead I want you to watch this video
wherein I have specifically covered
about olival soil in detail so just head
over there watch it and you will get it
it pretty clearly the third feature is
the peninsula Plateau the peninsula
Plateau is a table land means flat land
plateus are flat land now it is composed
of old crystalline ignas and metamorphic
rocks the Peninsular Plateau is the
oldest land block of a country it was
part of Gana land now here the plate is
broadly divided into two categories the
central Highlands and the dean Plateau
so the central Highlands lie right in
the middle that is to the north of the
NADA River covering major area of malba
plat you just have a look at this in the
map so Central Highlands is bounded in
the South by vendia range and towards
its Northwest that is near Rajasthan it
is bounded by aravalis and the rivers
that you'll find over here is chamul syn
bwa and Ken so the central Highland
extends up to Cha nagpur plateau in the
East and the second division of
peninsula Plateau is the Deen Plateau
this land mass lies to the south of the
river narmada the satpura range is the
boundary in the north for Dean plateau
and towards the Eastern side Mahadev
kaimur Hills and maal range is the
boundary another factual thing is that
Deen plate is a bit higher in the
western side and slopes gently towards
Eastern side and this is one of the
reason why majority of the rivers flow
into the Bay of Bengal that is towards
the Eastern side so Western GS and the
Eastern Gs are the West and East edges
of the Deen Plateau Western Gs are
higher in elevation than the Eastern
Garts the stretch of Eastern Gart is
from mahanadi Valley from Orissa to the
Neil grees in the south and the Western
G starts near the border of Gujarat and
Maharashtra where it is given a name
sadri and reaches all the way till
nilgiris in Tamil Nadu so the highest
peak includes the anai murri and the
doab beta and in eastern carts the
highest peak is mahendragiri so the dean
Plateau is known for its black soil and
this is of volcanic origin hence the
rocks are ignas and since soils are
formed from weathering of rocks hence
these rocks are responsible for the
formation of black soil and the fourth
feature is the Indian Desert it lies
towards the western side near aravali
Hills and desert consists of sand hence
it is called Sandy plane and this region
receives very low rainfall below 150 mm
per year it has arid climate which means
hot and dry with low vegetation cover
you will only see River during the rainy
season Looney is the only large river in
this region and this region is famous
for burant which mean sandunes and the
fifth feature is the coast Plaines India
is a Peninsula Country the reason we are
called Peninsula is because of water
being on the three side because if it is
on the fourth then we would have been
known as Island so we have Arabian Sea
on the west and be of Bengal to the east
so let's read about Western gats and the
Arabian Sea it's a narrow plane and is
divided into three sections the northern
part of the western coast is called the
Konan Mumbai to Goa the central stretch
is called the Kut plane and it lies in
the Karnataka region while the southern
stretch is referred to as the malaba
coast which is completely in Kerala now
let's move on to the Eastern GS they're
comparatively wider than the Western G
it is referred in two parts that is the
northern cirar while the southern part
is known as coromandel Coast some Rivers
such as madii godavari Krishna cavari
they drain into the Eastern side and on
the western side NADA and tapi are the
river that drain into the western side
and coming to the last feature the
islands so we have two sets of islands
in our country one is the andamar and
nicobar in the Bay of Bengal and the
other is lakad in the Arabian Sea lakad
Island is a small coral island earlier
it was known as lakad minoi Amin div and
in 1973 we named it as lakad and the
capital as kavaratti which is also the
administrative headquarter of lakad
coming to the andamar and nicobar
Islands they are bigger in size and are
more numerous and Scattered so the
entire group of island is divided into
two broad categories the Andaman in the
north and nicobar in the south so this
island is close to Equator hence it has
equatorial climate and thick forest
cover so before wrapping it up I want
you to watch this video in this I've
covered about the islands in a much more
detailed manner I'll paste the link of
the video Below in the description along
with the specified timer wherein you can
click and watch it directly from that
moment of time without having to watch
the entire video and with this we have
come to an end of this chapter I hope
you enjoyed watching it so watch this
video again along with chapter 2 of
class 11 and you'll have a firm grip in
understanding the structure and
physiography of India if you enjoy these
videos and see a purpose behind watching
them please like the video and comment
down below until then catch you guys
later and talk to you guys on the next
one peace
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