Physiographic Divisions of India: The Himalaya - Geography- Frontier IAS
mobile-whatsapp-img
9817390373,8295688244
Baljit Dhaka

Physiographic Divisions of India: The Himalaya

Validity: 9 Months
What you will get
Course Highlights
  • Based on latest Pattern
  • English Medium eBooks
Click to Bookmark
Language:
EN हिंदी

Physiographic Divisions of India: The Himalaya|Geography|Frontier IAS

India has a unique culture and is one of the oldest and greatest civilizations in the world. In this article, we have provided a summary of the Physiography of India as a quick revision, which can be helpful in the preparation of various competitive examinations.

National and International Events Daily current affairs National and international Events Monthly current affairs  National and International Topic wise last one-year current affairs National and International last one-year current affairs 
HCS complete online course Haryana Daily Current Affairs Haryana last one-year current affairs  HCS Integrated test Series Prelims and Mains

Physiography of India:

  • India, being a vast country, lies in Northern and Eastern hemisphere.
  • One important latitude passes through it i.e. Tropic of Cancer (23°30’N) and it bifurcates India into two halves.
  • Tropic of cancer passes through the following states- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram.

Tropic of cancer passing through 8 states.

  • Mainland extends between 8°4’N and 37°6’N latitude and 68°7’E and 97°25’E longitude.
  • North-south extent- 3214 km
  • West-East extent- 2944 km
  • Standard meridian of India passes through (82°30’E) which is situated in Naini, Allahabad (U.P.).It also passes through M.P, Chhatisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Time of India is ahead of Greenwich Mean Time by 5 hours and 30 minutes because IST is based on 82°30’E longitude.

  • Area- 3,287,263 square km
  • In terms of area, India is the 7th largest country in the world i.e. 2.4% of the total geographic area.
  • Coastline-7500 km approx.
  • Islands- Andaman & Nicobar group and Lakshadweep
  • North- Young fold mountains
  • South- Peninsular Plateau
  • West- Desert
  • East- Purvanchal

Neighbour Countries of India:

  • Afghanistan- India shares smallest boundary with Afghanistan
  • Pakistan
  • China
  • Nepal
  • Bhutan
  • Bangladesh- India shares longest boundary with Bangladesh
  • Indian Subcontinent-India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives

Physiographic divisions of India:

India is divided into six physiographic divisions:

  • Northern mountain complex
  • Northern Plain
  • Peninsular Plateau
  • Indian Desert
  • Coastal Plains
  • Islands

1. Northern Mountain complex

  •      Trans-Himalayas
  •      Greater Himalayas
  •      Lesser Himalayas (Himachal)
  •      Outer Himalayas (Shivalik)
  •      Purvanchal

2. Northern plains

  •      The Ganga Plains
  •      Brahmputra Plains

3. Peninsular Plateau

  •       Central Highlands
  •       Chhotanagpur Plateau
  •       Deccan Plateau

4. Coastal Plains

  •      Western coastal plains- Malabar coast
  •      Eastern coastal plain- Coromandel coast

Trans Himalayas:

  • Created due to the collision with the Eurasian plate.
  • Northern most area in the country in the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
  • Extension of Tibetan plateau around the Himalayas.
  • The Zaskar, the Ladakh, the Kailas and the Karakoram are the main ranges.
  • Average elevation =3000 m above mean sea level.
  • Average width= 40 km at the extremities and about 225 km in the central part.
  • Northern most range is Great Karakoram Range also known as the Krishnagiri range.

 The Himalayas:

  • Himalayas are formed due to C-C collision between Indian plate and Eurasian plate which began 50 million years ago and continues even today.
  • Himalayas are developed in 3 phases-

1. Great Himalayas (Oligo-Eocene period)

2. Middle Himalayas (Miocene period)

3. Outer Himalayas (Pleistocene period)

 Properties of Himalayas:

  • Himalayas are fold mountain which are formed mainly of sedimentary rocks of marine origin. (Tethys Sea)
  • Himalayas are not single mountain but a series of ranges which is bordered on North-West by the Karakoram and Hindu-Kush ranges, on North by Tibetan Plateau and in South by Indo Gangetic plains.
  • Himalayas can be divided North-South as well as West to East.

North-South division of Himalaya:

  • Great Himalayas
  • Middle/ Lesser Himalayas (Himanchal)
  • Outer Himalayas (Shivaliks)

1. Himadri or Greater Himalaya:

  • Northernmost region of the Himalayas
  • Highest and most continuous range of Himalaya
  • Average height- 6000 km
  • All important peaks are situated in this region
  • Highest peak of the world -Mount Everest(8852)
  • Snow-bound area and a number of important rivers originate from this region

 Important peaks of Greater Himalaya:

  1. Mount Everest
  2. Kanchenjunga
  3. Nanga Parbat
  4. Nanda Devi
  5. Kamet
  6. Namcha Barwa

Important Passes of Greater Himalaya:

  • Karakoram- it is situated in Ladakh region of J & K, highest pass of the India
  • Burzil- situated in Greater Himalayas of J and K. It connects Srinagar and Gilgit.
  • Zoji la- situated in Zaskar range in J and K. Srinagar-Leh highway passes through it
  • Pir Panjal- situated in Pir panjal range
  • Banihal-Situated in Ladakh region. Jawahar tunnel is here.
  • Shipki la- in Zaskar range, Himachal Pradesh
  • Bara Lacha la- in Zaskar, Himachal Pradesh
  • Mana la- in Kumaon range, Uttarakhand.
  • Niti La, Thaga la and Lipu lekh- in Kumaon range, UK
  • Nathu la and Jelep la-Sikkim

 2. Himanchal or Lesser Himalayas:

  • Middle Himalayas
  • width-80 to 100 km
  • Average height- 1300-1500 m
  • Main rocks- quartzites, limestone and slate
  • Alpine grasslands are located which are known as marg i.e. Sonmarg, Gulmarg
  • Famous for its scenic beauty and hill stations like Kullu-Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling etc.

Important ranges:

  1. Pir panjal range
  2. Dhauladhar range
  3. Mahabharat range

Valleys:

  1. Kangra valley
  2. Kullu valley
  3. Kashmir valley

 3. Shiwalik or Outer Himalayas:

  • Southernmost Himalayas
  • Width- 10 to 50 km
  • Height- 900 to 1200 m
  • This is not a continuous range
  • Most recent part of the himalayas
  • Between Shiwalik and Himachal there are number of valleys like Kathmandu valley
  • Western side- Duns or Duar like Dehradun, Kotli dun and Patli dun and Haridwar (Dehradun largest of them)
  • Lowermost part is called Terai region which is marshy area with dense forests.

Division on the basis of Rivers:

  • Besides the longitudinal divisions, the Himalayas have also been divided on the basis of regions from west to east. These divisions have been demarcated by river valleys.

West-East:

  1. Indus-Satluj- Kashmir/Punjab Himalayas
  2. Satluj-Kali- Kumaon Himalayas
  3. Kali-Kosi-Nepal Himalayas
  4. Kosi-Teesta- Sikkim Himalaya
  5. Teesta-Dihang-Assam Himalayas

Purvanchal hills:

  • Southward extension of Himalayas running along the north-eastern edge of India.
  • At the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas take a sudden southward bend and form a series of comparatively low hills which are collectively called as the Purvanchal.
  • Purvanchal hills are convex to the west.
  • Run along the India-Myanmar Border extending from Arunachal Pradesh in the north to Mizoram in the south.

Main hills are:

  • Patkai hills
  • Naga hills
  • Barail range
  • Mizoram hills

Geological History of India: Geography- Frontier IAS

You should follow us on 

Frontier IAS Youtube Channel Frontier IAS Facebook Page Frontier IAS Telegram Channel  Frontier IAS Whatsapp 
Pinnacle Youtube Channel Pinnacle Facebook Page Pinnacle Telegram Channel Pinnacle website

You may find the below articles useful 

  1. HCS Previous Year papers
  2. HCS Prelims Syllabus GS and CSAT
  3. HCS Mains and Optional Subjects details
  4. HCS Notification update
  5. HCS Guidance videos 
  6. HCS exam online course
  7. HCS Test Series