BOOK - II CHAPTER -2 INDIA-STRUCTURE &PHYSIOGRAHY

BOOK II

Chapter 2

INDIA  

STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY

1. Which are the physiographic divisions of  of India ?

India can be divided into the following physiographic divisions:

(i) The Northern and Northeastern Mountains

(ii) The Northern Plain

(iii) The Peninsular Plateau

(iv) The Indian Desert

(v) The Coastal Plains

(vi) The Islands

2.Which are the physiographic features forming The North and Northeastern Mountains

The North and Northeastern Mountains consist of   the  Himalayas and the Northeastern hills.

3. Which are the different ranges of Himalayas ?

The Himalayas consist of a series of parallel mountain ranges.

Some of the important ranges are

1. the Greater Himalayan range, which includes the Great Himalayas and the Trans-Himalayan range,
2.  the Middle Himalayas and
3.  the Shiwalik.

4. Which are the three Himalayan range explain each one of them

   1. the Great Himalayan range

The approximate length of the Great Himalayan range, also known as the central axial range, is 2,500 km from east to west, and their width varies between 160-400 km from north to south.

 It is also evident from the map that the Himalayas stand almost like a strong and long wall between the Indian subcontinent and the Central and East Asian countries

The northern most range is known as the Great or Inner Himalayas or the .Himadri.. It is the most continuous range consisting of the loftiest peaks with an average height of 6,000 metres. It contains all the prominent Himalayan peaks.

The core of this part of Himalayas is composed of granite. It is perennially snow bound, and a number of glaciers descend from this range.

    2. Middle himalaya

The range lying to the south of the Himadri forms the most rugged mountain system and

is known as Himachal or lesser Himalaya.

The ranges are mainly composed of highly compressed and altered rocks.

The altitude varies between 3,700 and 4,500 metres and the average width is of 50 Km.

While the Pir Panjal range forms the longest and the most important range, the Dhaula Dhar and the Mahabharat ranges are also prominent ones.

This range consists of the famous valley of Kashmir, the Kangra and Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh. This region is well known for its hill stations

3 .  Shiwalik range

The outer most range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks. /Outer Himalayas

They extend over width of 10-50 Km and have an altitude varying between 900 and 1100 metres.These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by rivers from the main Himalayan ranges located farther north. These valleys are covered with thick gravel and alluvium.

1. What are  Karewas ? Karewas are the thick deposits of glacial clay and other materials embedded with moraines. 2. From where did the word  Shiwalik originate ? The word shiwalik has its origin in the geological formation found in and around a place called Sivawala near Dehra Dun which was once a headquarter of the Imperial Survey and which subsequently established its permanent headquarters at Dehra Dun .3 What are Duns ? give examples of it . The longitudinal valley lying between lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks are known as Duns. Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun are some of the well-known Duns. . DehraDun is the largest of all the duns

5 Classify Himalayas on the basis of relief,alignment of ranges and other geomorphological features,

the Himalayas can be divided into the following sub-divisions,

(i) Kashmir or Northwestern Himalayas

(ii) Himachal and Uttaranchal Himalayas

(iii) Darjiling and Sikkim Himalayas

(iv) Arunachal Himalayas

(v) Eastern Hills and Mountains

6. Mention any ten characteristic features of Kashmir Himalayas

Kashmir or Northwestern Himalayas

1.It comprise a series of ranges such as the Karakoram, Ladakh, Zaskar and Pir Panjal.

2. The northeastern part of the Kashmir Himalayas is a cold desert, which lies between the Greater Himalayas and the Karakoram ranges.

3.  Between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal range, lies the world famous valley of Kashmir and the famous Dal Lake.

4. Important glaciers of South Asia such as the Baltoro and Siachen are also found in this region. The Kashmir Himalayas are also famous for Karewa formations,

5.Some of the important passes of the region are Zoji La on the Great Himalayas,Banihal on the Pir Panjal,Photu La on the Zaskar and Khardung La on the Ladakh range.

6. Some of the important fresh water lakes are Dal and Wular

7.. This region is drained by the river Indus, and its tributaries such as the Jhelum and the Chenab.

8.Vaishno Devi, Amarnath Cave, Charar -e-Sharif,etc. are also located here and large number of  pilgrims visit these places every year

9. Srinagar, capital city of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is located on the banks of Jhelum river.

10. Dal Lake in Srinagar presents an interesting physical feature.

11. The southernmost part of this region consists of longitudinal valleys known as ‘duns’. Jammu dun and Pathankot dun are important examples

7. State the characteristic features of Himachal Himalayas

1.This part lies approximately between the Ravi in the west and the Kali (a tributary of

Ghaghara) in the east.

2.  It is drained by two major river systems of India, i.e. the Indus and the Ganga.

Tributaries of the Indus include the river Ravi, the Beas and the Satluj, and the

tributaries of Ganga flowing through this region include the Yamuna and the Ghaghara.

3. The northernmost part of the Himachal Himalayas is an extension of the Ladakh cold

desert, which lies in the Spiti subdivision of district Lahul and Spiti.

4. All the three ranges of Himalayas are prominent in this section also.

These are the Great Himalayan range, the Lesser Himalayas (which is locally known as

Dhaoladhar in Himachal Pradesh and Nagtibha in Uttaranchal) and the Shiwalik range from the North to the South.

 5. In this section of Lesser Himalayas, the altitude between 1,000-2,000 m specially attracted to the British colonial administration, and subsequently, some of the important hill stations such as Dharamshala,Mussoorie, Shimla, Kaosani and the cantonment towns and health resorts such as Shimla, Mussoorie, Kasauli, Almora,Lansdowne and Ranikhet, etc. were developed

in this region.

8. The two distinguishing features of this region from the point of view of physiography

are the ‘Shiwalik’ and ‘Dun formations’. Some important duns located in this region are the Chandigarh-Kalka dun, Nalagarh dun, Dehra Dun, Harike dun and the Kota dun, etc.

 7. DehraDun is the largest of all the duns with an approximate length of 35-45 km and a width of 22-25 km.

.8. The famous ‘Valley of flowers’ is also situated in this region.

9. The places of pilgrimage such as the Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib are also situated in this part. The region is also known to have five famous Prayags (river confluences)

9. Describe the features of The Darjiling and Sikkim Himalayas

1. They are flanked by Nepal Himalayas in the west and Bhutan Himalayas in the east.

 2. It is relatively small but is a most significant part of the Himalayas. Known for its fast-flowing rivers such as Tista, it is a region of high mountain peaks like Kanchenjunga (Kanchengiri), and deep valleys.

3. The higher reaches of this region are inhabited by Lepcha tribes while the southern part, particularly the Darjiling Himalayas, has a mixed population of Nepalis, Bengalis and tribals from Central India.

4. The British, taking advantage of the physical conditions such as moderate slope,

thick soil cover with high organic content, well distributed rainfall throughout the year and

mild winters, introduced tea plantations in this region.

5. As compared to the other sections of the Himalayas, these along with the Arunachal Himalayas are conspicuous by the absence of the Shiwalik formations.

6. In place of the Shiwaliks here, the ‘duar formations’ are important, which have also been used for the development of tea gardens.

7. Sikkim and Darjiling Himalayas are also known for their scenic beauty and rich flora and fauna, particularly various types of orchids.

10. Describe the features of The The Arunachal Himalayas

1. These extend from the east of the Bhutan Himalayas up to the Diphu pass in the east.

2. The general direction of the mountain range is from southwest to northeast.

3. Some of the important mountain peaks of the region are Kangtu and Namcha Barwa. 4. These ranges are dissected by fast-flowing rivers from the north to the south, forming deep gorges.

5. Bhramaputra flows through a deep gorge after crossing Namcha Barwa. Some of the

important rivers are the Kameng, the Subansiri, the Dihang, the Dibang and the

Lohit.

11. Describe the features of The The Eastern Hills and Mountains

1.        These are part of the Himalayan mountain system having their general alignment from the north to the south direction.

2.         They are known by different local names. In the north, they are known as Patkai Bum, Naga hills, the Manipur hills and in the south as Mizo or Lushai hills.

3.        These are low hills, inhabited by numerous tribal groups practising Jhum cultivation

4.         Most of these ranges are separated from each other by numerous small rivers.

5. The Barak is an important river in Manipur and Mizoram.

6.The physiography of Manipur is unique by the presence of a large lake known as ‘Loktak’ lake at the centre, surrounded by mountains from all sides.

7. Mizoram which is also known as the ‘Molassis basin’ which is made up of soft unconsolidated deposits.
8. Most of the rivers in Nagaland form the tributary of the Brahmaputra.
9. Two rivers of Mizoram and Manipur are the tributaries of the Barak river,which in turn is the tributary of Meghna;

10. The rivers in the eastern part of Manipur are the tributaries of Chindwin, which in turn is a tributary of the Irrawady of Myanmar.