CBSE Class 9 Social Science Geography Revision Notes Chapter 2

CBSE Class 9 Geography Chapter 2 Notes – Physical Features of India

Students will learn about the physical features of India from Class 9 Geography Chapter 2 Notes. Subject matter experts at Extramarks have referred to NCERT books to create notes so that they cover all the important topics and the authentic, correct information to its students.

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CBSE Class 9 Geography Revision Notes 2023-24

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Physical Features of India Class 9 Notes Geography Chapter 2

Physical features of India notes

Formation of the Landscape on the Basis of the Theory of Plate Tectonics

According to the “Theory of Plate Tectonics”, the uppermost part of the Earth, called the crust, has been formed out of seven major plates and some minor plates. The movements made by the plates result in movements within the plates, leading to folding, faulting and volcanic activity. The movements can be of three types:

1. A convergent boundary movement happens when the plates move towards one another.
2. A divergent boundary movement happens when the plates move away from each other.
3. When two plates come together, they may either collide with each other, disintegrate, or one may slip under the other. Sometimes they move horizontally past each other to form a transform boundary movement.

The size and position of the continents have been altered due to the movement of plates over millions of years, which has also influenced the evolution of India’s current landform features. Most of the earthquakes and volcanoes in the world happen along plate margins, but some occur within the plates.

The peninsular part of India comprises one of the world’s oldest landmasses, Gondwana land. It was a unified landmass comprising of India, Australia, South Africa, South America, and Antarctica, but it later drifted apart due to conventional currents.

Physical Features of India and their Characteristics

The physical characteristics of India are:

The Himalayan Mountains

• The Himalayan Mountains extend over India’s northern boundaries. These mountain ranges run from west to east from the Indus to the Brahmaputra.
• These young-fold mountains are the loftiest and most rugged mountain barriers in the world.
• The Himalayas extend to almost 2400 km and vary in width from 400 km to 150 km from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh.
• In terms of longitude, the Himalayas have three parallel ranges.   They are:
• Greater Himalayas or the Himadri: The northernmost range is called the Himadri, Inner, or Great Himalayas. The most continuous range consists of the highest peaks with an average altitude of 6000 metres. At its core, this region is made up of granite and is asymmetrical.
• Himachal or the Lesser Himalayas: The rugged mountain region to the south of the Himadri is called the Lesser Himalayas or Himachal. The elevation of this mountain range lies between 3700 and 4500 meters, while the average width is 50 kilometres. It comprises ranges like Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar, and Mahabharat, in which the longest and the most important range is formed by the Pir Panjal range.
• The Shiwaliks: Shiwaliks is the outermost range of the Himalayas whose elevation lies between 900 and 1100 metres and extends a width of 10-50 kilometres. The term “Duns” means the longitudinal valley stretching between the Lesser Himalayas and the Shiwaliks. Some of the Duns are Dehradun, Kotli Dun, and Patli Dun.
• The Himalayas is also divided into regions from east to west:
• Traditionally, the Himalayan region between the Indus and the Satluj has been known as the Punjab Himalaya. Still, it is also referred to as Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya from the west to the east respectively.
• The Kumaon Himalayas is the Himalayas that lie between the Satluj and Kali rivers.
• The Kali and Teesta rivers define the Nepal Himalayas.
• Assam Himalayas is the area that lies in the middle of the Teesta and Dihang rivers.

Purvachal or Eastern hills and mountains are the Himalayas that curve sharply to the south beyond the Dihang gorge and spread along India’s eastern border. Purvachal consists of the Patkai hills, Naga hills, Manipur hills, and Mizo hills.

The Northern Plains

• The interaction made the northern plain of India’s three major river systems, which include the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra, together with their tributaries.
• The northern plain spreads over an area of approximately 7 lakh sq. km., which is 2400 km in length and 240-320 km in breadth.
• It consists of alluvial soil deposits created at the basin that lays at the foothills of the Himalayas. They are rich fertile soil with an adequate water supply and a favourable climate that enhances agricultural productivity and makes it densely populated.
•  The Northern Plain is divided into three parts.   They are:
• The westernmost section of the Northern Plain is called the Punjab Plains. This plain consists of the Indus and its tributaries, the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Satluj,
• The Ganga plain lies between the Ghaggar and Teesta rivers. It extends across North India, including Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and some parts of West Bengal and west Bengal.
• The Brahmaputra plain is found east of the Ganga plain in Assam.
• The Northern Plains are generally described as flat land with no relief features, it this is not true. It has diverse relief features and it can be further divided into four regions based on variations in relief features.
• The rivers deposit pebbles into a narrow belt 8 to 16 km wide that runs parallel to the Shiwaliks’ slopes after descending from the mountains. This is referred to as bhabar.
• The streams and rivers emerge again and form the terai, a damp, swampy, and marshy region.
• Most of the northern plain is made from older alluvium. It is found above the floodplains of the rivers and contains a terrace-like feature referred to as bhangar.
• The soil found in the Bhangar region that consists of calcareous deposits is known as kankar.

The Peninsular Plateau

• The Peninsular plateau is a tableland or high-level region formed by ancient crystalline, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. It was formed due to the fracturing and splitting of the Gondwana land. One of the Peninsular plateau distinguishing features is the Deccan Trap black soil area.
• This plateau comprises two broad divisions-the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.
• The Central Highlands: This division is found north of the Narmada River and includes a big chunk of the Malwa plateau. The central highlands are surrounded by the Aravalli range on the northwest and by the Vindhya range on the south.
• The Central Highlands are much wider in the west compared to the east. The eastward extensions of the plateau are known as the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
• The Chhota Nagpur Plateau is the furthest extension in the east, drained by the Damodar river.
• The Deccan Plateau: Refers to the triangular landmass that exists to the south of the Narmada River. The Deccan Plateau is also visible in the northeast, commonly called the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau, and North Cachar Hills. The Satpura range flanks the broad base of the Deccan plateau in the north. Its eastern extensions consist of the Mahadev, Kaimur Hills, and Maikal ranges.
• The Eastern and western edges of the Deccan Plateau are marked by the Western and Eastern Ghats, respectively.
• The Western Ghats are higher than the Eastern Ghats in terms of altitude. Anaimudi, the highest peak in the Western Ghats, stands at 2695 metres, and the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats is Mahendragiri, which stands at 1501 metres.

The Indian Desert

• The Indian desert is a surge sandy plain near the western margins of the Aravalli Hills,
•  Enclosed with sand dunes.
• Large areas of the Indian desert near Pakistan are covered in dunes in the shape of a crescent known as barchans.
• Annually, this region receives very low rainfall of about 150 mm.
• Due to the barren climate and low vegetation cover, the Luni River is the only large river in this region,

The Coastal Plains

• A coastal plain is low-lying, flat land that sits alongside the ocean.
• Two narrow strips of plain land found west and east of the peninsular plateau are the Western Coastal Plain and Eastern Coastal Plain respectively.
•  A barrier is formed along the western coast by the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea
• . It is a thin plain that is divided into three parts.
• The part of the west coast in the north is called the Konkan, which extends from Mumbai – Goa. The central stretch is the Kannad Plain, and the southern stretch is the Malabar Coast.
• The large area of the landmass that stretches between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal is called the Eastern Coastal Plains.
• The Northern Circar refers to the northern part, while the Coromandel Coast refers to the southern part.
• Broad deltas on the east coast are formed by large rivers such as the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri.
• On the east coast, Lake Chilika- the largest saltwater lake in India, is a significant feature.

The Islands

• The Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands are the two sets of islands.
• These islands have an equatorial climate, and dense forest cover and lie close to the equator.
• The Lakshadweep Islands group in the Arabian Sea is found near Kerala. The Lakshadweep Islands were referred to as Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindive. The headquarters that administers Lakshadweep is located on Kavaratti Island. These island groups have extremely diverse flora and fauna.
• Both the Andaman and Nicobar Islands exist in the Bay of Bengal. These Andaman and Nicobar Islands are ridges of submarine mountains. The entire island group is categorised into two parts, i.e. the Andaman in the north and the Nicobar in the south.

The Important Physiographic Divisions of India

The physical features of the India map will show various important divisions of India. Students will learn about the physical features of India Class 9 that are categorised under the following physiographic divisions in this section.

The Himalayan Mountains.
The Northern Plains.
The Peninsular Plateau.
The Indian Desert.
The Coastal Plains.
The Islands.

These are the most important physiographic divisions students must learn in Class 9 Geography Chapter 2 notes. These physical divisions can be understood in detail from the Chapter 2 Geography Class 9 notes.

Things to Learn About the Himalayan Mountains

The Himalayan Mountains stretch over the northern borders of India. Himalayan Mountain ranges run west-east from the Indus to the Brahmaputra. In terms of longitudinal extent, it consists of three parallel ranges discussed in Class 9 Chapter 2 Geography Notes.

The three parallel ranges here are the Great or Inner Himalayas, also referred to as Great Himalaya or Himadri, Lesser Himalaya or Himachal and the Shiwaliks.

The northernmost range is known as Himadri. It consists of the loftiest peaks and is referred to as the most continuous mountain range. It has a typical height of 6,000 metres. The Himadri has asymmetrical folds, and the core of this section of the Himalayas is made up of granite.

The most rugged mountain system south of Himadri is known as the lesser Himalayas or Himachal. It is necessary to know that the Pir Panjal range is regarded as the most important and longest range. The Dhaula Dhar and the Mahabharat ranges are two other examples. This region is also popular for hill stations like Kashmir, the Kangra and Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. Lastly, Shiwaliks are the outermost Himalayan range, which comprises unconsolidated sediments. The Duns is the longitudinal valley that can be found between Himachal and Shiwaliks. Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun are the most popular duns.

Did You Know?

Himalayas is divided from west to east.
The part found between Indus and Satluj regions is the Punjab Himalaya. It is also referred to as Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya from west to east.
The part that is found between Satluj and Kali rivers is the Kumaon Himalayas.
The region between rivers Kali and Teesta is the Nepal Himalayas, and Assam Himalayas lies between Teesta and Dihang rivers.
The Brahmaputra is located at the easternmost boundary of the Himalayas.

Purvanchal is the part beyond the Dihang gorge where the Himalayas bend sharply to the south. It consists of the Patkai hills, the Naga hills, the Manipur hills and the Mizo hills. All of these hills form a crucial part of the geographical features of India.

Finally, with the help of The Physical Features of India Class 9 Notes PDF, students can learn the potential of these features in the subsequent classes. Like, the mountains serve as the major source of water and forest wealth. While the country’s granaries are the northern plains, storehouses of minerals are the plateaus, and port activities and the coastal region provide fishing. All of this information is crucial for getting good grades in exams and learning more about India’s Geography.”