🏔️ Physiography of India

The Six Physiographic Divisions

1. The Himalayan mountains
2. The Northern Plains
3. The Peninsular Plateau
4. The Indian (Thar) Desert
5. The Coastal Plains
6. The Islands

The Himalayas — Three Parallel Ranges

From west to east, the Himalayas are also divided by rivers: Punjab (Indus–Satluj), Kumaon (Satluj–Kali), Nepal (Kali–Teesta) and Assam (Teesta–Dihang). Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Purvanchal hills — Patkai, Naga and Mizo (Lushai) — run along the Myanmar border.

The Northern Plains

Formed by deposits of the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems, the plains cover about 7 lakh sq km. From the mountains southwards they have four belts:

• Bhabar — a narrow belt of pebbles at the foot of the Shiwaliks, where streams disappear underground.
• Terai — wet, marshy land where the streams re-emerge; once thickly forested.
• Bhangar — older alluvium on higher ground, with calcareous nodules called kankar.
• Khadar — newer, fertile alluvium on floodplains, renewed almost every year.

The Peninsular Plateau

• The oldest landmass in India, part of ancient Gondwana. It has two parts: the Central Highlands (Malwa plateau, Bundelkhand, Baghelkhand, Chotanagpur) north of the Narmada, and the Deccan Plateau to the south.
• The Western Ghats (Sahyadri) are continuous and higher; Anamudi (2,695 m) in Kerala is the highest peak in peninsular India. The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous, cut through by the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.
• The two Ghats meet in the Nilgiri Hills, whose highest peak is Doddabetta (2,637 m).
• The Aravallis are among the oldest fold mountains in the world; their highest point is Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) on Mount Abu.
• The north-western Deccan is covered by Deccan Trap basalt, the parent rock of black soil.

Coastal Plains

Coastline: the long-quoted figure was 7,516.6 km. Re-measured at a larger map scale by the National Hydrographic Office and Survey of India, it was revised to 11,098.81 km (circular of April 29, 2025). The land did not change — the new method captures more bays and inlets. Gujarat has the longest coastline.

The Islands

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Bay of Bengal) are the peaks of submerged mountains. Barren Island is India's only active volcano; Saddle Peak is the highest point. The Ten Degree Channel separates the Andamans from the Nicobars.
• Lakshadweep (Arabian Sea) is made of coral atolls; Kavaratti is the capital. The Nine Degree Channel separates Minicoy from the main group, and the Eight Degree Channel separates Minicoy from the Maldives.

Extreme Points

Southernmost: Indira Point (Great Nicobar); southern tip of the mainland: Kanyakumari. Easternmost: Kibithu (Arunachal Pradesh). Westernmost: Guhar Moti (Kutch, Gujarat).

1. North-to-south order of Himalayan ranges or plain belts (bhabar → terai → bhangar → khadar).
2. Channel questions: Ten Degree (Andaman–Nicobar), Nine Degree (Minicoy–Lakshadweep), Eight Degree (Minicoy–Maldives).
3. Updated figures: since 2025, expect the coastline as 11,098 km in newer papers — read the options carefully.

🔁 Revise in 60 Seconds

• India: 32.87 lakh sq km, 2.4% of world area, 7th largest.
• Himadri (~6,000 m) → Himachal (3,700–4,500 m) → Shiwaliks (900–1,100 m).
• Plains belts: bhabar → terai → bhangar → khadar.
• Coastline revised to 11,098.81 km (2025); Barren Island the only active volcano.

📌 Prelims Traps to Avoid

• ✘ Doddabetta is the highest peak of the Nilgiris; Anamudi is the highest in peninsular India.
• ✘ The Western coast has estuaries; the Eastern coast has deltas.
• ✘ Indira Point is the southernmost point of India; Kanyakumari is the tip of the mainland.

What are the physiographic divisions of India?

Six: the Himalayan mountains, the Northern Plains, the Peninsular Plateau, the Indian Desert, the Coastal Plains and the Islands.

What is the length of India's coastline?

The revised official length is 11,098.81 km, adopted in 2025 after re-measurement by the National Hydrographic Office. The earlier figure of 7,516.6 km came from smaller-scale maps.