Important Questions (2 marks): Physical Features Of India for Class 9 SST

The triangular shaped Peninsular Plateau of India extends from the south of Indo-Ganga Plain to the Cape Comorin (now Kanyakumari). This plateau is one of the oldest surfaces of the Earth and represents a segregated part of the old Gondwanaland.

Peninsular plateau is nothing but Indian peninsula.Indian peninsula was a part of Gondwana land.Peninsular plateau is the oldest landmass because Over 200 million years ago Gondwana land was split into pieces and the indian peninsular plate collided with the much larger eurasian plate.

The sedimentary rocks which were accumulated in the depression known as the Tethys were folded to form the mountain system of western Asia and Himalaya.

The convectional currents split the crust into a number of pieces leading to the drifting of the Indo-Australian plate after being separated from the Gondwana land, towards the north. The northward drift resulted in the collision of the plate with the much larger Eurasian Plate. Due to this collision, the sedimentary rocks in the Tethys were folded to form the mountain system of western Asia and Himalaya.

The earth is composed of several plates. In the past there was only one huge land mass or the Pangea. This Pangea broke up and drifted apart from one another. The Gondwana land was the southern part of this Pangea. Due to conventional current, this Gondwana land was further broken down and split into several parts. One part of this Gondwana, the Indo-Australian plate started drifting towards the North. As a result it collided with the Eurasian plate in the North. This collision caused the sedimentary deposition of the Tethys to get folded forming the Himalayas.

(a) The Himalayan uplift out of the Tethys sea and subsidence of the Northern flank of the peninsular plateau resulted in the formation of a large basin. In course of time, this depression gradually got filled with deposition of sediments from rivers flowing from the mountains in the north and led to formation of the fertile Northern plains.
(b) It spreads over an area of 7 lakh sq km. The plain is about 2400 km long and 240-230 km broad.
(c) It is a densely populated and an intensively cultivated area. 

The Peninsular Plateau
- Formed due to the breaking and drifting of Gondwana land.
- Plateau contains igneous and metamorphic rocks.
- Considered to be one of the most stable land blocks.
- The Deccan plateau is one of the most ancient landmasses.
- The average height of the plateau is 900 metres.
- The plateau is a storehouse of minerals.
- Peninsular rivers are seasonal.

The Himalayan region is known for its geological activity, making it an unstable zone. Key points include:

• The Himalayas are a tectonically active area.
• They frequently experience earthquakes.
• The region features a youthful topography with high peaks and deep valleys.
• Fast-flowing rivers further contribute to its dynamic landscape.

The Himalayas are known as the young fold mountains because they have been formed only few million years ago.They were formed because of the folding of the earth's crust due to tectonic activity (fold mountains are formed when two tectonic plates collide with one another).

Himalayas are the natural barriers bcause they are becoming hindrances in the path of airs blowing frm north towards india.

The Himalayas run in three parallel ranges from west to east:

1. Shiwalik (Outer Himalayas) – the southernmost, lowest range.

2. Lesser Himalayas (Himachal) – middle range.

3. Great Himalayas (Himadri) – northernmost and highest range, with peaks like Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga.

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Mothly is the part of Himalaya. The mountain peaks in the Himadri regiom was periodically snow bound because of their proximity to the tropics. Moreover they form sources of perennial river system like ganga river system and ganga-bharamputra river system.

The Kangchenjunga is the highest mountain peak in India and ranked 3rd highest summit in the world with an elevation of 8,586 m (28,169 ft). The highest mountainKangchenjunga is located at the border of India and Nepal in the great Himalayas range,Sikkim.

The Khyber Pass is a mountain pass in the northwest of Pakistan, on the border with Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing part of the Spin Ghar mountains. 

The Himalayas, which literally means the abode of snow, is the youngest and the highest range of fold mountains in the world. In India it extends in the east from the borders of Myanmar to where the Indus divides it from the Hindukush and Karakoran ranges, covering a distance of about 2500 km. The Himalayas consist of three parallel ranges, the Greater Himalayas known as the Himadri, the Lesser Himalayas called the Himachal, and the Shivalik hills, which comprise the foothills.

Kamet comes under the middle Himalayan ranges so they are not included under the lesser Himalayan range.

Himachal or lesser 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 altitude varies between 3,700 and 4,500 meters and the average width is 50 Km.
• 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

Shiwaliks 
(a) The outermost range of the Himalayas is called Shiwaliks. 
(b) They extend over a width of 10-50 kms and have an altitude varying between 900 and 1100 metres. 
(c) These ranges are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by rivers from the main Himalayan ranges located further North. 
(d) These valleys are covered with thick gravel and alluvium.   

The longitudinal vally is longitudinal valleys between the lesser himalayas and shiwaliks are known as ‘duns’ in the west and ‘duars’ in the east. Dehra Dun, Kothari Dun and Patli Dun are the important examples.

(i)The part of Himalayas lying between Indus and Satluj has been traditionally known as Punjab Himalaya but it is also known regionally as Kashmir and Himachal Himalaya from west to east respectively. 

(ii)The part of the Himalayas lying between Satluj and Kali rivers is known as Kumaon Himalayas. 

(iii)The Kali and Tista rivers demarcate the Nepal Himalayas and the part lying between Tista and Dihang rivers is known as Assam Himalayas. 

Aravallis highest peak is "Guru Shikhar" 15 kms from Main city centre. As it is known for sunrise view, so i starting climbing from Oriya on foot, and it took one and half hour to climb till the top, Spectacular view from the Guru Shikhar peak and temple of Guru Dattaray. It gives immense pleasure while you sit atop and see the surroundings.

A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout Earth's history. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass. 

The Nathula Pass or Nathu La Pass is a mountain pass in the Himalayan Mountain Range. It links the state of Sikkim in India with the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China. The Shipki pass or Shipki La Pass is a mountain pass and boundary check post on the border between India and China. The Sutlej River moves into India from Tibet via this pass.

K2 , also known as Mount Godwin-Austen or Chhogori  at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft) above sea level, is the second highest mountain in the world, after Mount Everest at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). It is located on the China–Pakistan border between Baltistan in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan, and the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China.K2 is the highest point of the Karakoram range and the highest point in both Pakistan and Xinjiang.

K2, Chinese Qogir Feng, also called Mount Godwin Austen, called locally Dapsang or Chogori, the world’s second highest peak (28,251 feet [8,611 metres]), second only to Mount Everest. K2 is located in the Karakoram Range and lies partly in a Chinese-administered enclave of the Kashmir region within the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China, and partly in the Gilgit-Baltistan portion of Kashmir under the administration of Pakistan.

The glacier- and snow-covered mountain rises from its base at about 15,000 feet (4,570 metres) on the Godwin Austen Glacier, a tributary of the Baltoro Glacier. The mountain was discovered in 1856 by Col. T.G. Montgomerie of the Survey of India, and it was given the symbol K2 because it was the second peak measured in the Karakoram Range. The name Mount Godwin Austen is for the peak’s first surveyor, Col. H.H. Godwin Austen, a 19th-century English geographer.

Everest — Nepal-Side and China-Side. Mount Everest is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China. It's the world's highest mountain with Tibetan name Chomolungma and Nepalese name Sagarmatha.

The River Ganges enters the North Indian plains at Haridwar. Haridwar forms an important destination for the Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. Kumbha Mela, one of the most sacred events for Hindus, is held at Haridwar, Prayag, Nashik and Ujjain. The Kumbha Mela occurs four times every twelve years, once at each of the four locations. Millions of devotees gather at Haridwar on the occasion of Kumbha Mela and other important Hindu festivals. Har Ki Pauri, where the entire riverside is lit up with the glow of hundreds of lamps in the evening, is the most important pilgrimage spot in Haridwar. 
 

The northern portion of the west coast is called Konkan and the southern portion Malabar. The southMalabar or Kerala coast is broken and there are some lagoons. The north Malabar Coast is known as the Karnataka coast.

The Malwa Plateau roughly forms a triangle based on the Vindhyan Hills, bounded by the Aravali Range in the west and Madhya Bharat Pathar to the north and Bundelkhand to the east.

The Stod carries meltwater of the Drang-drung glacier below the Pensi-la, and flows down a broad open valley, approaching the Lungnak. As the Zangskar river, their united waters flow northwards through a gorge in the Zanskar range, to join the Indus at Nyemo in Central Ladakh.

• Mahendragiri (1,501 meters) is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats, located in Odisha.

• The other options refer to peaks or hills not in the Eastern Ghats:

  • Anai Mudi – Western Ghats, Kerala.

  • Kanchenjunga – Himalayas, Sikkim.

  • Khasi – Hills in Meghalaya (part of the Shillong Plateau).