What is the physical division of India? Explain one of them.

India is a vast country with varied land forms. From the mighty mountains of the Himalayas to the rolling sand dunes of Rajasthan, from the lush green forests of Western Ghats to crystal lagoons of the Lakshadweep islands, India has almost all the major physiographic features found in any other part of the world. The major physical divisions of India are: -

A. The Himalayan Mountains

B. The Northern Plains

C. The Peninsular Plateau

D. The Indian Desert

E. The Coastal Plains

F. The Islands

The Coastal Plains

Coastal plains include the narrow strip of plain lands, made by many rivers on both sides of the peninsular plateau. These coastal plains are divided into two regions based on location. These are:

Western Coastal Plains as the name suggests runs parallel to the Western Ghats with the Arabian Sea to the west. These plains start from the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat and extends till the Kumari Antareep in the Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu, covering 1600 km in the process. Its average width is 64 km and maximum elevation is 180 m. These plains are wider in the north than the south. Rivers mainly form estuaries in the western coast. The Northern part is called the Konkan, the central stretch is called the Kannad Plain, and the southern stretch is called as the Malabar Coast.

• Rivers flowing through the western coastal plains are: Narmada, Tapti, Mandovi, Periyar, etc

• Main ports are Kandla, Mumbai, Mormugao, Manglore, Kochin, etc

Eastern Coastal Plains is flanked by the Bay of Bengal to the east and runs parallel to the Easter Ghats. It extends from the mouth of river Ganga in West Bengal to Kumari Antreep, covering a distance of 1500 in the process. Its width varies between 16 to 480 kms and hence is wider than the western coastal plains. Rivers mainly form deltas in the eastern coast. The northern part of this plain is known as ‘Circar’ and the southern part ‘Coromandel’ coast.

• Rivers flowing through the eastern coastal plains are: Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari, Kaveri, etc.

• Main ports are Visakhapatnam, Paradip, Chennai, Tutricorin, etc.