KERALA PSC / INDIAN GEOGRAPHY / PLAINS OF INDIA
/ NOTES / OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
KERALA PSC / INDIAN GEOGRAPHY / PLAINS OF INDIA / NOTES / OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
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The
vast plains of north India are alluvial in nature and the western most portion
is occupied by the Thar Desert.
·
The
plains of south India, ie, coastal plains are also alluvial to a large extent.
·
The
northern plain is known as the Ganga-Brahmaputra plain and is divided into
smaller units like the western plain, eastern plain, Bihar plain, Bengal plain
and Brahmaputra plain.
NORTHERN PLAIN
·
This
plain lies to the South of the northern mountain wall and stretches in the
shape of an are from the western most part of the country to the Brahmaputra
valley in the east.
·
The
Indo-Gangetic Plains also known as the Northern Plains
·
Indo-Gangetic
plain is one of the most extensive stretches of the alluvium in the world
·
It
is brought down by the rivers from the Himalayas in the north and the
Peninsular plateau in the south.
·
The
northern plains contain two river system, viz, the Indus and its tributaries in
the west and the Ganga-Brahmaputra in the east.
·
The
slit and alluvium that these rivers have been depositing have made the plains
fertile.
·
These
are gently sloping plains below 300m in elevation. The general slope is from
West to East.
WESTERN PLAIN
·
The
Western part of the northern plain is called the Indus plain or Punjab plain.
·
It
slopes gently towards West and extends into Pakistan through Punjab
·
The
plain is drained by the Indus and its tributaries. That part of the plain that
extends in India is drained into the Arabian Sea by the rivers –Sutlej, Beas
and Ravi, tributaries of the Indus that join the main stream after entering
Pakistan. The Indian part of the plain is also called the Punjab and Haryana
Plain.
·
Streams
carrying water only during the rainy season and with their beds choked with
boulders are called chos in Punjab
·
The
water becoming sub-surface in this zone emerges on the surface in lower areas downstream
and produces marshy conditions. Such marsh areas in Punjab are called mand.
·
The
only river that remains perennial in its upper course in Haryana is Ghaggar.
This stream is lost in the dry area in Rajasthan.
EASTERN PLAIN
·
It
comprises the flood plain and the delta plains of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra
·
It
is customary to divide this part into the Ganga plain and the Brahmaputra
plain.
·
Ganga
enters the Northern plains at Hardwar. The Yamuna joins it at Allahabad. The big
Himalayan rivers joining the Ganga downstream of Allahabad from west to east
are the Gomati, Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi.
·
The
Brahmaputra is known as Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh. After the meeting of the
Lohit, Dihang and Dibang is called the Brahmaputra. After meeting with Ganga it
is called Padma.
·
An
important division of the plain is made in terms of the khaddar and the bangar
zones. The term khaddar refers to the new alluvium and the bangar to the old
alluvium.
·
The
lower part of the plain adjacent to the rivers that is prone to frequent floods
is called khaddar.
·
Bangar
soils frequently have beds of Kanker or hard pans
·
The
western part of the plain, from Haridwar to Aligarh is called Upper Doab
and from Aligarh to Allahabad is called the Middle Doab.
·
The
northern part of Ganga-Yamuna Doab and Uttar Pradesh is covered by Ruhelkhand
Plain. This part is drained by Ghaghra, Rapti and Gomti rivers
·
The
plain is characterized by streams that flow as sub-surface channels in dry
season. This area is called the bhabhar or the bhabar zone.
·
The
marshy region at the foot of the Himalayas is called the terai zone. Much of
this zone has been drained out and reclaimed fro agriculture.
·
The
foot hill zones of the eastern plain in the northern parts of West Bengal and
still eastward are occupied by the Bengal Duars and Assam Duars.
COASTAL PLAINS
·
The
coastal plains separate the peninsular plateau from the sea
·
The
coast of India is divided into western coast and eastern coastal plains
·
The
western coastal plain lies between the western Ghats and the Arabian Sea
·
It
stretches from the Gulf of Kachch in the north upto Kanyakumari in the south,
with a length of about 1500km
·
It
is divided into Malabar Coast, Karnataka Coast, Konkan Coast, Gujarat Coast and
Kachch and Kathiwad Peninsular
·
The
coast is straight and is affected by the South-West Monsoon winds over a period
of six months
·
Mumbai,
Marmagoa, Cochin, Mangalore, Karwar, Nhava-Sheva and Kandla are the important
parts on the west coast.
·
The
eastern coastal plain extends from Kanyakumari to the Gangetic delta and
between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal.
·
This
part of the plain south of the Krishna river mouth is known as the Coromandel
Coast and in the north it is known as Utkal Coast
·
It
consists of the deltas of rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. It is
a broad and flat land.
·
There
are some saltwater lakes or lagoons. Chilka lake of Orissa and Pulicat Lake of
Tamil Nadu are the best examples.
KERALA PSC / INDIAN GEOGRAPHY / PLAINS OF INDIA / NOTES / OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
