CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 8 India: Geographical Features Notes

CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 8 India: Geographical Features

Tndia is huge country having a variety of physical Lfeatures, climates, wildlife, resources, races languages and religions. With all its physical dimensions and varied characteristics, India is land of unity in diversity. It is now the most populous country in the world and the seventh largest in size after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, Brazil and Australia.

CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 8 India Location And Extent

India lies entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. The mainland of India extends between latitudes 8°4’ N and 37°6′ N and longitudes 68°7′ E and 97°25′ E. The north-south extent of the mainland from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is about 3214 km, whereas the east-west extent from the Rann of Kutch to Arunachal Pradesh is about 2933 km.

• The Tropic of Cancer passes almost through the middle of the country and divides it into two halves, the tropical zone in the south and sub-tropical in the north.
• Lakshadweep off the western coast and the Andaman and Nicobar islands, located in the Bay of Bengal also form a part of India.
• India is surrounded by waterbodies on three sides, i.e., the Bay of Bengal in the southeast, the Indian Ocean in the south and the Arabian Sea in the southwest, covering a coastline of about 6100 km.
• The total coastline, including those of the islands, is about 7516 km. The land mass of India has an area of 3.28 million square km.
• India’s total area accounts for about 2.4 per cent of the total geographical area of the world.
• India lies strategically at the head of the Indian Ocean, wholly in the northern hemisphere and at the centre of the Eastern hemisphere.
• Due to its strategic location, India commands the sea routes between Europe and Africa on the one hand, and Southeast Asia, Far East and the Oceania on the other.

CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 8 India Neighbours

India is situated on the western fringe ofthe Indian Ocean. It lies midway between South East Asia and South West Asia.

• India shares its land borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal and Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east.
• The island nation of Sri Lanka is located off the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. It is separated from India by the Palk Strait.
• India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. To the south of Lakshadweep lies Maldives

CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 8 India Political Divisions

India, a Union of States, is a sovereign, secular, Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary form of Government. It comprises 28 States and Eight Union Territories.

Delhi is the National Capital Territory of India.

The Union Territories are administered by the President of India through an Administrator appointed by him/her.

• The names of the States and Union Territories and their capitals are given in the table above.
• In terms of size, Rajasthan is the largest State whereas Goa is the smallest state of India. Rajasthan is followed by Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
• Among the Union Territories, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal ranks first whereas Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea is the smallest.

CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 8 India: Physical Divisions

India is a land of varied topography comprising high mountain ranges, mighty rivers, fertile plains, dense forests and plateaus.

It has five clearly defined physiographic divisions:

1. The Himalayas
2.  The Plains of Northern India
3. The Peninsular Plateau
4. The Coastal Plains;and
5. The Islands

1. The Himalayas:

The northern mountain wall is known as the Himalayan Range. The Himalayas are young fold mountains consisting of three parallel ranges, which are clearly distinguished on the basis of their height.

The Himadri:

It is known as the Himadri because it remains covered with snow throughout the year.

• It is also called the Great Himalayas or the Inner Himalayas.
• It forms the northernmost part of the Himalayan range and is one of the world’s highest mountain ranges.
• This range includes the world’s highest peak, Mt. Everest (8,848M). Other , peaks with heights over 8000 m include Makalu, Mansalu, Annapurna in Nepal; Nanga Parbat and Kanchenjunga in India
• It also has some passes in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. It includes the Karakoram pass in Ladakh and the Nathu La in Sikkim.
• It has a number of glaciers such as the Gangothri and the Yamunotri in Uttarakhand. These glaciers are the perennial source of water for the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, respectively
• Sharda, Ghagra, Kosi and Gandak rivers originate from this range

 The Himachal

This range is also known as the Himachal Himalayas or the Middle or Lesser Himalayas.

• It runs parallel to the Himadri and lies to its south.
• Doons lie between the Himachal and Shiwalik ranges. They are flat bottomed longitudinal valleys. Dehra Dun is one such valley.
• This range has a vast vegetative cover. A number of peaks having elevation of more than 5,050 m are located in this range. They are covered with snow throughout the year.
• Some of the important ranges in this region are the Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar, Mussoorie range, and Mahabharat range (Nepal).
• Most of the hill stations in India lie in this range. They include Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital, Almora, Ranikhet, Chakrata ,Chail, etc.,
• The valleys here include Kullu, Jammu and Srinagar

The Shiwalik Range:

• It is also called the Outer Himalayas.
• It is not a continuous range.
• The slopes facing the subcontinent are
• steep, while those facing north are gentle.
• It is known by different names in different
• places — Jammu hills in Jammu and Miri,
• Aborand Mishmi hillsinArunachal Pradesh.
• The average elevation is about 1000 m above sea level.

Some of the valleys that fall in this region include Udhampur in Jammu region and the Doon valleys.

Significance of the Himalayas

The Himalayas act as an effective climatic barrier by blocking the inflow of cold, dry air masses into northern India during winter, thus protecting northern India from severe cold in winters.

• Himalayas also deflect the moisture-laden monsoon winds and cause the moist winds to bring rain to the North Indian plains and the Brahmaputra valley.
• The glaciers in the Himalayas give rise to many perennial rivers which include Ganga, Yamuna, Sharda, Ghagra, Kosi, Gandak and Brahmaputra.
• The Himalayan rivers form rapids and waterfalls and provide ideal conditions for the creation of reservoirs, which are utilised for the generation of hydroelectricity by constructing dams across the rivers.
• The Himalayas form a defensive rampart of India against invasion by land.
• The Himalayan scenery is among the most spectacular in the world. It attracts thousands of tourists from India and abroad. Most of the summer resorts, known as hill stations and a number of sacred shrines are located in the Himalayas.

The Himalayas are rich inforest resources. They yield good quality timber, soft and hard woods, paper pulp, resins, turpentine oil, various medicinal plants, etc.

• The Himalayas Eire home to a wide variety ofwild animals like yaks, snow leopards, bears, red pandas, tigers, elephants, etc.
• The Himalayas have rich reserves of important minerals. Copper, lead, zinc, bismuth, Eintimony, nickel, cobalt and tungsten Eire found in the eastern and western Himalayas of good quality is found in the Kashmir valley.
• The Himalayas also have gold, silver, and precious stones like sapphires and beryl.
• The rivers that flow from the Himalayas through the Northern Plains deposit alluvium in their flood plains and make them fertile

The Plains of Northern India

The plains of northern India comprise a vast stretch of level and fertile land, formed by the alluvium deposited by the rivers. They include the lowlands of the three major rivers — the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra together with their tributEiries.

The river Indus has its source in the Kailash Range, a little to the west of Manasarovar Lake. It has five tributaries, namely, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas.

• The Ganga rises in the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas. Cutting through the Shivalik range, it enters the plains at Haridwar (Uttarakhand).
• The main tributaries of Ganga are Yamuna (which joins Ganga on its right bank at Allahabad), Son, Ramganga, Ghaghra, Gomti, Gandak, Kosi and Mahananda.
• The Brahmaputra river rises in Tibet near lake Manasarovar and flows eastwEird as Tsangpo.
• In Assam, the river Brahmaputra is joined by numerous streams, namely, the Dihang, Dibang and Lohit. Its other tributaries Eire, Tista, Dhansiri and Manas. On the basis of regional characteristics,

The Plains of Northern India can be sub-divided into the following areas:

The Punjab Plains:

In India, these plains lie in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. A significant feature of these plains is the doabs of the five tributaries ofthe Indus —Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. Punjab derives its name from these, i.e., the land of five rivers. The

Rajasthan Plains:

These include the Marusthali or the Great Indian Desert or The Thar Desert. It is a sandy desert and is surrounded by the Sutlej in the north-west, the Aravalli range in the east, the Indus Valley in the west and the Rann of Kutch in the south.

• These plains extend over the north-west India (Rajasthan desert) and* eastern Pakistan.
• Cultivation is done in small patches in this area with the water provided by small streams which originate from the Aravalli during the rainy season. These fertile tracts are known as Rohi.

The only significant river is Luni. The area north of Luni is a sandy plain. There exists an area of inland drainage on the north of the Luni basin.

• This is because the rivers of the area do not have sufficient water to reach the sea and dryup or disappear into the sand.
• These plains are dotted with several salt lakes on the eastern edge of the desert, such as the Sambhar, Kuchaman and Didwana.
• The Sambhar lake is the largest lake which lies on the outskirts of Jaipur.

The Ganga Plains:

• These plains extend from the Yamuna river in the west to the western borders of Bangladesh, covering a distance of about 1,400 km in the States of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Delhi, partly Jharkhand and West Bengal.
• They consist of several regions, i.e., the Ganga-Yamuna doab, Awadh Plains and Mithila Plains.
• These plains have been formed by the sediments brought down by the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Ghagra and their tributaries.
• These rivers make the Ganga Plains one of the most fertile plains in the world.

The Brahmaputra Plains:

These low-level plains extend in Assam for about 640 km.

• They have been formed by deposits from the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries and are bordered by high mountains.
• The small, meandering streams of the north form marshy areas. In some places on the plain, many steeply rising hillocks are found. Besides, there are several riverine islands, including Majuli, which is the largest river island in the world
• The Brahmaputra Basin is sometimes said to be the continuation ofthe northern plains towards the east.
• It is demarcated by the Eastern Himalayas of Arunachal Pradesh in the north, the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia and Mikir Hills in the south, Patkai and Naga Hills in the east and the lower Ganga Plain in the west.

Significance of the Northern Plains

The Northern plains are among the most level and extensive plains in the world.

They are of immense significance due to the following reasons: 

The northern plains are the most favourable for human settlement as they are endowed with fertile soil, numerous rivers and favourable climate. That is why these plains support one of the most densely populated regions of the world.

• The fertile soils, perennial water resources and favourable climate have made the northern plains rich agricultural land.
• Many multi-purpose dams have been constructed across some of the rivers to provide water for irrigation and to generate electricity.
• The use of irrigation and modern facilities has made Punjab, Haryana and western UP the granaries of India.
• The Northern plains have been socially and religiously quite significant due to their vast literature, art and architecture and sacred rivers.
• Many religious and historical cities such as Haridwar, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Allahabad, Mathura and Patna are situated along the rivers of the northern plains. Buddhism and Jainism flourished in these plains.
• The plains are almost level, which allows for the construction of roadways and railways and makes rivers in the plains navigable, which allows easy transportation and thus, promotes trade and commerce.
• The flatness of the land also allows easy access for communication facilities

The Peninsular Plateau

The Peninsular Plateau is the largest and the oldest of all the physiographic divisions. It lies to the south of the northern plains. It is triangular in shape.

• Its north-west limit is marked by the Aravalli range, and its northern extreme has the raised Bundelkhand Plateau.
• At its western and eastern ends are the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, respectively.
• The Peninsular Plateau has two main divisions — the Central Highlands in the north west and the Deccan Plateau in the south, separated by the Vindhya and Satpura Ranges.
• The Chhotanagpur Plateau forms the eastern limit of the Peninsular Plateau. It is rich in mineral resources and is called the ‘Ruhr of India’

Central Highlands:

The part of the Peninsular Plateau lying to the north of the Narmada, covering a major area of the Malwa Plateau, is known as the Central Highlands.

• The Central Highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east.
• The eastward extensions of this plateau are known as the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
• The Malwa Plateau is flat-topped region bound by the Vindhya and Satpura Ranges in the south, the Aravalli Range in the west and the Chhotanagpur Plateau in the east.
• In the north the Malwa plateau gradually merges with the northern plains.
• It is formed by the lava flows. The western part of the region is drained by the Mahi river, the middle part by the Chambal river and the eastern part by the Betwa river.
• The plateau is broken by ravines (a deep, narrow gorge with steep sides) mainly in the Chambal, Yamuna and Banas valleys.

The Deccan Plateau:

The Deccan Plateau is India’s largest plateau. It is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.

• It occupies the land between the Western and the Eastern Ghats and south of the Mahadeo, Maikal, Vindhya and Satpura ranges.
• The river Narmada flows through a narrow rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges.
• Another important river of the region, i.e., Tapti, flows through a valley south of the Satpura range.
• These two rivers flow through hard rocks and are unable to form distributaries before they enter the Arabian Sea.

The Western Ghats and The Eastern Ghats:

The Deccan Plateau is bound by hills on the west and the east, called the Western Ghats orSahyadri and the Eastern Ghats, respectively. The Western Ghats run along the west coast from the south of the Tapti river valley to Kanyakumari. The Eastern Ghats stretch from the Mahanadi Valley to the Nilgiris in the south.

• The Western Ghats are continuous and can be crossed through passes like Thai, Bhor and the Pal ghats.
• The Eastern Ghats, however, are discontinuous and irregular. They are dissected by rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal.
• The highest peaks of the Western Ghats are Anai Mudi and the Doda Betta, whereas Mahendragiri is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats. The meeting point of the Western and the Eastern Ghats is in the Nilgiri hills and has the highest point at Doda Betta peak.
• A unique feature of the Deccan Plateau is the Black soil region, known as the Deccan Trap, which extends over Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
• It is of volcanic origin and hence the rocks are igneous. In fact, these rocks have denuded over time and have led to the formation of Black soil.
• There are many rivers in the Deccan Plateau. Some rivers flow east to end up in the Bay of Bengal. They are greater in number than the west-flowing rivers, have wide catchment areas and form large deltas.
• These include the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Cauvery (Kaveri).
• The west flowing rivers of the Peninsular India are smaller and fewer in number. These Peninsular Rivers include the Narmada, the Tapti, the Luni, the Sabarmati and the Mahi.
• They fall into the Arabian Sea. They do not form deltas but only form estuaries. This is because the west-flowing rivers, especially the Narmada and the Tapi, flow through hard rocks and are not able to form distributaries before they enter the Arabian Sea.

Difference Between Westren Ghats and Eastren Ghats:

Significance of the Peninsular Plateau

The Peninsular Plateau of India has been immensely contributing to the prosperity of the country due to its richness in minerals, fauna, forests, etc.

• Peninsular India is a depository a variety of minerals, such as iron, bauxite, mica, manganese, copper, chromium and coal, iron, gold, chromium and porcelain clay, coal, mica, graphite and corundum.
• The north-western plateau ofthe Peninsular India is covered with basaltic lava which is rich in iron. Soil formed of basaltic lava, i.e., black soil,l is conducive for the cultivation of cotton.
• This soil also facilitates the production of tea, rubber, coffee and millets. Tobacco, groundnuts and oilseeds are abundantly grown in the Peninsular region.
• The highlands of the plateau are covered with different types of forests. Ebony, mahogany, came, bamboo, eucalyptus, sal, and sandalwood are prominent commercial timbers of the region, while tall grasses, shrubs and herbs provide fodder.
• The Peninsular rivers are marked bya number of waterfalls which are being harnessed for the production of hydroelectricity. The Western Ghats are among the finest faunal tracts of India.
• These include the Nilgiri Ibex, the black monkeys and the lion¬ tailed macaque. Forests in the Peninsular region are also home to wild elephants, sambar, chital, leopards and tigers

The Coastal Plains

The Deccan Plateau has a coastal strip in the east and in the west, which are known as the coastal plains.

• They run along the coastline of the Peninsula from the Rann of Kutch in the west to the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta in the east.
• The Western Coastal plains lie on the coastal strip along the Arabian Sea and west of the Western Ghats while the Eastern Coastal plains lie between the Bay of Bengal and the Eastern Ghats.
• The two plains meet at the tip of the peninsula, i.e., at Cape Comorin.

The Western Coastal Plains:

They consist of three sections, The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan Coast (Mumbai-Goa), the central stretch is called the Kanara Coast, while the southern stretch is called the Malabar Coast. The Malabar Coast is known for the lagoons or backwaters called kayals, such as the Ashtamudi and Vembanad lakes.

Eastern Coastal Plains:

The coastal areas along the Bay of Bengal are broad and more level.

The area is rocky, except for the delta region and is highly dissected by small but fast flowing rivers. Several depositional features such as spits, lagoons and offshore bars are found along the coast.

• The prominent deltas are those of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.
• These deltas are not suitable for harbours as their mouths are full of silt. There are several lakes on the East Coast.
• These include the Chilka lake in Odisha, and Kolleru and Pulicat in Andhra Pradesh.
• From the mouth of the Ganga to Nellore, the plains are called Northern Circars. These plains lie between the Mahanadi and the Krishna rivers.
• The southern part of the Eastern Coastal Plains from Nellore to Kanyakumari are called Coromandel Coast in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

Difference Between Westren Coastal Plains and Eastren Coastal Plains:

Significance of the Coastal Plains

They are the sources of precious minerals.

• Gujarat is famous for producing salt.
• The sands of Kerala coast have a large quantity of Monazite which is used for nuclear power.
• The sedimentary rocks of these plains are said to contain large deposits of mineral oil.
• The ports along the coasts account for 98 per cent of the international trade.
• Fisheries are set up in these areas

Islands

Besides the mainland, India has two groups of islands, i.e., the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.

• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of more than 300 islands out of which 265 are uninhabited.
• The two groups of islands are separated by the Ten degree channel. This channel is named after 10°N latitude which passes over it.
• The Andaman Islands lie in the Bay of Bengal 1,255 km from Kolkata and 1,190 km from Chennai.
• Five large islands grouped together are called the Great Andamans and to the south is the island of Little Andaman.
• The Nicobar Islands are situated to the south of the Andamans, 121 km from Little Andaman. There are 19 islands, 7 uninhabited, with a total area of 1,841 sq km.
• The islands are usually divided into three sub-groups: southern, central and northern. The chief islands are Great Nicobar and Car Nicobar. These islands are of volcanic origin. The only active volcano of India is found on the Barren Island.
• Lakshadweep consists of a group of 36 islands, of which only 11 are inhabited and located about 280 to 480 kms off Kerala coast.
• It was constituted as a Union Territory in 1956 as the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands, and renamed in November 1973 as Lakshadweep. The northern portion is called the Amindivis.
• The remaining islands are called the Laccadives (including Minicoy Islands).