Physical Features

The mainland comprises four regions, namely, Himalayas, - the great mountain range; Indo-Gangetic plains, lying between the Ganga and the Indus rivers; Thar, - the desert region; and the southern Deccan peninsula. The Himalayas comprise three almost parallel ranges interspersed with large plateaus and valleys, some of which, like the Kashmir and Kullu valleys, are fertile, extensive and of great scenic beauty. Some of the highest peaks in the world are found in these ranges. The mountain wall extends over a distance of about 2,400 km with a varying depth of 240 to 320 km. In the east, between India and Myanmar and India and Bangladesh, hill ranges are much lower. Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and Naga Hills, running almost east to west, join the chain to Mizo and Rakhine Hills running north to south.
The plains of the Ganga and the Indus, about 2,400 km long and 240 to 320 km broad, are formed by basins of three distinct river systems-the Indus (or Sindhu), Ganga and Brahmaputra. They are one of the world's greatest stretches of flat alluvium and also one of the most densely populated areas on earth. Between the Yamuna at Delhi and the Bay of Bengal, nearly 1,600 km away, there is a drop of only 200 metres in elevation.
The desert region can be divided into two parts-the 'great desert' and the 'little desert. The 'great desert' extends from the edge of the Rann of Kutch beyond the Luni river northward. The whole of the Rajasthan-Sindh frontier runs through this. The 'little desert extends from Luni between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur up to the northwest. Between the great and the little deserts lies a barren zone, consisting of rocky land, cut up by limestone ridges.
The Peninsular Plateau is marked off from the plains of the Ganga and the Indus by a mass of mountains and hill ranges varying from 460 to 1,220 metres in height. Prominent among these are the Aravali, Vindhya, Satpura, Maikala and Ajanta. The Peninsula is flanked on the one side by the Eastern Ghats where average elevation is about 610 metres and on the other by the Western Ghats where it is generally from 915 to 1,220 metres, rising in places to over 2,440 metres. Between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea lies a narrow coastal strip, while between Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, there is a broader coastal area. The southern point of the plateau is formed by the Nilgiri Hills where the Eastern and the Western Ghats meet. The Cardamom Hills lying beyond may be regarded as a continuation of the Western Ghats.

Source: Bharat 2026 - A Reference Annual