NCERT Chapter Summary: Physical Features of India

India is a large landmass formed during different geological periods which has influenced her relief. Besides geological formations, a number of processes, such as weathering, erosion and deposition, have created and modified the relief to its present form.

Earth scientists have attempted to explain the formation of physical features with the help of some theories based on certain evidences.

One such Plausible theory is the ‘Theory of Plate Tectonics’. According to this theory, the crust (upper part) of the earth has been formed out of seven major and some minor plates.

The movement of the plates results in the building up of stresses within the plates and the continental rocks above, leading to folding, faulting and volcanic activity. Broadly, these plate movements are classified into three types.

The physical features of India can be grouped under the following physiographic divisions:

1. The Himalayan Mountains
2. The Northern Plains
3. The Peninsular Plateau
4. The Indian Desert
5. The Coastal Plains
6. The Islands

The Himalayas, geologically young and structurally fold mountains stretch over the northern borders of India. The northern plain has been formed by the interplay of the three major river systems - the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries.

The Peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks. The plateau consists of two broad divisions - the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and the eastern edges of the Deccan Plateau respectively.

The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes.