Distinguishing India's Geography: Rivers, Ghats, and Coastal Plains | Class 10 Social Science

Distinguishing India's Geography: Rivers, Ghats, and Coastal Plains | Class 10 Social Science

Chapter: 10th Social Science : Geography : Chapter 1 : India - Location, Relief and Drainage

Distinguish between the following

1. Himalayan rivers and Peninsular rivers.

Comparison table header for Himalayan rivers and Peninsular rivers

Himalayan rivers

  • Originate from the Himalayas.
  • Long and wide
  • Perennial in nature
  • Unsuitable for hydro-power generation
  • Useful for navigation

Peninsular rivers.

  • Originate from Western Ghats.
  • Short and narrow
  • Non-perennial in nature
  • Suitable for hydro-power generation
  • Not useful for navigation.

2. Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats.

Comparison table header for Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats

Western Ghats

  • The Western Ghats form the western edge of the peninsular plateau.
  • The Western Ghats run parallel to the Arabian sea coast.
  • There are three important passes in the Western Ghats
  • The Western Ghats are continuous range of mountains
  • Anaimudi is the highest peak in the Western Ghats.

Eastern Ghats

  • The Eastern Ghats run from southwest to northeast from the eastern edge of Peninsular plateau.
  • The Eastern Ghats run parallel to the Bay of Bengal.
  • There is no pass. These are a series of intersected hills.
  • The Eastern Ghats are not continuous as the Western Ghats.
  • Mahendragiri is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats.

3. Western Coastal Plains and Eastern Coastal Plains.

Comparison table header for Western Coastal Plains and Eastern Coastal Plains

Western Coastal Plains

  • It lies between the Western Ghats and the Arabian sea.
  • It extends from Rann of Kutch in the north to Kanniyakumari in the south
  • It has sandy beaches, coastal sand dunes, lagoons, mudflats and residual hills.
  • The northern part of this coast is known as Konkan coast and the southern part is known as Malabar coast.

Eastern Coastal Plains

  • It lies between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal.
  • It extends from West Bengal in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south
  • It consists of alluvial deposits. The coastal plain has regular shore line with beaches.
  • The northern part of this coast is known as Northern Circars and the southern part is known as Coromandal coast.