India - Location, Relief and Drainage
10th Social Science | Geography: Chapter 1
VI. Answer in a paragraph
1. Explain the divisions of Northern Mountains and its importance to India.
The northern mountain is grouped into three divisions.
- The Trans-Himalayas
- The Himalayas
- Eastern or Purvanchal hills
The Trans Himalayas:
- This is also known as Western Himalayas.
- As its areal extend is more in Tibet it is also known as Tibetean Himalayas.
- This region contains marine sediments together with Tertiary granite.
- Zaskar, Ladakh, Kailash and Karakoram are important ranges.
The Himalayas:
Greater Himalayas (Himadri):
- This is the northern most range of Himalayas.
- Peaks like Everest and Kanchenjunga are located here.
- It is permanently covered with snow.
Lesser Himalayas (Himachal):
- It is the middle range of the Himalayas.
- The major rocks of this range are slate, lime stone and quartzite.
- Shimla, Mussourie, Nainital, Almora, Ranikhet and Darjeeling are important hill stations.
Outer Himalayas (The Siwaliks):
- It is partly made of debris brought by the Himalayan rivers.
- The longitudinal valleys found between Siwaliks and the lesser Himalayas are called Duns and Duars.
- These are best suited for human settlements.
Purvanchal Hills:
- These are the eastern off-shoot of Himalayas.
- It is extended in the north eastern states of India.
- A number of hills are found here. All these hills are collectively known as Purvanchal hills.
Importance of Himalayas:
- Himalayas blocks southwest monsoon winds and causes heavy rainfall to north India.
- It forms a natural barrier to the sub-continent.
- It is the source of many perennial rivers like Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra etc.
- The Northern mountains are described as the paradise of tourists due to its natural beauty.
- Many hill stations and pilgrim centres like Amarnath, Kedarnath, Badrinath and Vaishnavidevi temples are situated here.
- It provides raw material for many forest based industries.
- It prevents the cold winds blowing from the central Asia and protects India from severe cold.
- Himalayas are renowned for the rich bio-diversity.
2. Give an account on the major peninsular rivers of India.
- The rivers of south India are called the Peninsular rivers.
- These rivers are non-perennial in nature.
- Based on the direction of the flow, these rivers are divided into the west following rivers and the east flowing rivers.
East flowing rivers:
Mahanadi:
- The river Mahanadi originates near Sihawa in Raipur district of Chattisgarh and flows through Odisha.
- It has many tributaries and distributaries.
- All these distributaries form the delta of Mahanadi which is one of the largest deltas in India.
- The Mahanadi empties its water in the Bay of Bengal.
Godavari:
- Godavari is the longest of the Peninsular rivers.
- It is also called Vridha Ganga.
- It originates in Nasik district of Maharashtra and flows through Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Krishna:
- It originates from a spring at a place called Mahabaleshwar in the Western Ghats
- It is the second largest peninsular river.
- Bhima and Thungabhadra are its major tributaries.
- It flows through Andhra Pradesh and joins the Bay of Bengal.
Kaveri:
- It originates in Talaikaveri, Kudagu hills of Karnataka.
- It is called Dhakshin Ganga or Ganga of the South.
- Bhavani, Noyyal and Amaravathi are main tributaries.
- Hogenakkal falls is on this river.
- It breaks into Coleroon and Kaveri and empties into the Bay of Bengal near Poompuhar.
West flowing rivers:
Narmada:
- It originates in Amarkantak plateau in Madhya Pradesh.
- It is the longest among the west flowing Peninsular rivers.
- It drains into the Arabian sea through the Gulf of Cambay.
Tapti:
- It originates near Multai in Madhya Pradesh.
- It is also one of the major rivers of Peninsular India.
- It drains into the Arabian sea through the Gulf of Cambay.
3. Give a detailed account on the basin of the Ganga.
- River Ganga originates from Gangotri glacier in Uttar Khasi district of Uttarkhand state.
- The length of this river is about 2525km.
- Gomti, Gandak, Kosi, Ghaghra, Son and Sambal are its tributaries.
- River Ganga is known as River Padma in Bangladesh.
- Ganga and Brahmaputra together create the world's largest delta known as Sundarbans in Bangladesh before joining the Bay of Bengal.
- The Ganga river system is the largest drainage system in India.
- The Ganga plain is the most densely populated place in India.
- Many towns are developed on the banks of this river.
- Ganga plain is the largest plain in India.