Indian Physical Geography:-
The country covers an area of about 3.28 million sq. km. The mainland of India extends between 8°4' and 37°6' N latitude and 68°7' and 97°25' E longitude. The Tropic of Cancer 23°30' N divides India into almost two halves. The total length of the coastline is 7,517 kilo meters. The Indian peninsula tapers southwards resulting in the division of the Indian Ocean into two water bodies - the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. In India, there is a great diversity of landforms such as lofty mountains, deep valleys, extensive plains, Plateau and coastal ghats, the desert and a number of islands.
Based on physical features, India physical geography is broadly divided into following parts:-
- The great mountain of North
- Northern Plain
- Peninsular Plateau
- Coastal Plains
- Thar Desert
- Islands
The Great Mountain of North:-
The key mountain of the North is the Himalaya. Spread over 2400KM, it covers Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. The Himalaya comprises of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent. These include Himadri or Inner Himalaya or Greater Himalaya, Himachal or lesser Himalaya and Siwaliks or Outer Himalaya.
These can be further divided into different ranges:
- Pir Panjal Range: This is the largest range of the lower Himalayas and runs from the East-Southeast to west-northwest. The Pir Panjal pass lies to the west of Srinagar and comprises Banihal Pass, Sinthal Pass, Rohtang La, Munawar Pass and Haji Pir Pass.
- Ladakh Range: This range extends from the northern side of Leh to the Tibetan border. It comprises Digar La Pass and Khardung La Pass. Considered a segment of the Karakoram mountain range, the Ladakh range has an extreme climate. Leh, which is the main town of the region, is regarded as a trade centre for fine pashmina wool.
- Zanskar Range: This range starts from south-eastern boundaries of Kashmir and extends to the eastern limit of Baltistan. Singge La Pass, Runrang La Pass, Fotu (Fatu) La Pass, Marbal Pass and Zoji La Pass are some of the passes of this range.
- Dhauladhar Range: This range rises from the plains of India to the north of Mandi and Kangra. Hanuman ji Ka Tiba or the 'White Mountain' is the highest peak.
- East Karakoram Range: This range separates India from Central Asia and is also one of the larger ranges of Asia. It is home to the second highest peak of the world, K2.
- Himadri: It is the Northern most range. The average height of this range is 6000 Metre. The average width of this range is 120 KM. It comprises of most of the highest peaks such as – Mount Everest, Nanga Parbat, Kanchanjunga. Also, Ganga and Yamuna is originated from this range
- Himachal: It lies between the Himadri and Siwalik range. The average height of this range is 4000 Meter. The average width of this range is 60-80 KM. Important ranges in this area – Dhaula Dhar, Pir Panjal, Mahabharata. Famous hill stations such as Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital etc, are located in this range
- Siwaliks: It is the outermost range. The average height of this range is as much as 1000 Metre. The average width of this range is almost 10-50 KM. Valleys which lies between the Himachal and Siwalik are called Duns.
