CBSE Class 9 Social Science Physical Features of India Assignment Set A

Summary

Tectonic Plate Theory:- This theory is based on continental drift which explains the formation of various continents over millions of years; as we see them today.

Plate Boundaries:-Convergent Boundary, Divergent Boundary and Transform Boundary

MAJOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS:The landmass of India can be divided into following major physiographic divisions:

a.The Himalayan Mountains
b.The Northern Plains
c.The Peninsular Plateau
d. The Indian Desert
e. The Coastal Plains
f. The Islands

Physical Features of India The Himalayan Mountain. The Himalayas run along the northern border of India. The Himalayas form an arc which is about 2,400 km long.

Himalayan Regions from East to West:

a) Punjab Himalayas:- This part lies between the Indus and Sutlej.
b) Kumaon Himalayas: This part lies between Sutlej and Kali rivers.
c) Nepal Himalayas: This part lies between the Kali and Tista rivers.
d) Assam Himalayas: This part lies between the Tista and Dihang rivers.

The Northern Plain :The northern plain of India is formed by three river systems, viz. the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra; along with their tributaries. This plain is composed of alluvial soil which has been deposited over millions of years. a)Bhabar b) Terai c) Bhangar: d) Khadar: The peninsular plateau is a tableland. It is composed of the oldest rocks because it was formed from the drifted part of the Gondwana land. The Western and the Eastern Ghats:- They make the western and eastern edges of the Deccan Plateau. The average elevation of Western Ghats is 900 – 1600 metres; compared to 600 metres in case of Eastern Ghats. The Eastern Ghats stretch from Mahanadi Valley to the Nilgiris in the south. The Western Ghats cause orographic rains as they face the rain-laden winds from west. The Indian Desert:-The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. This region gets scanty rainfall which is less than 150 mm in a year.

The Coastal It is divided into three sections. The Konkan; which comprises of Mumbai and Goa makes the northern part. The Kannada Plain makes the central pat and the Malabar coast makes the Malabara coast.The western coastal plain is wider and level and it runs along the Bay of Bengal. It is divided into two parts. The northern part is called Northern Circar. The southern part is called the Coromandel Coast. The IslandsThe Lakshadweep Islands and The Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Short Type answers

Question 1: What are tectonic plates?
Answer: The crust of the earth is not in the form of a continuous plate rather in the form of broken pieces. These pieces of the earth's crust are called tectonic plates.

Question 2: Which continents of today were part of the Gondwana land?
Answer: South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia and India were part of the Gondwana land.

Question 3: What is bhabar?
Answer: After descending from the mountains, the rivers deposit pebbles in a narrow belt. The width of this belt is about 8 to 16 km and it lies parallel to the Shiwaliks. This region is known as bhabar. All the streams disappear in this region.

Question 4: Name the three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south.
Answer: Three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south are:
- The Great or Inner Himalaya
- The Lesser Himalaya or Himachal
- The Shiwaliks

Question 5: Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhyan ranges?
Answer: The Malwa plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhyan ranges.

Question 6: Name the island group of India having coral origin.
Answer: Lakshadweep

Question 7: Distinguish between

a. Converging and diverging tectonic plates
Answer: The converging tectonic plates move towards each other, while diverging plates move away from each other.

b. Bhangar and Khadar
Answer: Bhangar is the largest part of the Northern Plains and is formed by the oldest alluvium. On the other hand, Khadar is the younger deposit of alluvium.

c. Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats
Answer:
Western                                            Ghats Eastern Ghats
They lie along the Arabian Sea.          They lie along the Bay of Bengal.
Average height is 900 to 1600 m        Average height is 600 m
They are almost continuous.              They are interspersed by rivers.

Question 8: Describe how the Himalayas were formed.
Answer: The Indian Peninsula drifted towards the north and finally collided with the much larger Eurasian Plate. As a result of this collision, the sedimentary rocks which were
accumulated in the geosynclines (known as Tethys) got folded and formed the mountai systems of the West Asia and Himalaya.

Question 9: Which are the major physiographical divisions of India?
Contrast the relief of the Himalayan region with that of the Northern Plains of India.
Answer: The landmass of India can be divided into following major physiographic divisions:
a. The Himalayan Mountains
b. The Northern Plains
c. The Peninsular Plateau
d. The Indian Desert
e. The Coastal Plains
f. The Islands
The Himalayan region is rugged and shows great variations in terms altitude. The Northern Plains, on the other hand, is more or less level and has least variations in terms of altitude. The Himalayan region is formed by rocks and unconsolidated sediments. The Northern Plains is composed of alluvial deposits.

Question 10: Write short notes on the following:

a. The Indian Desert
Answer: The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills.This region gets scanty rainfall which is less than 150 mm in a year. Hence the climate is arid and vegetation is scanty. Luni is the only large river but some streams appear during rainy season. Crescent-shaped dunes (barchans) abound in this area.

b. The Central Highlands
Answer: The Central Highlands lies to the north of the Narmada river. It covers the major portion of the Malwa plateau. The rivers in this region flow from southwest to northeast; which indicates the slope of this region. It is wider in the west and narrower in the east. Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand mark the eastward extension of this plateau. The plateau further extends eastwards into the Chhotanagpur plateau.

More Question..

1. What are Lithospheric plates? Name the seven major Tectonic plates. 

2. What does the movement of the plates result in?

3. Classify the plate movements into three types and explain each briefly with suitable diagrams. 

4. Explain the formation of the Himalayas and the mountain system of Western Asia.

5. Describe the formation of the Northern plains of India.

6. ‘The land of India displays great physical variation.’ Explain the above statement with examples.

7. Name the major physiographic divisions of India.

8. Explain the Himalayan mountains under the following headings:
i) Extent of the range ii) Shape iii) Length iv) Width v) Altitudinal variations. i) Extent of the range: These mountain ranges run in a west-east direction from the Indus to the Brahmaputra. ii) Shape : form an arc iii) Length: 2,400 Km. iv) Width: Their width varies from 400 Km in Kashmir to 150 Km in Arunachal Pradesh. v) Altitudinal variations: The altitudinal variations are greater in the eastern half than those in the western half.

9. Name the three parallel ranges of the Himalayas.

10. Explain Himadri range under the following headings: 1) Other name : the Great or Inner Himalayas 2) Location : The northern most range 3) Average altitude: an average height of 6,000 metres. 4) Prominent peaks : Mt. Everest Nepal 8848 ,Kanchenjunga India 8598,Makalu Nepal 8481,Dhaulagiri Nepal 8172 5) Folds: asymmetrical in nature. 6) Core of this part: composed of granite.

11. Explain the characteristics of the Himachal under the following headings:
i) Location : lies to the south of the Himadri ii) Other name : Himachal or lesser Himalaya.
iii) Rocks: compressed and altered rocks. iv) Altitude: between 3,700 and 4,500 metres v) Average width: width is of 50 Km. vi) Important ranges : Pir Panjal ,Dhaula Dhar &Mahabharat vii) Famous valleys: the Kashmir ,Kangra &Kullu valley viii) Hill Stations: Mussoori ,Nainital & Ranikhet.

12. Explain the Outer Himalayas under the following: a) Other name b) Location c) Average width iv) Altitude v) Sediments

13. What are Duns? Give examples.

14. Explain the divisions of the Himalayas on the basis of regions from west to east. How have these regions been demarcated?

15. What marks the eastern-most boundary of the Himalayas?

16. What are Purvanchals? Name the hills comprising it.

17. Name the three river systems that have led to the formation of the northern plains.

18. Explain the characteristic features of Northern Plains on the basis of the following:
1) Formation 2) Area covered 3) Extension 4) Width 5) Other characteristic features

19. What are the characteristics of the rivers in its lower course?

20. What do you mean by distributaries?

21. What is Doab?

22. Describe the three sections into which the northern plains have been divided.

23. Explain the divisions of the northern plains according to the variations in the relief features.

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