Physical Geography of India

What the official syllabus says

General Studies-III (Main Examination, Paper VI), (C) Geography:

• Physical Features and Resources: India and Gujarat: Major landforms, climate, soil, rivers, vegetation, etc.

This page takes the India part of the line. Gujarat's landforms, climate, soils, rivers and vegetation are on Gujarat: Physical Features and Resources.

Topics in detail

Location and structure

• Location, extent and neighbours; the Tropic of Cancer; Indian Standard Time
• Geological history: the Peninsular block (Gondwana), the Himalaya (young fold mountains), the Indo-Gangetic plains (alluvium)
• Major rock systems: Archaean, Dharwar, Cuddapah, Vindhyan, Gondwana, Deccan Traps, Tertiary

Major landforms (physiographic divisions)

• The Himalaya: Trans-Himalaya, Greater, Lesser and Shiwalik ranges; regional divisions; passes
• The Northern Plains: Bhabar, Terai, Bhangar, Khadar; Punjab, Ganga and Brahmaputra plains
• The Peninsular Plateau: Central Highlands (Aravalli, Malwa, Bundelkhand, Vindhya), Deccan Plateau, Chota Nagpur; Western and Eastern Ghats; Satpura range
• The Indian Desert (Thar)
• Coastal plains: Gujarat coast, Konkan, Malabar, Coromandel and Northern Circars; deltas
• Islands: Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep

Climate

• Factors: latitude, the Himalaya, distance from the sea, relief, jet streams
• The monsoon: theories, onset, break and withdrawal; the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone; El Nino, La Nina and the Indian Ocean Dipole
• Seasons: cold weather, hot weather, south-west monsoon, retreating monsoon
• Distribution of rainfall and temperature; variability and droughts
• Climatic regions (Koppen's classification for India)
• Western disturbances, tropical cyclones, loo, cold waves

Soils

• Soil formation and profile
• ICAR classification: alluvial, black (regur), red and yellow, laterite, arid, saline and alkaline, peaty, forest and mountain soils
• Distribution and the crops each soil suits
• Soil erosion, degradation, salinity and waterlogging; soil conservation; Soil Health Card scheme

Rivers and drainage

• Himalayan rivers: Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems; antecedent drainage
• Peninsular rivers: east-flowing (Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri) and west-flowing (Narmada and Tapi through rift valleys, Mahi, Sabarmati)
• Drainage patterns: dendritic, radial, trellis, rectangular
• Lakes and wetlands; river linking proposals; inter-State river water disputes (including the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal)

Coasts and seas

• The Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean; the Exclusive Economic Zone
• Features of the western and eastern coasts: estuaries versus deltas, lagoons (Chilika, Pulicat), backwaters
• Gulfs of Kachchh, Khambhat and Mannar
• Coastal erosion, sea-level rise and coastal protection

Natural vegetation

• Forest types: tropical evergreen, tropical deciduous (moist and dry), thorn forests, montane forests, mangroves
• Grasslands and their neglect
• Distribution of vegetation in relation to rainfall and relief
• Protected areas, biosphere reserves and their spread

Overlaps

• Prelims General Studies: General Geography and Physical Geography in relation to World, India and Gujarat.