Physical Features of India

The Himalayas are the major mountain division in northern India. For exams remember them as the northern boundary.

The Himalayas lie in the north of India and act as a natural barrier. For exams remember the northern direction.

Northern Plains are formed by alluvial soil deposited by rivers. For exams remember river deposits.

The land between two rivers is called a doab. For exams remember the doabs of Punjab as examples.

The general shape of the Peninsular Plateau is considered triangular. For exams observe the map of southern India.

The Central Highlands lie north of the Narmada. For exams remember the plateau region of central India.

The extensive plateau south of the Narmada River is the Deccan Plateau. It is a major part of India’s Peninsular Plateau and is largely associated with basaltic rocks. The Malwa Plateau is the closest distractor, but it lies north of the Narmada. Exam tip: Remember the Narmada as an important geographical divide between the Malwa Plateau in the north and the Deccan Plateau in the south.

The Vindhya Range is associated with the north of the Narmada valley. For exams remember the Vindhya Narmada Satpura order.

The Satpura Range lies south of the Narmada River in central India. The Narmada flows westward through a rift valley between the Vindhya Range to the north and the Satpura Range to the south. The Tapi flows south of the Satpuras, so it is not the correct answer. Exam tip: Remember the north-to-south order as Vindhya–Narmada–Satpura.

Plateaus are flat lands higher than surrounding areas. For exams remember the definition of plateau.

Black soil mainly occurs on the Deccan Plateau, where it formed from weathering of basaltic lava rocks. It is suitable for cotton cultivation. The Northern Plains mainly have alluvial soil. Exam tip: black soil is also called regur soil.

A large part of the Thar Desert is located in Rajasthan. For exams remember the Great Indian Desert.

The western coastal plains lie between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. For exams remember the narrow coast.

Eastern coastal plains extend along the Bay of Bengal. For exams remember delta forming rivers.

India’s coastal plains lie on two sides of the peninsula. The western coastal plain is a relatively narrow strip between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Its southern section, along the Kerala coast, is known as the Malabar Coast. The eastern coastal plain lies beside the Bay of Bengal and includes different regional sections, so it is not the location meant here.

Option A is correct because Malabar is the southern part of the Western Coastal Plain. A useful memory link is Malabar with Kerala and the Arabian Sea side of the peninsula. The Ganga and Brahmaputra plains are inland river plains, not coastal divisions. Therefore, the physical location of the Malabar Coast directly identifies the Western Coastal Plain as the appropriate larger region.

Konkan Coast is considered the northern part of the western coastal plain. For exams remember the Maharashtra Goa region.

East flowing rivers form deltas on the eastern coast. For exams remember Godavari Krishna and Kaveri.

The Mahanadi rises in Chhattisgarh, flows eastward through Odisha, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It forms the extensive Mahanadi delta near its mouth in Odisha. The Arabian Sea receives mainly west-flowing rivers, so option B is incorrect. Exam tip: major rivers of India’s eastern coast generally drain into the Bay of Bengal.

The Tapi River flows westward into the Arabian Sea. For exams remember Narmada and Tapi together.

Kaveri is an east-flowing peninsular river. It flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and drains into the Bay of Bengal. Narmada and Tapi flow westward into the Arabian Sea, whereas Luni has inland drainage. Exam tip: Most peninsular rivers flow eastward; Narmada and Tapi are important exceptions.