Physical Features of India

Overview

Physical Features of India is a foundational topic in the Geography section of Social Studies for MP TET Varg-2. Questions frequently test your knowledge of major landforms, river systems, and climatic zones. Understanding India's physiography helps explain settlement patterns, agriculture, and resource distribution—themes that connect to other social studies topics.

India displays remarkable physical diversity across its 32.8 lakh sq km area. The country stretches from the towering Himalayas in the north to the tropical coastline in the south, and from the Thar Desert in the west to the deltaic plains in the east. For the exam, focus on names, locations, heights of peaks, river origins, and climate types. Map-based mental imagery is essential.

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Key Concepts

• **Six Major Physiographic Divisions**: India is divided into the Himalayan Mountains, Northern Plains, Peninsular Plateau, Coastal Plains, Islands, and the Thar Desert.

• **Himalayan Formation**: The Himalayas are young fold mountains formed by the collision of the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate during the Tertiary period (about 50 million years ago).

• **Northern Plains as Alluvial Deposits**: The vast Indo-Gangetic plains are formed by depositional work of three river systems—Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra—making them extremely fertile.