geography of india

The geography of India is very varied, and includes snow-clad mountains, arid deserts, plateaus and coastal plains.

Geographical regions

There are five main geographical regions in India:

Himalaya

The Himalaya mountains lie in the north of the country. They range from the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east, passing through Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Sikkim. In the east, the states of Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram have hilly terrotory from the same tectonic processes that created the Himalaya mountains. The climate in this region ranges from temperate to alpine.

Indo-Gangetic plains

The Indo-Gangetic plains are large flood plains of the Indus and the Ganges-Brahmaputra river systems. They run parallel to the Himalaya mountains, to their west and south, from Jammu and Kashmir in the west to Assam in the east, passing through Punjab, Haryana, eastern Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. This is the most heavily populated region of the country. This region usually has hot summers and cool winters.

Thar desert

The Thar desert is situated in Rajasthan. This region is arid.

Deccan plateau

The Deccan plateau is a large triangular plateau that occupies most of peninsular India. The plateau slopes gently from west to east. It gives rise to several peninsular rivers such as the Godavari, the Krishna, the Cauvery and the Narmada. This region is mostly semi-arid due to not receiving the full impact of the monsoons. It has hot summers and mild winters.

Coastal plains

The region between the Deccan plateau and the sea is occupied by a very flat coastal plain. This plain is narrower in the west than in the east. Especially on the east coast, the plains are extensively used for agriculture, especially rice cultivation. Many large river deltas aid in this activity, with good alluvial soil. The coastal plains are hot and humid throughout the year, with the western plains getting four months of rainfall from the monsoons.

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m

Natural resources

coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone,thorium (world's largest along Kerala shore) arable land Land use:
arable land: 56%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 16% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: 480,000 km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards

droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common; earthquakes

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources

Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes