Indian Desert, Coastal regions, Indian Islands

India Physiography – Indian Desert, Coastal regions, Indian Islands

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India Physiography – Indian Desert, Coastal regions, Indian Islands

Physiography of India

India can be divided into following physical divisions viz.

  • The Northern Mountains
  • The North Indian Plain
  • The Peninsular Plateau
  • Great Indian Desert
  • The coastal Regions
  • Islands

The Great Indian Desert

  • Extends from the western margins of the Aravali Hills
  • Luni is the only prominent river

Physiography of India


The Coastal regions

  • Excluding the islands, the mainland of India has 6,100 kms length of coastline
  • Extends from Kutch in Gujarat in the west to the Gangetic delta in the east
  • The coast of India is divided into western coast and eastern coastal plains.
  • The coastal regions of India are known for agriculture, trade, industrial centres, tourist centres, fishing and salt making
  • They also provide important hinterlands for the ports

Coastal plains of India


Western Coastal Plains

  • Lies between Western Ghats & Arabian sea from Gujrat in north to Kanyakumari in south
  • Narrower & wetter than Eastern plains
  • Divided into Malabar coast, Kannada Coast, Konkan coast, Kanyakumari Coast, Kachchh and Kathiawad peninsulas
  • Kathiawar Coast [arr] Kutch to Daman (Tapti, Narmada, Sabarmati & Mahi River deposit huge load of sediments in the Gulf of Cambay & form estuaries)
  • Konkan Coast [arr] Between Daman & Goa
  • Kannada Coast [arr] Goa to Cannanore
  • Kanyakumari Coast [arr] Cannanore to Cape Camorin
  • Malabar Coast [arr] Kannada + Kanyakumari Coast 
  • Important Ports [arr] Mumbai, Marmagoa, Cochin, Mangalore, Nhava-Sheva and Kandla
  • Marked with Lagoons [arr] Ashtamudi & Vembanad called Kayals [arr] Kerala

Eastern Coastal Plains

  • Lies between Eastern Ghats & Bay of Bengal from Gangetic delta in north to Kanyakumari in south.
  • Known as Land of Deltas viz. of Mahanadi, Krishna, Kaveri & Godavari
  • Broader but drier than Western plains
  • Consists of following sub coasts
  • Utkal coast [arr] Deltaic plains of Ganga to Mahanadi delta (Famous Chilka lake is located in this plain)
  • Andhra Coast [arr]  Utkal plains to Pulicat lake (Contains deltas of Godavari & Krishna Rivers, & famous Kolleru lake)
  • Northern Circars [arr] Utkal Coast + Andhra Coast (Between Mahanadi & Krishna)
  • Coromandal Coast [arr] Between Krishna & Kanyakumari (Consist of Kaveri Delta)
  • Freshwater Kolleru Lake [arr] Between Godavari & Krishna
  • Marked with Famous Lagoons [arr] Chilka lake (Orissa) & Pulicat (Tamilnadu)
  • Chilka Lake is the largest salt water lake in India
  • It lies in the state of Odisha, to the south of the Mahanadi Delta

Indian Islands

  • Total 247 islands in India [arr] 204 islands in Bay of Bengal and 43 in the Arabian Sea
  • Few coral islands in the Gulf of Mannar also
  • Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Bay of Bengal consist of hard volcanic rocks
  • The middle Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the largest islands of India
  • Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea are formed by corals
  • The southern – most point of India is in Nicobar Island, known as Indira Point
  • Formerly Indira point was called Pigmalion Point, it is submerged now, after 2004 Tsunami

Indian Islands

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Lakshadweep Islands

  • Volcanic islands representing submarine volcanism
  • Represent the surfaces of submerged folds viz. extension of Himalaya, precisely Arakan yoma fold mountains of Myanmar
  • Formed of Granite rocks & have high hills &l peaks for ex. Saddle peak
  • Equatorial climate with tropical rain-forests
  • a union of coral islands, entirely different from A & N islands
  • comprises of large number of dead corals, fringing, barrier and atoll coral reefs
  • Have calcium rich soils filled with organic limestone
  • Have scattered vegetation of palm species

Prominent Indian Islands

A & N Islands Continuation of Arakan Yoma mountain range of Myanmar
Nicobar Just 147 km from Sumatra island (Indonesia)
Saddle Peak Highest Peak of Andaman
Pamban Island Between India & Srilanka
Salasette Group of 7 islands, known as Mumbai today
Diu Fishing Island
New Moore Island Disputed site b/w India & Bangladesh
Wheeler Island Missile launching island in BOB [arr] Near Odisha coast
Sriharikota Split Island [arr] Rocket launching site in BOB in Andhra Pradesh
Wellington Naval Station [arr] Kerala

Significance of Indian Ocean for India 

  • Strategic significance [arr] India overlooks some of the most important sea lanes viz. Suez Canal, Malacca Strait
  • Economic significance [arr] Long coastline, 2.02 million sq km EEZ (Exclusive economic zone)
  • Tourism Significance [arr] Marine biodiversity and rich ecosystem with coral reefs, mangroves
  • Large Fishing potential, Wave energy & Tidal energy potential, Zone of Hydrocarbons
  • Generation of south west Monsoon
4 comments
      1. chilka is the largest brackish(partially saline) water lake,while sambar of rajasthan is the largest inland salt water lake.

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