ICSE Geography: INDIA GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES Class 8

 INDIA GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES

 A. Fill in the blanks.

1. There are Eight union territories in India.
2. The Tropic of Cancer divides India into two halves.
3. The Himalayas literally means abode of snow.
4. The Lakshadweep Islands have been formed by the growth of corals.

  B. Identify who I am

1. A river that divides the Peninsular Plateau of India into the Malwa and the Deccan plateau : Narmada.
2. A vast sandy low-lying plain in north-west Rajasthan : The Thar Desert.
3. Barren Island is the only volcanically active island of India.
4. The longest river of south India : Godavari.
   

 

 C. Distinguish between each of the following pairs

Q1.  The Eastern and the Western Ghats

Western Ghats (Sahyadri) : Western Edge of the Deccan Plateau

1. It is extend from the mouth of river Tapi (Gujarat) to Kanniyakumari (Tamil Nadu).
2. The average height is 1,200m but in some parts it rises to 2,440 m.
3. The Anamudi peak in Kerala, at a height of 2695 m, is the highest peak in the Western Ghats.
   
4. They are continuous and regular, and can be crossed only through Passes or Gaps.
   
5. They are the source of rivers that flow across the Deccan trap.
6. They are steep and rugged mountains, and rise abruptly from the arrow Western Coastal Plains.
7. It is lie close to the Arabian Sea.

Eastern Ghats : Eastern Edge of the Deccan Plateau

1. They extend from the Mahanadi Valley (Odisha) up to the Nilgiri Hills (Tamil Nadu).
   
2. The average height is 450 m, rarely exceeding 1,200 m, and it is lower in elevation to western ghat.
   
3. Jhindhagada Peak (Andhra Pradesh) is the highest peak (1690 m) of Eastern Ghat. Formely it was Mahendragiri (1501 m) located in Odisha.
   
4. They are not continuous. Many rivers flow through them like the Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and kaveri etc.
   
5. They have gentle slopes that rise from the Eastern Coastal Plains.
6. They lie at some distance from the Bay of Bengal.

 Three triangle to remember, the Peninsular plateau, the Malwa plateau and Deccan plateau. 

#1 - Peninsular Plateau

#2 - The Malwa Plateau

 #3 - The Deccan Plateau

Q2. The Eastern and the Western Coastal Plains

Western Coastal Plains :

1. It is stretch from Run of Kachchh in the north to Kanniya-kumari in the south.
2. It is lie between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
3. They are narrower than the Eastern Coastal Plains.
4. They do not have deltas, only estuaries and lagoons.
5. They have different names in different parts—they are known as the Konkan Coast in Maharashtra, The Kanara Coast in Karnataka and the Malabar Coast The Kerala.
6. It is lie in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa. Karnataka, and Kerala.
7. Their important ports are Kandla, Mumbai, Marmagao, Mangalore, and Kochi.

Eastern Coastal Plains :

1. It is stretch from the mouth of the river Ganga in the north to Kanniyakumari in the south.
2. It is lie between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal.
3. They are wider than the Western Coastal Plains.
4. They are composed of the deltas of all the major rivers of the Deccan.
5. They have different names in different parts—they are known as the Northern Circars in the region north of the river Godavari and the Coromandel Coast in the region south of the river Godavari.
6. It is lie in the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
7. Their important ports are Vishakhapatnam, Paradwip, Chennai, and Tuticorin.

Q3. The Himalayan and peninsular rivers

The Himalayan Rivers :

1. They are also called as North Indian Rivers.
2. The three important rivers are the Ganga, the Indus and the Brahmaputra.
3. They are longer and slow moving.
4. They are snow fed and hence perennial.
5. These rivers are navigable.
6. These rivers are more suitable for irrigation.

The Peninsular Rivers :

1. They are also called as South Indian Rivers.
2. The six important rivers are the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Kaveri, the Narmada and the Tapi.
3. They are shorter and fast flowing.
4. They are rain-fed and not always perennial.
5. These rivers are not navigable.
6. These rivers are less suitable for irrigation.
7.  

 Q4. The east and the west-flowing rivers of south India.

The east-flowing rivers of South India :

1. The main rivers are Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.
2. These rivers drain into the Bay of Bengal.
3. These rivers make deltas at their mouth.
4. These rivers have large- amount of water.
5. These rivers originate from the western Ghats and flow eastwards.

The West-flowing rivers of South India :

1. The main rivers are Narmada and Tapi.
2. These rivers drain in the Arabian Sea.
3. These rivers do not make deltas.
4. These rivers have less amount of water.
5. These rivers originate in Central India and flow westwards. 

 

D. Answer the following questions in brief 

Q1. Do you think it is right to use the term ‘subcontinent’ for India and its neighbouring countries ? 

Yes, it is right to use the term ‘subcontinent’ for India and its neighbouring countries because although they are a part of Asia (largest continent in the world), they have developed their own distinct geographical, political, and cultural identity. This is due to the presence of  the Himalayas which serves as the protective natural barrier and isolates these countries (India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives) from the rest of Asia. 

Trick to remember neighboring names 

 Q2. How many states and union territories does India have ? as on 2023

India has 28 states and 8 union territories(UTs), with a total of 36 entities.

The Indian States and their Capitals: 28
State Name	Capital
Andhra Pradesh	Amaravati
Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar
Assam	Dispur
Bihar	Patna
Chhattisgarh	Raipur
Goa	Panaji
Gujarat	Gandhinagar
Haryana	Chandigarh
Himachal Pradesh	Shimla
Jharkhand	Ranchi
Karnataka	Bengaluru
Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram
Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal
Maharashtra	Mumbai
Manipur	Imphal
Meghalaya	Shillong
Mizoram	Aizawl
Nagaland	Kohima
Odisha	Bhubaneswar
Punjab	Chandigarh
Rajasthan	Jaipur
Sikkim	Gangtok
Tamil Nadu	Chennai
Telangana	Hyderabad
Tripura	Agartala
Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow
Uttarakhand	Dehradun (Winter) Gairsain (Summer)
West Bengal	Kolkata

The Indian Union Territories and their capitals: 8

Union Territories Name	Capital
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Port Blair
Chandigarh	Chandigarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu	Daman
Delhi	New Delhi
Jammu and Kashmir	Srinagar (Summer)         Jammu (Winter)
Lakshadweep	Kavaratti
Puducherry	Pondicherry
Ladakh	Leh

 

Q3. What do you know about the Purvanchal ranges ? 

The hills of the north-east India are collectively called the Purvanchal ranges. They lie along the eastern borders of India and separates India from Myanmar.

Their average elevation is less than 3,000 m. They consist of several hill ranges such as Patkai Bum, Naga, Mizo, Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills. 

 

 Q4. Name the three divisions of the Great Northern Plains and the rivers responsible for their formation. 

The three divisions of the Great Northern Plains are : 

1. The Ganga Plains in the centre : They are formed by the alluvial deposits of the northern mountains (Himalayas) and Peninsular plateau rivers collectively merging into the Ganga river.

(1) The Ganga river and its tributaries coming from northern mountains (Himalayas) such as Yamuna, Kosi, Ramganga, Ghaghara, Gandak and Tista.  

(2) The tributaries of the Ganga rivers coming from the Southern peninsular plateau  Son, Damodar, Sind, Betwa, Chambal.

#River draining from the northern mountains (Himalayas). 

                               "Yamuna  Ka  Rajasthani   Ghaghra   Ganda  Tha"

                          Yamuna   -   Kosi  -   Ramganga  -   Ghaghra  -  Gandhak   -   Tista

#River draining from the Southern peninsular plateau.

                                          "Son, Delhi Se Bengaluru Chalo"

                        Son   -   Damodar   -  Sind   -   Betwa   -  Chambal 

2. The Punjab Plains in the West : They are formed by the alluvial deposits of the tributaries of the rivers Indus —  Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum. It is in Punjab and Haryana. 

                                                                J- B R I C S

                            Jhelum   -   Beas  - Raavi  -  Indus   -   Chenab   - Sutluj

 

3. The Brahmaputra Valley in the East: It is formed by the Brahmaputra River. It lies in Assam. Dibhang, Lohit, Manas, Subhansiri are the major tributaries.

 

Extra Notes: (Updated)

India at a glance:

Name	The Republic of India
Capital	New Delhi
Continent	Asia
Longitudinal	68°7′E to 97°25′E.
Latitudinal	37°6′N to 8°4′N
Extent	The North-South extent is 3214 km and the East-West extent is 2933 km.
Indian States	28
Union Territories	8
	China
	Nepal
	Bangladesh
Neighbour	Sri Lanka
countries	Pakistan
	Myanmar
	Bhutan
	Afghanistan
	Maldives
Official Languages	Hindi and English
Currency	Indian Rupee
Population	1,210,854,977 (1.21 billion)
Population Density	382 persons per sq.km.
Area	3.287 million km²
Total Coast Line of India	7,517 Km
Land Frontier	15,200 Km
Stretch	2933 Km East to West
	3214 Km North to South
	Ganges
	Brahmaputra
	Indus
	Godavari
	Mahanadi
Important	Krishna
Rivers	Kaveri
	Luni
	Narmada
	Yamuna
	Sutlej
	Jhelum
	Himalayan Ranges
	Western Ghats
Important	Eastern Ghats
Mountains	Karakoram Ranges
	Aravalli Hills
	Satpura Ranges
Highest point	Kanchenjunga (8586m), Sikkim
	Bay of Bengal
Seas and Ocean	Arabia Sea
	Indian Ocean
	Kharif
Major agricultural climates	Rabi
	Zaid

 

Climate of India: 

Sources:

 1. Class 8 NCERT Text Books

2. https://www.saranextgen.com/freematerialpdf/pdfviewver/585/View/1332/ 

3. https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/know-basic-information-about-india/