Ncert solution of physical features of India, Geography-IX

Physical features of India Geography Class- IX Chapter-2 NCERT   Textbook solution Question 1 -  Choose the right answer from the four alter...

Physical features of India

Geography Class- IX

Chapter-2

NCERT   Textbook solution

Question 1 - Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:

(i) A landmass bounded by sea on three sides is referred to as
(a) Coast
(b) Island
(c) Peninsula
(d) None of the above.
Ans: (c) Peninsula

(ii) Mountain ranges in the eastern part of India forming its boundaries with Myanmar are collectively called:
(a) Himachal
(b) Uttaranchal
(c) Purvanchal
(d) None of the above
Ans: (c) Purvanchal

(iii) The western coastal strip south of Goa is
referred to as
(a) Coromandel
(b) Konkan
(c) Kannad
(d) Northern Circar
Ans: (c) Kannad

(iv) The highest peak in the Eastern Ghats is
(a) Anai Mudi
(b) Kanchenjunga (c) Mahendragiri
(d) Khasi
Ans: (c) Mahendragiri

Question 2. Answer the following questions briefly:

(i) What are tectonic plates?

Ans: Large fragments of the Earth's crust and upper mantle separated due to the convectional currents are called tectonic plates.

(ii) which continents of today were parts of the Gondwana land?
Ans: South America, South Africa, part of Asia (India, Arabia, Malaya), Australia and Antarctica continents were parts of the Gondwana land.

(iii) What is bhabar?
Ans: The Bhabar is that narrow belt of the plain which is covered with pebbles and lies along the foothills of the Shiwaliks from the Indus to the Tista.

(iv) Name the three major divisions of the
Himalayas from north to south.

Ans: The Great or the Inner Himalayas or the Himadri, the Middle Himalayas or the Himachal, and the Outer Himalayas or the Shiwalik.

(v) which plateau lies between the Aravali and
the Vindhyan ranges?

Ans: The Malwa plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhya Ranges.

(vi) Name the island group of India having
coral origin.

Ans: Lakshadweep Islands is the island group of India having coral origin.

Question 3. Distinguish between

(i) Converging and Diverging Tectonic Plates. 

Ans: Converging Tectonic Plates
(i) When tectonic plates move towards each other, they are called converging plates. 
(ii) They collide or crumble or one of them slides under the other while moving towards each other.
(iii) Converging plates cause folds.

         Diverging Tectonic Plates

(i) When tectonic plates move away from each other, they are called diverging plates.
(ii) They do not collide or crumble while moving away from each other.
(iii) Diverging plates cause fractures in the crust.

(ii) Bhangar and Khadar 

Ans: Bhangar soil is older alluvial soil. Large parts of the Northern Indian Plains are formed of the bhangar soil. The soil presents a terrace like feature.

Khadar soil is new and younger deposits of the alluvium soil on the flood plains. This soil is renewed every year and thus is comparatively more fertile than the bhangar soil.

(iii) Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats 

Ans: The Western Ghats

(i) The Western Ghats lie on the western margin of the Deccan Plateau.

(ii) The Western Ghats are higher in elevation. Their average elevation is from 900 to 1600 meters.

(iii) They have continuous chain of mountains and can be crossed through passes only.

(iv) No major river has cut across them.

     

        The Eastern Ghats

(i) The Eastern Ghats lie on the eastern margin of the Deccan Plateau.

(ii) The Eastern Ghats are lower in elevation. Their average elevation is 600 meters.

(iii) The mountain chains are not continuous and are denuded by the rivers which flow into Bay of Bengal.

(iv) They have been cut across by major rivers like Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and Kaveri.

Question 4. Describe how the Himalayas were formed.

Answer:

According to the Theory of Plate Tectonics, the Earth's crust was initially a single, giant super continent called Pangea. Gradually, Pangea began to split into a number of pieces due to convectional currents and formed Angaraland and Gondwanaland. Angaraland is the Eurasian land mass and Gondwanaland included India, Australia, S. Africa and S. America as one single land mass. The Indo Australian plate separated from the Gondwana land due to convectional currents and drifted towards north. Due to this collision, the sedimentary rocks which were accumulated in the geosyncline known as the Tethys were folded to form the mountain system of western Asia and Himalaya.

Question 5. Which are the major physiographic divisions of India? Contrast the relief of the Himalayan region with that of the Peninsular Plateau.

Answer:

The major physiographic divisions of India are:

(i) The Himalayan Mountains

(ii) The Northern Plains

(iii) The Peninsular Plateau

(iv) The Indian Desert

(v) The Coastal Plains

(vi) The Islands

The Himalayan Region

(i) Young fold mountains made from the uplift of the strata formed by the sedimentary rocks.

(ii) Consists of the loftiest mountains and deep valleys.

(iii)Composed of sedimentary rocks.

(iv) It is the origin of perennial rivers.

(v) From the point of view of geology, this region forms an unstable zone. 

The Peninsular Plateau

(i) Ancient landmass created after splitting of Gondwanaland.

(ii) Consists of broad and shallow valleys, and rounded hills. 

(iii) Composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks.

(iv) It has rainfed, seasonal rivers.

(v) This region forms a stable zone

Question 6. Give an account of the Northern Plains of India.

Answer:

The northern plain has been formed by the interplay of the three major river systems, namely the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries. This plain is formed of alluvial soil which is suitable for agriculture. It spreads over an area of 7 lakh sq. km. The plain is a densely populated physiographic division. The Northern Plain is broadly divided into three sections, Punjab Plains, Ganga Plains and Brahpmputra plains. According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains can be divided into four regions. Bhabar, a narrow belt of pebbles which lie at the foot of Shivaliks. Terai, lie next to Bhabar which a wet and marshy area with wildlife and forests. Bhangar is made up of older alluvium plain which rises above the level of the flood plains. Khadar is a younger alluvium of the flood plains.

Question 7. Write short notes on the following.

(i) The Indian Desert

Ans: The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes called "barchans. This region receives very low rainfall below 150 num per year (15 cm). It has arid climate with low vegetation cover. Streams appear during the rainy season. Soon after, they disappear into the sand as they do not have enough water to reach the sea. Luni is the only large river in this region.

(ii) The Central Highlands

Ans: The Central Highlands are the part of the peninsular plateau lying to the north of the Narmada River covering a major area of the Malwa plateau. The Vindhyan range is bounded i by the Central Highlands on the south and the Aravali range on the northwest. The flow of the rivers draining this region, namely the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa and Ken is from southwest to northeast, thus indicating the slope. The Central Highlands are narrower in the east and wider in the west. The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as the Bundelichand' and 'Baghelkhand. The Chotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension, drained by the Damodar River.

(iii) The Island groups of India

Ans: India consists of 2 main island groups, namely Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar island. The Lakshadweep consists of many small islands located opposite the Kerala coast in the Arabian Sea. The islands of this group are formed of coral deposits called atolls in Malayalam which refer to their ring or 'horse-shoe' shape. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, on the other hand, are larger in size. They are more in number and more widely scattered. There are about 200 islands in the Andaman group and 19 islands in the Nicobar group.

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