Physical Features of India Test - 7

The western coast, sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, is a narrow plain. It consists of three sections. The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan (Mumbai – Goa), the central stretch is called the Kannad Plain, while the southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar coast.

Western coast consists of three sections. The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan (Mumbai – Goa), the central stretch is called the Kannad Plain, while the southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar coast.

The Western Ghats, also known as Sahyadri, are a mountain range that covers an area of 140,000 square kilometres in a stretch of 1,600 kilometres parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The Eastern Coastal Plains is a wide stretch of landmass of India, lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. It is wider and levelled than the Western Coastal Plains and stretches from Tamil Nadu in the south to West Bengal in the north through Andhra Pradesh and Odisha

The Chilika Lake is the largest saltwater lake in India. It lies in the state of Odisha, to the south of the Mahanadi delta. Lake Chilika is an important feature along the eastern coast.

 The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes. This region receives very low rainfall below 150 mm per year.

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.

 Barchans (crescent-shaped dunes) cover larger areas of desert but longitudinal dunes become more prominent near the Indo-Pakistan boundary.

 The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is 496 miles long and 248 miles wide, and is divided into the regions of Hills, Plains and Sand Covered Thar. It lies mostly in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes. This region receives very low rainfall below 150 mm per year