NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science (Geography) Chapter 2 Physical Features of India

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 9TH

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Class : 9th
Subject : Social-Science-Geography
Chapter : 2
Chapter Name : Physical Features of India

Q1 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

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

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

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

Answer. (i) (c) Peninsula
(ii) (c) Purvachal
(iii) (c) Kannad
(iv) (c) Mahendragiri

Q2 Answer the following questions brie y.
(i) What is the bhabar?
(ii) Name the three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south.
(iii) Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhyan ranges?
(iv) Name the island group of India having coral origin.

Answer. (i) Bhabar is a narrow belt of land about 8 to 16 km wide and covered with pebbles
deposited by the rivers and lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks.
(ii) The 3 major divisions of the Himalayas from North to South are as follows
(a) The Great or Inner Himalayas or the Himadri It is a continuous range consisting of the highest
peaks.
(b) Himachal or Lesser Himalayas The range lying to the South of the Himadri is known as
Himachal or Lesser Himalayas.
(c) Shiwaliks The outermost range of the Himalayas is known as the Shiwaliks. These are the
foothill ranges and represent the southernmost division of the Himalayas.
(iii) Malwa plateau lies between the Aravalli and the Vindhyan ranges.
(iv) Lakshadweep Islands are composed of small coral islands.

Q3 Distinguish between
(i) Bhangar and Khadar
(ii) Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats

Answer. (i) Differences between Bhangar and Khadar

(ii) Difference between the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats.

Q4 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

The Himalayan mountains

The Northern plains

The Peninsular plateau

The Indian desert

The Coastal plains

The islands

Contrast between the Himalayan region and the Peninsular plateau

Q5 Give an account of the Northern Plains of India.

Answer. (a) The Himalayan uplift out of the Tethys sea and subsidence of the Northern ank of the
peninsular plateau resulted in the formation of a large basin. In course of time, this depression
gradually got lled with deposition of sediments from rivers owing from the mountains In the
north and led to formation of the fertile Northern plains.
(b) It spreads over an area of 7 lakh sq km. The plain IS about 2400 km long and 240-230 km broad
(c) It is a densely populated and an Intensively cultivated area.
(d) With Its adequate water supply and favourable climate, It is agriculturally a very productive
part of India
(e) The Northern plains are broadly divided into 3 sections.
(f) The Western part of the Northern plans IS called the Punjab plains, formed by the Indus and its
tributaries.
(g) The Ganga plain extends between the Ghaggar and the Teesta rivers, spread over the states of
Haryana, Delhi, UP Bihar and West Bengal.
(h) The Brahmaputra Plain to the East of the Ganga plains lies the Brahmaputra plain covering the
areas of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh

Q6 Write short notes on the following.
(i) The Indian Desert
(ii) The Central Highlands
(iii) The Island groups of India

Answer. (i) The Indian Desert

The Indian desert lies towards the Western margin of the Aravalli hills.

It is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes.

This region receives very low rainfall, below 150 mm per year.

It has arid climate with low vegetation cover.

Streams appear during the rainy season. Soon 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.

Barchan (Crescent shaped dunes) cover the larger areas but longitudinal dunes become more
prominent near the Indo – Pakistan border.

The Indian desert is popularly known as the Thar desert.

(ii) The Central Highlands

The Peninsular plateau consists of two broad divisions, namely the central highlands and the
Deccan plateau.

The part of the Peninsular plateau lying to the north of the Narmada river covering a major
area of the Malwa plateau is known as the Central Highlands.

They are bound by the Vindhya Range from the south and by the Aravalli hills from the
north-west.

The further westward extension gradually merges with the sandy and rocky desert of
Rajasthan.

The ow of the rivers draining this region, namely the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwe and Ken
is from south-west to north-east.

The central highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east.
The eastward extensions of their plateau are locally known as ‘Bundelkhand’ and
Baghelkhand.

The Chhotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension drained by the Damodar
river.

(iii) The Island Groups of India
India has two groups of islands namely the Lakshadweep group and the Andaman and Nicobar
group.
(a) The Lakshadweep Islands Group lie close to the Malabar coast of Kerala.
These islands are composed of small coral islands.

Earlier, they were known as Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindive. In 1973, these were renamed
as the Lakshadweep.

They cover a small area of 32 sq km.

Kavaratti Island is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep.

This island group has a great diversity of ora and fauna.

The Pitti Island, which is uninhabited, has a bird sanctuary.

(b) Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The elongated chain of islands located in the Bay of Bengal extending from north to south
are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

They are bigger in size and more numerous and scattered than the Lakshadweep Islands.

The entire group of islands is divided into two broad categories, the Andaman in the north
and Nicobar in the south.

It is believed that these islands are an elevated portion of the submarine mountains.

These islands are of great – strategic importance for the country.

They have great diversity of ora and fauna.

These islands lie close to the equator experience equatorial climate and have thick forest
cover.