NCERT Solutions Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India

F R E E S T U D Y M AT E R I A L F O R E V E R Y S T U D E N T

CLASS 7 · SOCIAL SCIENCE

NCERT Solutions

Chapter 1: Geographical
Diversity of India

NCERT Textbook — Exploring Society: India And Beyond (Part I)

BOOK PAGES SECTIONS QUESTIONS MEDIUM

1 – 25 20 36 English

Solutions, notes, sample papers & more at 55 pages

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

CLASS 7 · SOCIAL SCIENCE · EXPLORING SOCIETY: INDIA AND BEYOND (PART I)

NCERT Solutions — Chapter 1: Geographical Diversity
of India
Complete NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India from the
NCERT textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Grade 7 Part 1 — the opening chapter of the theme India
and the World: Land and the People. Every question of the chapter is answered — The Big Questions, all ten
LET'S EXPLORE boxes, the LET'S REMEMBER and DON'T MISS OUT questions, the in-text map questions,
Before we move on … and all nine Questions and activities.

TEXTBOOK BOOK PAGES

Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part I) (Class 1 – 25
7)

SECTIONS QUESTIONS

20 36

MEDIUM

English

The Big Questions — Page 1
Theme: India and the World: Land and the People

THE BIG QUESTIONS

Q1 What are some key geographical features of India?

India is the seventh-largest country in the world and lies in Asia. Its land is usually grouped into
five great regions, and each of them is a key geographical feature.

Page 1 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

FEATURE WHERE IT WHAT IT IS LIKE
IS

The Himalayas The northern A wall of mountains about 2500 km long; many peaks above
border 8000 m; three ranges — Himadri, Himachal and the Shivalik Hills.
The cold desert of Ladakh lies within them.

The Northern South of the Flat, very fertile land watered by the Ganga, Indus and
(Gangetic) Plains Himalayas Brahmaputra and their tributaries. Most of India's people live
here.

The Thar Desert The north- A vast arid region of sand dunes across Rajasthan, Gujarat,
west Punjab and Haryana. The old Aravalli Hills stand along its
eastern edge.

The Peninsular The middle A triangular old highland edged by the Western Ghats and
Plateau and south Eastern Ghats, with the Deccan Plateau between them.

The coasts and All around the A coastline over 7500 km long, with deltas and lagoons;
islands south Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea and the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Three seas complete the picture — the Arabian Sea to the west, the Bay of Bengal to the east
and the Indian Ocean to the south. In the far north-east are the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills of
the Meghalaya Plateau, among the rainiest places on Earth.

Why it happens: these features are not accidents. The Himalayas and the plains
both exist because the Indian landmass drifted north and collided with Eurasia; the
peninsula is a very old block of rock that came along with it; the coasts and islands
are where that block meets the ocean.

Q2 How does India’s geographical diversity affect our lives?

It shapes almost everything — what people grow and eat, how they build their homes, what
work they do, how they travel, and even their festivals.

Page 2 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

REGION HOW IT SHAPES LIFE THERE

Himalayas Few settlements high up; yaks give milk, meat, wool, dung and transport; kath-kuni houses of stone
and wood keep out the cold and resist mild earthquakes; monasteries and temples draw pilgrims; hill
stations bring tourism.

Gangetic Flat, fertile, well-watered — so intensive farming, multi-cropping, dense population, big cities, and
Plains an elaborate road and rail network. Rivers have carried travel and trade for millennia.

Thar Desert Water is scarce, so utensils are scoured with sand, rinse water is reused, and taanka and kunds store
rainwater. Food, clothing and daily routines all suit heat by day and cold by night; camels are central
to travel and trade.

Peninsular Rich in minerals, forests and fertile black soil — mining, industry and farming. Waterfalls give
Plateau hydroelectricity and irrigation. Tribal communities such as the Santhal, Gond, Baiga, Bhil and
Korku live closely with the forest.

Coasts and Fishing, ports and sea trade; deltas give some of India's best farmland; Mumbai on the west coast is
islands India's financial centre.

Diversity also makes India resilient. If one region has a poor season, another may not — so
food, minerals and work are never all in one place.

Did you know? The same diversity gives India an enormous variety of foods,
languages, house styles, dances and festivals — Losar and the Hemis Festival in
Ladakh, the Pushkar Mela at the edge of the Thar, and Shad Suk Mynsiem among the
Khasi people, to name only three from this chapter.

Let's Explore — Page 2

Page 3 of 55

as e
Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The physical map of India at the end of the book
co m
e m.
m as
LET'S EXPLORE

.co a g l
a s emat the map of India at the end of this book. What are you able to observe?
gl
Look
a
Q1

co m
e m . ag
sLADAKH
K2

l a
ag
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
A SS
AFGHANISTAN
A
AA YY
M AA LL
co m
m.
HH II M
Sutl
ej

se utra
30° N

com l a
PAKISTAN

m. ag rahmap
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
BHUTAN ra
PLAINS put

se
su
us

LS
SL

Ya INS
NORTHERN
ma
ERN PLA Brah
IL
LIH

THAR DESERT

a
NORTH Garo Hills
Hills

l
Garo
H

Jaintia Hills
Hills

g
Jaintia
LI
ILL

a
AL

Cha Ganga
A
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE

s
BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills

m a
agl
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR

.co
N rmaaddaa
Naarm SATPURA RANGE
PLATEAU
Ma Mah MYANMAR

m
Tapi ha ana
se
Sundarbans
na
di
S
ST
di

a
AT

l
AH

20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU
g
GH

ARABIAN SEA

a
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishna
m
E

inia n
oasta

co
la lP
lP

.
l
ta
a

em
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao

s
Co
SEW

C

m a
ANDAMAN ISLANDS

agl
ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n

co
er
West

et

.
st sa
Ea
W

m
E

Kave

as e
ri

a g l 10° N
LAKSHADWEEP
Anai Mudi

NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA

se m
com l a
INDIAN OCEAN

. a g
70° E

s e m75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

a
agl
LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

m
.co
River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

se m
com g l a
m . a
ase
The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here

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with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

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s e m
m a
em . co agl
as

a g l
The first thing you notice is that India is not one kind of land but many. Reading the map from
north to south:

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m as e
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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

A long brown-and-white band across the whole north — the Himalayas, curving from
Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
Below it a broad green strip running east–west — the flat Northern (Gangetic) Plains,
crossed by thick blue river lines: the Indus, Ganga, Yamuna and Brahmaputra.
A yellow patch in the west — the Thar Desert — with the thin ridge of the Aravallis on its
eastern side.
A large triangular block in the middle and south, coloured light brown — the Peninsular
Plateau, edged by the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.
Blue on three sides — the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean — and two
dotted island groups, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Tip: trace the coastline with your finger and count how many States touch the sea.
You will find nine coastal States and several Union Territories.

Page 5 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q2 Recall your lesson on different types of landforms — mountains, plains and
plateaus. Which landforms can you identify on the map?

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
SS
AFGHANISTAN

A Y AA
Y
AA LL
A
Sutl
ej
HH II M
M
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL
Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA
IL h
THAR DESERT LIH NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills Bra
H
Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Gaannga
A

G
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
NNaarm da
ad
rma a PLATEAU
SATPURA RANGE Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
S
ST
di
DECCAN PLATEAU
PLATEAU AT AH
20° N ARABIAN SEA DECCAN GH G
God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krrishna
E

in
n

K
ia
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

All three, and more:

Page 6 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

LANDFORM WHERE YOU SEE IT ON THE MAP

Mountains The Himalayas in the north; the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats along the two coasts; the Aravallis
in the north-west; the hills of the north-east

Plains The Northern Plains of the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra; the narrow western coastal plain and the
wider eastern coastal plain

Plateaus The Peninsular Plateau, including the Deccan Plateau, the Chota Nagpur area and the Meghalaya
Plateau

Desert The Thar Desert in Rajasthan and nearby States

Islands Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea; the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal

Page 7 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q3 What do the different colours on the map mean? (Hint: The legend on the map
shows the heights of each area.)

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
SS
AFGHANISTAN

A Y AA
Y
AA LL
A
Sutl
ej
HH II M
M
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL
Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA
IL h
THAR DESERT LIH NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills Bra
H
Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Gaannga
A

G
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
NNaarm da
ad
rma a PLATEAU
SATPURA RANGE Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
S
ST
di
DECCAN PLATEAU
PLATEAU AT AH
20° N ARABIAN SEA DECCAN GH G
God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krrishna
E

in
n

K
ia
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

On a physical map the colours are not decoration — each colour stands for a band of height
(altitude) above sea level. The legend tells you which colour means which height.

Page 8 of 55

as e
a g
Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
COLOUR ROUGHLY WHAT IT MEANS WHERE IN INDIA

m as e
Dark green
.co
Lowest land, near sea level
a g l
The Northern Plains, the coastal plains,

a s em the deltas

l
g green / pale
aLight Slightly higher, up to a few hundred Edges of the plains, the Thar
yellow metres

com
m . ag
se
Light brown Higher ground, hundreds of metres The Deccan and other plateaus

l a
Dark brown
ag of metres
Mountains, thousands The Himalayas, the higher Western
Ghats

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m.
White The Greater Himalayas
e
The very highest, permanently snow-

com l as
covered

. a g
m
ase
agl
Blue Water — and deeper blue means Seas, the ocean, big rivers and lakes
deeper water

m a s
.co agl
Why it happens: colour is the quickest way to show a third dimension — height —

se m
a
on a flat sheet of paper. One glance tells you the north is high and the middle of the

ag
country is a raised, flat block. l

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Check it yourself: the exact height ranges differ from map to map, so always read
m .
m as e
.co l
the legend printed on the map in your book before deciding what a colour means.
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se m
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a
Let's Explore — Page 3
se m
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ase
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a g l Page 9 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Latitude, longitude and India's natural boundaries

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 Do you recall your lesson on latitudes and longitudes? Look at the map. Can you
read, approximately, the latitude and longitude where India lies?

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
SS
AFGHANISTAN

A Y AA
Y
AA LL
A
Sutl
ej
H
H
M
II M
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL

Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA Brah
IL
LIH

THAR DESERT
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills
H

Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Ganga
A
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
NNaarm da
ad
rma a PLATEAU
SATPURA RANGE Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
S
ST

di
AT AH

20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU
GH

ARABIAN SEA
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishnaa
E

inia n
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

Reading the grid printed along the edges of the physical map, the Indian mainland lies roughly:

Page 10 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Latitude: about 8°N to 37°N

Longitude: about 68°E to 97°E

So India lies wholly north of the Equator and wholly east of the Prime Meridian — that is, in
the northern and eastern hemispheres. If the island groups are included, the country reaches
down to about 6°N in the Nicobars.

Why it matters: the Tropic of Cancer (23½°N) runs right across the middle of India.
That is why the south is tropical and hot all year, while the north has a colder winter
— one reason the country has so many different crops, forests and ways of life.

Tip: latitude is read along the side of the map (north–south position) and longitude
along the top and bottom (east–west position). Take the number of the nearest
printed line — the question only asks for an approximate reading.

Page 11 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q2 Identify the above features on India’s physical map.

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
SS
AFGHANISTAN

A Y AA
Y
AA LL
A
Sutl
ej
H
H
M
II M
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL
Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA Brah
IL
LIH
THAR DESERT
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills
H Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Ganga
A
G
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
NNaarm da
ad
rma a PLATEAU
SATPURA RANGE Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di

S
ST
di

AT AH
20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU
GH
ARABIAN SEA
G
God NR N
ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER
ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishna
E

inia n
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

The features named just before this box are India's four natural boundaries. On the physical
map:

Page 12 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

FEATURE WHERE TO LOOK WHAT IT DOES

The Himalayan Mountain The whole northern edge, a wide brown- A natural barrier in the north
range and-white arc

The Thar Desert The yellow patch in the west, mostly in Marks the western limit, along
Rajasthan with the sea

The Arabian Sea Blue, to the west of the peninsula The western sea boundary

The Indian Ocean Blue, to the south, below Kanyakumari The southern boundary

The Bay of Bengal Blue, to the east of the peninsula The eastern boundary

Also find India's neighbours named in the chapter — Pakistan to the north-west, Nepal,
Bhutan and China along the Himalayas, Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east, and Sri Lanka
across the narrow sea to the south.

Why it happens: mountains, desert and sea all make movement difficult. Together
they separated India from the rest of Asia and helped give it its own climate, culture
and history — exactly what Sri Aurobindo's quotation at the start of the chapter says.

In-text Questions — Page 3

Page 13 of 55

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Himalayas
co m
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m l as
Q1
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Look at the length of the Himalayan Range on the map. It is like a massive wall.
m a g
l a se
From the legend, can you guess the altitude at different points of the Himalayas?

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e
K2

m . ag
a sLADAKH
N

l
35° N

ag
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
A SS
AFGHANISTAN
A
AA YY
AA LL
HH II M
M
co m
Sutl
ej

m.
30° N

se rahmaputra
PAKISTAN

m l a
NEPAL

.co
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

ag B Jaintia Hills
mu BHUTAN
BHUTAN tra
PLAINS
su
us

apu
LS
SL
Ya INS
NORTHERN
sem
ERN PLA hm
IL
LIH

THAR DESERT a
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills Br
H

a
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL

agl
AL

Cha Gaannga
A

G
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills

s
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR

m a
rmaaddaa PLATEAU

agl
Naarm SATPURA RANGE Mah
o
N Ma

c
MYANMAR

.
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
DECCANm
S
ST
di

e
AT

s
AH

20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
PLATEAU

a
GH

ARABIAN SEA

agl
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishna
E

inia n
oasta

la

m
lP
lP

co
l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

.
ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao

m
Co
SEW

e
C

as
ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

m
et

.co l
st sa

g
Ea
W

a
E

Kave

m
ri

l a se 10° N Anai Mudi

ag
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS

m
SRI LANKA

se
INDIAN OCEAN

com g l a
70° E

m
75° E
. 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E
a
ase
agl
LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

co m
River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

m .
o m l a se
m .c The physical map of India that this chapter asks you toagkeep beside you — redrawn here
l a se with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

ag
.c
s e m
m a
em . co agl
g l as
On the map the range stretches in a long arc across the whole north. The caption to Fig. 1.2 tells
a km.
you its length: about 2500

co m
m .
m as e
.co


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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The colours change as you move north across the range, and the legend turns them into
heights:

PART OF THE RANGE COLOUR ON THE MAP APPROXIMATE ALTITUDE

Shivalik Hills (Outer Light brown, just above the green a few hundred to about 1500 m
Himalayas) plains

Himachal (Lower Himalayas) Darker brown about 1500–4500 m — the hill-station
belt

Himadri (Greater Himalayas) Deepest brown, turning to white above 4500 m, with peaks over 8000 m

Why it looks like a wall: the height rises steeply over a short north–south distance.
You climb from about 200 m on the plains to over 8000 m within roughly 200–300
km, which is why the map shows three colour bands packed tightly together.

Check it yourself: the exact figures depend on the legend printed in your own book
— read the height bands there before writing your answer.

Let's Remember — Page 4
The ‘Eight Thousanders’

LET'S REMEMBER

Q1 Can you name the highest mountain in the world?

Mount Everest — at about 8,849 metres, the highest mountain on Earth. It stands in the
Himadri (Greater Himalayas) on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet).

In Nepali it is called Sagarmatha; in Tibetan, Chomolungma.
It is one of the ‘Eight Thousanders’ — the peaks over 8000 m mentioned in this box.
India's own highest peak is Kanchenjunga (about 8,586 m), in Sikkim — the third-highest in
the world and also an Eight Thousander.

Did you know? Everest is still growing, because India is still pushing into Eurasia —
about five millimetres a year, as you read on page 5.

Page 15 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Let's Explore — Page 6
The three ranges of the Himalayas

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 Can you locate the names of the states in the different parts of the Himalayas? Take
the help of both the physical and political maps for this exercise.

Match the physical map (which shows the ranges) with the political map (which shows the State
boundaries). Going from west to east:

STATES / UTS IN THE HIMALAYAN WHICH PARTS OF THE RANGE THEY COVER
BELT

Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir Himadri and the trans-Himalayan cold desert; the Shivaliks in the
south of Jammu

Himachal Pradesh All three — Shivaliks, Himachal (Shimla) and Himadri

Uttarakhand All three — Shivaliks, Himachal (Nainital, Mussoorie) and Himadri
(Gangotri glacier, Gaumukh)

Sikkim Mainly Himadri — Kanchenjunga stands here

West Bengal (northern districts) Himachal — Darjeeling; and the Shivalik foothills

Arunachal Pradesh The eastern Himadri and Himachal

Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, The eastern hills that continue from the Himalayas (Meghalaya's Garo,
Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura Khasi and Jaintia hills are a separate plateau)

Tip: the hill stations named on this page are a quick memory aid — Nainital and
Mussoorie (Uttarakhand), Darjeeling (West Bengal), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh). All
four lie in the Himachal or Lower Himalayas, because that is the range with a
climate mild enough to live in comfortably.

Don't Miss Out — Page 11

Page 16 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Brahmaputra

DON'T MISS OUT

Q1 Most rivers are named after goddesses — Ganga, Yamuna, Kaveri, etc. The name of
Brahmaputra, however, means ‘the son of Brahma’. This river gets bigger during
summer instead of drying up! Can you guess why?

Because in summer the Brahmaputra is fed by melting snow and glaciers, not only by rain.

The river rises high in the Himalayas, in a region of permanent snow and ice.
Summer heat melts that snow and ice, so more water pours into the river exactly when
smaller rain-fed rivers are shrinking.
The Indian summer is also the monsoon season, and the Brahmaputra basin — Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam and the hills around — receives some of the heaviest rainfall in the world.
The two effects add together.

Why it happens: rivers that are only rain-fed depend on one season's rain and dry
up when it is over. Rivers born in the Himalayas are perennial — they have a second,
independent store of water locked up as ice, which releases most generously in the
hottest months.

Did you know? The Ganga and the Indus are perennial for the same reason. This is
why the chapter calls the Himalayas the ‘Water Tower of Asia’.

Let's Explore — Page 11
Fig. 1.16 — satellite image of the Gangetic plains at night

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 Notice the concentration of lighting in the plains. What could be the reason for this
concentration?

Looking at Fig. 1.16, the lights are packed into a broad band that follows the Northern Plains,
while the Himalayas above and the plateau below are much darker. Lights at night mark people.
So the picture is really a map of where India's population is densest.
Why so many people live there:

Page 17 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Fertile soil. The Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra and their tributaries bring down minerals from
the Himalayas and spread them over the plains, making the land ideal for farming.
Water all year. These are perennial rivers, so drinking water and irrigation never fail
completely.
Flat land. It is easy to build on, and it allowed an elaborate road and railway network — so
towns and cities grew and joined up.
A long history. These plains have been the heart of India's civilisation for thousands of
years, so the settlements are old and large.

Why it happens: more people means more homes, streets, markets, factories and
highways — and every one of them is lit. Mountains and deserts have few people
and therefore few lights, so on a night-time satellite image the geography of India
draws itself.

Try this: look closely and you can even see bright lines joining the bright dots.
Those are lit highways and the strings of towns along them.

In-text Questions — Page 12

Page 18 of 55

as e
Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Great Indian Desert or Thar Desert
co m
e m.
m l as
Q1
.co
If we move westward on the map, you will notice a yellowish area. This area is the
m a g
l a se
Thar Desert. What do you see?

a g

co m
e
K2

m . ag
a sLADAKH
N

l
35° N

ag
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
A SS
AFGHANISTAN
A
AA YY
AA LL
HH II M
M
co m
Sutl
ej

m.
30° N

se rahmaputra
PAKISTAN

m l a
NEPAL

.co
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

ag B Jaintia Hills
mu BHUTAN
BHUTAN tra
PLAINS
su
us

apu
LS
SL
Ya INS
NORTHERN
sem
ERN PLA hm
IL
LIH

THAR DESERT a
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills Br
H

a
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL

agl
AL

Cha Gaannga
A

G
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills

s
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR

m a
rmaaddaa PLATEAU

agl
Naarm SATPURA RANGE Mah
o
N Ma

c
MYANMAR

.
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
DECCANm
S
ST
di

e
AT

s
AH

20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
PLATEAU

a
GH

ARABIAN SEA

agl
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishna
E

inia n
oasta

la

m
lP
lP

co
l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

.
ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao

m
Co
SEW

e
C

as
ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

m
et

.co l
st sa

g
Ea
W

a
E

Kave

m
ri

l a se 10° N Anai Mudi

ag
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS

m
SRI LANKA

se
INDIAN OCEAN

com g l a
70° E

m
75° E
. 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E
a
ase
agl
LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

co m
River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

m .
o m l a se
m .c The physical map of India that this chapter asks you toagkeep beside you — redrawn here
l a se with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

ag
.c
s e m
m a
m . co agl
l a se
g and the map together, you can see:
Exactly what the book describes — a vast stretch of golden dunes, rugged terrain, and a wide-
open sky. Looking at Fig.a1.21

co m
m .
m as e
.co


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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Sand dunes in wave-like ridges, some as high as 150 metres, with sharp crests shaped by
the wind.
Almost no green — a few thorny shrubs, no forest, no river lines on the map.
A yellow colour on the physical map, standing for low, dry, sandy land.
A traveller and camels — the animals best suited to crossing this terrain.

Why it is yellow on the map: the colour is showing bare sand and low altitude.
Compare it with the dark green of the plains just to the east: the map is telling you,
in one glance, that you have crossed from India's wettest farmland to its driest
region.

Let's Explore — Page 12
The shape of a sand dune

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 What is the shape of a sand dune? While mountains are made of rock and their
shape is fixed, why do you think sand dunes also have a similar shape, even though
they are made of sand?

A sand dune is a hill-like heap of sand — a long gentle slope on the side the wind comes from, a
sharp crest at the top, and a short steep slope on the sheltered side. Seen from above, many
dunes are crescent-shaped.
Why sand takes a hill shape at all: the wind does the work that rock and time do in a
mountain.

Wind rolls and bounces grains of sand up the gentle windward slope.
At the crest the grains tumble over into the still air behind and settle on the steep sheltered
side.
Sand can only pile up to a certain steepness (about 30–34°) before it slides. So the dune
builds itself into a stable hill shape and stops there.

The big difference: a mountain's shape is fixed — it is solid rock and changes only
over millions of years. A dune's shape is repeated, not fixed. The wind constantly
removes grains from one side and adds them to the other, so the whole dune slowly
moves across the desert while keeping the same outline. It is like a queue of people:
the shape of the queue stays the same even though the people in it keep changing.

Page 20 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Try this: blow gently and steadily across a thin layer of dry sand on a tray. A tiny
dune forms, with a gentle slope facing you and a steep drop behind — the same
shape as a 150-metre dune in the Thar.

Let's Explore — Page 14

Page 21 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Aravalli Hills

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 Let’s go back to the map. Trace your path slowly from the Thar Desert towards the
east. Do you see the Aravalli Hills?

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
SS
AFGHANISTAN

A Y AA
Y
AA LL
A
Sutl
ej
H
H
M
II M
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL

Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA Brah
IL
LIH

THAR DESERT
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills
H

Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Ganga
A
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
NNaarm da
ad
rma a PLATEAU
SATPURA RANGE Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
S
ST

di
AT AH

20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU
GH

ARABIAN SEA
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishnaa
E

inia n
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

Yes. Move your finger east from the yellow Thar area and you cross a thin, broken brown ridge

Page 22 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

running from the south-west to the north-east — from near Mount Abu in Gujarat and southern
Rajasthan, through Udaipur, Ajmer and Jaipur, all the way up to the ridge at Delhi. That line is the
Aravalli Range.

ABOUT THE ARAVALLIS DETAIL FROM THE CHAPTER

Age About 2.5 billion years — among the oldest mountains in the world

Highest peak Mount Abu, over 1700 m

Most of the hills Between 300 and 900 metres

Minerals Marble, granite, zinc, copper

Historic forts Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore

Why it looks thin and low on the map: the Aravallis are so old that wind and water
have been wearing them down for billions of years. The Himalayas are only about 50
million years old — and still rising — which is why they look massive on the same
map.

Did you know? The chapter points out that a drive of about four and a half hours
takes you from Mount Abu in the Aravallis to Jodhpur in the Thar — from cool green
hills to open desert.

Let's Explore — Page 15

Page 23 of 55

as e
a
Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India
g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The States the Aravalli range spans
co m
e m.
m as
LET'S EXPLORE

.co a g l
a s emat the political map in the textbook and identify the states that the range
gl
Look
a
Q1
spans. Did you see Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat?

co m
e m . ag
g l as
35° N a Ladakh
N

CHINA

m
AFGHANISTAN

co
Jammu and Kashmir

m.
Himachal Pradesh

e
Punjab

com l as
Uttarakhand

. a g
30° N Haryana

e m
PAKISTAN Arunachal Pradesh

s
NEPAL

gla
Delhi Sikkim BHUTAN
Assam

a
Uttar Pradesh
Rajasthan Meghalaya Nagaland
Bihar

s
25° N Manipur

m a
.co agl
Madhya Pradesh Jharkhand BANGLADESH

em
Gujarat Mizoram

a s
Tripura MYANMAR

l
agMaharashtra
Chhattisgarh
West Bengal
20° N Odisha
ARABIAN SEA
Maharashtra

m
Telangana BAY OF BENGAL

. co
e m
m as
Andhra Pradesh

l
Goa

.co
15° N

g
Karnataka

m a
ANDAMAN ISLANDS

l a se
ag Kerala
Tamil Nadu

m
10° N

se
LAKSHADWEEP

m a
NICOBAR ISLANDS

. coOCEAN
SRI LANKA

a g l
m
INDIAN
INDIAN OCEAN

ase
agl
70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND International boundary State boundary National capital

co m
The political map of India referred to in the chapter — redrawn here with the States
m .
m
named.
as e
.co a g l
se m
g l a
a c
.

s e m
m a
agl
Yes — the Aravalli range runs through four States and Union Territories. Following it from the
. co
m
south-west end to the north-east end:

as e
a g l

co m
m .
m as e
.co


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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

STATE / UT PART OF THE RANGE THERE

Gujarat The southern tip of the range, in the north of the State

Rajasthan The longest and highest stretch — Mount Abu, Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Chittorgarh, Ajmer, Jaipur

Haryana Low, broken hills in the south of the State

Delhi The very last spur — the ‘Delhi Ridge’

Why this matters: the range acts as a natural barrier that stops the Thar Desert
spreading further east. It blocks dust-laden westerly winds and helps hold
moisture on its eastern side — which is why the land east of the Aravallis is farmed
and the land west of them is desert.

Let's Remember — Page 16
The Peninsular Plateau

LET'S REMEMBER

Q1 A plateau is a landform that rises up from the surrounding land and has a more or
less flat surface; some of its sides are often steep slopes.

Unpacking this definition: a plateau is sometimes called a ‘tableland’, and the name explains
the shape — like a table, it is raised and it is flat on top.

LANDFORM HEIGHT TOP SURFACE SIDES

Plain Low Flat No real edge

Plateau Raised above the land around More or less flat Often steep slopes

Mountain High Peaked, not flat Steep on all sides

Indian examples from this chapter: the Deccan Plateau between the Western and Eastern
Ghats, the whole triangular Peninsular Plateau of central and southern India, and the
Meghalaya Plateau that carries the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills.

Page 25 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why the steep sides matter: when a river runs off the flat top and reaches a steep
edge, it falls — which is why plateaus are full of waterfalls, such as Jog Falls in Fig.
1.1. That falling water is turned into hydroelectricity.

Let's Explore — Page 16

Page 26 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The direction in which the rivers flow

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 Look at the physical map of India given at the end of the book. Notice the direction
of the flow of the rivers.

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
SS
AFGHANISTAN

A Y AA
Y
AA LL
A
Sutl
ej
H
H
M
II M
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL

Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA Brah
IL
LIH

THAR DESERT
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills
H

Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Ganga
A
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
NNaarm da
ad
rma a PLATEAU
SATPURA RANGE Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
S
ST

di
AT AH

20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU
GH

ARABIAN SEA
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishnaa
E

inia n
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

Follow each blue line from its source to the sea and a clear pattern appears. India's rivers fall

Page 27 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

into three groups:

GROUP RIVERS DIRECTION AND OUTLET

Himalayan rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Flow south, then east across the plains into the Bay of
Brahmaputra Bengal

Indus and its tributaries Flow west/south-west into the Arabian Sea

East-flowing Mahanadi, Godavari, Rise near the Western Ghats and cross the whole
peninsular rivers Krishna, Kaveri plateau west to east into the Bay of Bengal, building
deltas

West-flowing Narmada, Tapti Flow east to west into the Arabian Sea, forming
peninsular rivers estuaries, not deltas

Why most peninsular rivers flow east: the plateau is tilted — high along the
Western Ghats, sloping gently down towards the east. Water always runs downhill,
so it crosses the plateau to the Bay of Bengal. The Narmada and Tapti are exceptions
because they flow west along rift valleys (long trough-shaped cracks in the land).

Check it yourself: a river that flows a long way over gentle land drops its sediment
slowly and builds a delta; a short, fast river reaching the sea quickly forms an
estuary. That is exactly why the east coast has deltas and the west coast has
estuaries.

Let's Explore — Page 17

Page 28 of 55

as e
a
Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India
g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Tribal communities of the plateau
co m
e m.
m as
LET'S EXPLORE

.co a g l
a s em communities are largely spread over the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal,
gl
Tribal
a
Q1
Odisha, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, and
Gujarat. Examine the physical and political maps at the end of this book to locate

co m
. ag
the states and connect them to their location on the physical map.
e m
g l as
a

co m
m.
N
35° N

as e
Ladakh

m
CHINA

l
AFGHANISTAN

.co
Jammu and Kashmir

a g
sem
Himachal Pradesh
Punjab

gla
Uttarakhand

a
30° N Haryana
PAKISTAN Arunachal Pradesh
NEPAL
Delhi Sikkim BHUTAN

m a s
Assam

.co agl
Uttar Pradesh
Rajasthan Meghalaya Nagaland

m
aseMadhya Pradesh
Bihar
25° N Manipur

agl
Madhya Pradesh Jharkhand BANGLADESH
Gujarat Mizoram
Tripura MYANMAR
Chhattisgarh

co m
West Bengal
Odisha

.
20° N ARABIAN SEA

em
Maharashtra

a s
com agl
Telangana BAY OF BENGAL
BAY OF BENGAL

m .
ase
agl
Goa Andhra Pradesh
15° N
Karnataka
ANDAMAN ISLANDS

se m
com l a
Kerala

. a g
Tamil Nadu

m
10° N

ase
LAKSHADWEEP

agl
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

m
70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

. co
e m
LEGEND International boundary State boundary National capital

m l as
m .co a g
The political map of India referred to in the chapter — redrawn here with the States

l a se named.

ag
.c
s e m
m a
e m . co agl
g l as
a

co m
m .
m as e
.co


a g l Page 29 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
SS
AFGHANISTAN

A Y AA
Y
AA LL
A
Sutl
ej
HH II M
M
30° N
PAKISTAN
Ind I NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
dn na
mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL
Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA Brah

IL
LIH
THAR DESERT
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills

H
Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills

LI
ILL
AL
Cha Ganga

A
G
AV
VA
25° N mba
AR l
Mt Abu RA
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
NNaarm da
ad
rma a PLATEAU
SATPURA RANGE Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di

S
ST
di

AT AH
20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU

GH
ARABIAN SEA

G
God

NR N
ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER
ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E
BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA
Krishna E

in
n
K

ia
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

Find each State on the political map, then look at the same spot on the physical map. Almost
every one of them turns out to sit on forested plateau or hill country, not on open plains.

Page 30 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

STATE WHAT THE PHYSICAL MAP SHOWS THERE

Jharkhand The Chota Nagpur Plateau — forested, hilly, rich in minerals

West Bengal The western edge merges into the Chota Nagpur uplands; the north touches the
Himalayas

Odisha The Eastern Ghats and forested hills behind the coastal plain

Chhattisgarh and Madhya The central plateau — Satpura, Maikal and Bastar hills, with dense forest
Pradesh

Maharashtra The Western Ghats and the Deccan Plateau behind them

Telangana The Deccan Plateau and the Eastern Ghats

Gujarat The eastern hill belt where the Aravallis, Satpuras and Western Ghats meet

Assam The Brahmaputra valley with hills on both sides

The tribes named in the chapter — the Santhal, Gond, Baiga, Bhil and Korku — live in this
forested belt. Each has its own language, traditions and ways of life closely connected to Nature.

What the two maps together tell you: a broad forested plateau belt runs
diagonally across India from Gujarat in the west to Jharkhand and Odisha in the east.
Political boundaries cut across it, but the forest and hills are continuous — which is
why these communities are found in so many different States.

Let's Explore — Page 19

Page 31 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

India's Amazing Coastlines

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 Look at the physical map of India in your school atlas or wall map and find the
names of five rivers that flow into the Bay of Bengal. Find out India’s coastal states
and discuss the difference between the western and eastern coastal plains.

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
SS
AFGHANISTAN

A Y AA
Y
AA LL
A
Sutl
ej
H
H
M
II M
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL

Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA Brah
IL
LIH

THAR DESERT
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills
H

Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Ganga
A
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
NNaarm da
ad
rma a PLATEAU
SATPURA RANGE Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
S
ST

di
AT AH

20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU
GH

ARABIAN SEA
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishna
E

inia n
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

Page 32 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Five rivers that flow into the Bay of Bengal: the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Mahanadi,
the Godavari and the Krishna. (The Kaveri is a sixth.)
India's coastal States and Union Territories — nine States and four UTs:

WEST COAST EAST COAST UNION TERRITORIES

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Daman & Diu / Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep,
Karnataka, Kerala Pradesh, Odisha, West Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Bengal

The difference between the two coastal plains:

WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN

Width Narrow — the Western Ghats come right down to Wide, with broad open plains
the sea (see Fig. 1.34)

Rivers Short and swift, rising in the Western Ghats Long and slow — Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri

Where they meet Estuaries, coves and creeks; Narmada and Tapti Large fertile deltas
the sea estuaries are the largest

Other features Alluvial deposits from short rivers; many ports and Lagoons — Chilika Lake and Pulicat
cities, such as Mumbai Lake

Sea Arabian Sea Bay of Bengal

Why the two coasts differ: the peninsula tilts eastward. Western rivers have only a
short, steep run to the sea, so they carry little sediment and dump it quickly into
deep water — an estuary. Eastern rivers cross the whole plateau slowly, gathering
sediment, and drop it in the shallow Bay of Bengal — a delta.

Q2 Do you know what it is called when these rivers split into multiple streams near the
coast? Discuss with your teacher in class to find out!

They are called distributaries, and the fan of land they spread across is the river's delta.

Page 33 of 55

ase
a g
Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
TERM WHAT IT MEANS WHICH WAY THE WATER GOES

mA smaller river that joins a bigger one as e
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se m
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.
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s
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and again. Over centuries these many channels build the triangular or fan-shaped
delta described on page 20.
co m
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Did you know? The Ganga–Brahmaputra delta, shared by India and Bangladesh, is
a g
a s em
l
the largest delta in the world. The Indian half of it is the Sundarbans, home of the
a g Royal Bengal Tiger. The Hooghly, which flows past Kolkata, is one of its distributaries.
m a s
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In-text Questions — Page 22
ag

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a g l Page 34 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Delta in West Bengal and the Sundarbans

Q1 Note: Do remember to look at the map and identify where the delta is.

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
SS
AFGHANISTAN

A Y AA
Y
AA LL
A
Sutl
ej
HH II M
M
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA Brah
IL
LIH
THAR DESERT
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills
H

Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Gaanga
A

G
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
NNaarm da
ad
rma a PLATEAU
SATPURA RANGE Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
S
ST
AT di
AH
20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU
GH

ARABIAN SEA
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishna
E

in
n

K
ia
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

On the physical map, find the point where the Ganga and the Brahmaputra come together in
the far east and open into the Bay of Bengal. There the single thick blue line breaks into a fan
of many thin channels. That fan is the Ganga–Brahmaputra delta.

Page 35 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

State: the southern part of West Bengal, below Kolkata.
Country: about half of the delta lies in India and the rest in Bangladesh.
Name of the Indian part: the Sundarbans — a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the
largest mangrove forest in the world.

What makes it special: this delta has, as the chapter says, a unique combination of
river, sea and land. Salt water and fresh water mix twice a day with the tide, so it
grows mangroves — trees that can live with their roots in salty mud. Those forests
shelter the Royal Bengal Tiger and hundreds of other species, and they take the
first blow of every cyclone that comes up the Bay of Bengal.

In-text Questions — Page 23

Page 36 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The hills of the Northeast

Q1 Stay on the map as we move towards the hills of the Northeast, our final
destination for now. Can you see Garo, Khasi, and Jantia marked on the map?

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
A SS
AFGHANISTAN
A
AA YY
M AA LL
HH II M
Sutl
ej
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL
Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA h
IL
LIH

THAR DESERT ra
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills B
H

Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Gaannga
A

G
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
N rmaaddaa
Naarm SATPURA RANGE
PLATEAU
Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
na
di
S
ST
di
AT AH

20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU
GH

ARABIAN SEA
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishna
E

inia n
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

Yes. Look east of Bangladesh, just below the Brahmaputra valley, and you will find three hill
blocks marked side by side from west to east:

Page 37 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Garo Hills → Khasi Hills → Jaintia Hills

All three lie in the State of Meghalaya and together they make up the Meghalaya Plateau. The
name Meghalaya itself means ‘abode of the clouds’.

FEATURE OF THESE DETAIL
HILLS

Rainfall Among the highest in the world — Cherrapunjee (Sohra) and Mawsynram are here

Vegetation Lush greenery, dense forest, fertile land, unique wildlife

Waterfalls Breathtaking — the Seven Sisters Waterfalls (Fig. 1.41)

People and culture The Khasi festival Shad Suk Mynsiem, celebrated as gratitude towards nature; the living
root bridges near Nongriat village

Why the rain is so heavy: moist winds sweep north from the Bay of Bengal and run
straight into this steep wall of hills. They are forced to rise, cool down, and drop their
moisture as rain — right here.

Before we move on … — Page 24
The chapter in four points

BEFORE WE MOVE ON …

Q1 India gives its name to the subcontinent it is a part of.

The landmass of which India is a part is called the Indian Subcontinent — named after India, its
largest country.

It includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
It is called a subcontinent because it is part of the continent of Asia, yet mountains, desert
and sea set it clearly apart from the rest of it.

Why the name stuck: India is by far the largest country of the region in both area
and population, and the region's shared history, trade routes and culture all radiate
from it.

Page 38 of 55

as e
a g
Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
It has many diverse geographical features, ranging from the snowy Himalayas to
se
Q2

There.c o m l a
the heat of the Thar Desert. The plains are watered by a large number of rivers.
gwest and the Bay of
m a
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l a se in the east.
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ag
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m
The five regions of the chapter, at a glance:

l a se
REGION ag FROM THE CHAPTER
KEY FACTS

The great mountain
co m
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em.
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andethe
a
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a s
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large share of India's people

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om a s
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a Arabian Sea west, Bay of Bengal east, Indian Ocean south
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ag
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volcanic islands)
. co
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Tip: coasts, islands —
as is remembering the journey the chapter takes you on, from north to south and then
agl east.
se m
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Q3
a
These diverse geographic features have created a variety of conditions with respect
to soil, flora, fauna, life and economic opportunities, and honed a rich culture.

co m
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Each region gives its people a different set of possibilities — and they build a different way of

se mlife around it.
g l a
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g l as
a

co m
m .
m as e
.co


a g l Page 39 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

REGION SOIL / FLORA AND FAUNA LIVELIHOOD
CONDITIONS

Himalayas Thin soil, cold, snow Rhododendron; snow Herding, orchards, tourism,
leopard, Himalayan monal, pilgrimage
yak

Ladakh Rocky cold desert, below Ibex, Tibetan antelope, snow Simple pastoral life, monasteries,
–30°C leopard festivals such as Losar and Hemis

Plains Deep, mineral-rich Grey langur, tiger, gharial, Intensive farming, industry, trade,
alluvial soil peacock transport

Thar Sandy, dry, very hot days Hardy thorn scrub; camels Herding, crafts, fairs such as the
and cold nights Pushkar Mela, water harvesting

Plateau Minerals, forest, fertile Lion-tailed macaque, king Mining, hydroelectricity, farming,
land cobra, insectivorous plants forest livelihoods

Coasts and Deltas, lagoons, coral Mangroves, Royal Bengal Fishing, ports, sea trade, tourism
islands reefs Tiger, reef life

Why culture follows geography: houses are built from what is at hand (stone and
wood in the Himalayas — the kath-kuni style); food is what the land will grow and
what will keep; festivals mark the turning points of the local year. Change the land,
and all of these change with it.

Q4 These geographical features have played an important role in shaping our
civilisation.

Geography did not just decorate India's history — it directed it.

The mountains protected and connected. The Himalayas kept out the coldest northern
winds and made invasion difficult, so a distinct civilisation could grow. Yet passes through
them still carried traders, pilgrims and ideas.
The rivers built the cities. Civilisation in India grew on the banks of the Indus, Ganga and
Brahmaputra, because these rivers gave water, fertile soil and, for millennia, the easiest
routes for travel and trade.
The seas opened India to the world. A coastline of over 7500 km and ports on both coasts
made India a trading nation from very early times.
The land became sacred. Mountains, rivers and forests are treated as holy — the Himalayas
are dotted with temples and monasteries, and most rivers carry the names of goddesses.

Page 40 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why it matters: this is what Sri Aurobindo means in the quotation on the first page
— geography itself gives India ‘a certain national character’.

Questions and activities — Pages 24–25
End-of-chapter exercise

Q1 What, in your opinion, are two important geographical features of India? Why do
you think they are important?

Any two may be chosen, as long as the reason is clear. The two strongest choices are the
Himalayas and the Northern Plains with their rivers.
1. The Himalayas — important because:

They act as a natural barrier in the north, blocking the freezing winds of Central Asia and
giving northern India a far milder winter than other places at the same latitude.
They stop the monsoon winds and force them to drop their rain over India.
Their snow and glaciers feed the Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra all year — which is why
they are called the ‘Water Tower of Asia’.
They are a home of biodiversity and of pilgrimage, prayer and meditation.

2. The Northern (Gangetic) Plains — important because:

Their rivers bring down minerals that make the soil extremely fertile, so they feed a very
large part of the country.
Their flatness allowed a dense network of roads and railways, and the rivers themselves
carried travel and trade for millennia.
A very large proportion of India's population lives here, and much of India's history was
made here.

Sample answer: “In my opinion the two most important geographical features of
India are the Himalayas and the Gangetic Plains. The Himalayas shield us from the
icy winds of Central Asia and store water as snow, which feeds our great rivers all
year. Those rivers then create the Gangetic Plains, whose fertile soil feeds much of
India and where most of our people live. One gives us water; the other turns that
water into food.”

Page 41 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q2 What do you think India might have looked like if the Himalayas did not exist?
Write a short note or sketch a drawing to express your imagination.

Without the Himalayas India would be a much drier, much colder and far less green country.
Here is what would change, and why.

WHAT WOULD WHY
CHANGE

Freezing winters Nothing would stop the icy winds sweeping down from Central Asia. North India would have
bitterly cold winters instead of mild ones.

Far less rain The monsoon winds would not be blocked and forced to rise, so they would carry their moisture
on across Asia instead of raining on India.

No perennial There would be no snowfields and glaciers to melt in summer. The Ganga, Indus and
rivers Brahmaputra as we know them would not exist.

No Northern The plains are built of silt brought down by those rivers. With no mountains, there would be no
Plains silt and no plains — perhaps a shallow sea or dry, stony ground instead.

Different life Much less farming, far fewer people, no dense cities in the north — and much of the
country would look like the Thar Desert.

A different With no mountain wall, movement in and out of the subcontinent would have been much
history easier, and India's culture and history would have taken a very different shape.

Sample answer: “If the Himalayas had never risen, India would be a hard, dry land.
Cold winds from the north would sweep straight across the plains every winter, and
the monsoon clouds would sail over us without stopping. There would be no Ganga
fed by melting snow, and no soft fertile soil carried down and spread out to make
the plains. Much of northern India would look like Rajasthan does today — open,
sandy and thinly peopled. The mountains we can barely see from the plains are the
reason the plains are green at all.”

If you draw instead: show one half of the page as India today (white peaks, blue
rivers, green plains) and the other half as India without the Himalayas (open horizon,
thin dry rivers, yellow scrubland) — and label the differences.

Page 42 of 55

Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q3 India has been called a ‘mini-continent’. Based on what you’ve read, why do you
think this is so?

Because within one country India contains almost every kind of landform and climate that a
whole continent normally has.

WHAT A CONTINENT USUALLY HAS INDIA'S OWN VERSION

High mountain ranges The Himalayas, with peaks over 8000 m

Great river plains The plains of the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra

Hot deserts The Thar

Cold deserts Ladakh, below –30°C in winter

Old plateaus The Peninsular and Deccan Plateaus; the Aravallis, 2.5 billion years
old

Long coastlines Over 7500 km, with deltas, estuaries and lagoons

Rainforests and the world's wettest The Western Ghats; the Khasi hills of Meghalaya
places

Islands, coral reefs and a volcano Lakshadweep, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Barren Island

To this add a matching human diversity — hundreds of languages, dozens of ways of building a
house, and a different festival calendar in every region — and the size to hold it all: India is the
seventh-largest country in the world.

Why it happens: India stretches through nearly 30 degrees of latitude, from about
8°N to 37°N, and has both the highest mountains on Earth and warm tropical seas.
Such a wide spread of latitude and altitude in one country is bound to produce a
continent's worth of climates.

Page 43 of 55

as e
Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
Follow one of India’s big rivers from where it starts to where it meets the ocean.
e
Q4

com
What are the different ways in which people might utilise this river along its
g l as
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LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

se m
com l a
70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

. a g
m
ase
LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150
agl 150 – 300

River (arrow = direction of flow)
300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000

International boundary
3000 – 5000 Above 5000

Mountain peak

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The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude andalongitude
se m lines.

g l a
a c
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s e
c o m g la

Method for the group: pick onem . a
s e river, trace it on the physical map from source to mouth, divide

a g la and for each stretch ask — what does the river give people here, and
it into three or four stretches,
what do they give back to it? A good answer names the stretch, the place and the use.

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Sample answer — the Ganga, from Gaumukh to the Bay of Bengal:

STRETCH WHERE HOW PEOPLE USE THE RIVER

Source Gaumukh, the snout of the A sacred place of pilgrimage and a well-known trekking
Gangotri Glacier, destination
Uttarakhand

Mountain Devprayag, Rishikesh, Hydroelectricity from the fast fall of the water; river
course Haridwar rafting and tourism; bathing ghats and temples

Upper Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi Canal irrigation for wheat, rice and sugarcane; drinking
plains water; industry; fishing; great fairs and rituals on the
ghats

Lower Patna, Farakka, Kolkata Inland waterway transport of goods; the port of Kolkata;
plains brick-making from river clay; rich alluvial farming

Mouth The Sundarbans delta, Fishing and prawn farming; honey and firewood from the
West Bengal mangroves; tourism; the mangroves protect the coast
from cyclones

What the pattern shows: in the mountains the river's speed is useful — it turns
turbines. On the plains its water and silt are useful — they irrigate and enrich. At
the mouth its sediment and shelter are useful — they build farmland and forest.
One river, three different gifts.

Discuss also: what each use costs the river — sewage from cities, industrial waste,
plastic, over-fishing and dams that block the flow. A group that ends with “and here
is how we could use it better” has answered best.

Q5 Why is the southern part of India referred to as a peninsular plateau?

Because it is both a peninsula and a plateau at the same time. The name simply joins the two
facts.

peninsula = land surrounded by water on three sides

plateau = raised land with a more or less flat top and often steep sides

southern India = both → peninsular plateau

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why it is a peninsula: the southern part of India narrows to a point at Kanyakumari and has
sea on three sides —

the Arabian Sea on the west,
the Bay of Bengal on the east,
the Indian Ocean to the south.

Why it is a plateau: it is a triangular block of very old rock that stands well above the coastal
plains, with a broadly flat top (the Deccan Plateau) and steep edges — the Western Ghats and
the Eastern Ghats. It tilts gently towards the east, which is why the Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri
and Mahanadi all flow east into the Bay of Bengal.

Tip: Fig. 1.34 on page 20 shows the idea in one photograph — the hills of the
Western Ghats standing high and dropping almost straight into the Arabian Sea.

Q6 Which UNESCO Heritage Site mentioned in this chapter did you find more
interesting? Write a short paragraph to describe what about it is interesting.

First, the list. The chapter names four UNESCO World Heritage sites:

SITE WHERE WHY IT IS REMARKABLE

The Great Himachal Pradesh A wide diversity of flora and fauna, protected by the
Himalayan government together with the village communities
National Park living inside the park

Jaisalmer Fort Rajasthan, in the middle A living fort in the ‘Golden City’, built of yellow
of the Thar sandstone

The Western Ghats Along the west coast Home to many rivers and to extraordinary
biodiversity — the lion-tailed macaque, the king
cobra, insect-eating plants

The Sundarbans West Bengal, in the The largest mangrove forest in the world; home of
Ganga–Brahmaputra the Royal Bengal Tiger
delta

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Sample answer (the Sundarbans): “The heritage site I found most interesting is the
Sundarbans. It is not a building that people made, but a forest that a river made.
Where the Ganga and the Brahmaputra meet the sea, they drop so much silt that
the land itself is still being built. Salt water and fresh water mix there with every tide,
and mangrove trees grow with their roots in that salty mud. The forest shelters the
Royal Bengal Tiger — the only tigers in the world that regularly swim — and it also
shelters people, because the thick mangroves break the force of cyclones coming up
the Bay of Bengal. I find it interesting that one place can protect a tiger and a village
at the same time.”

What a good answer must contain: name the site, say where it is, give two or three
specific facts from the chapter, and end with your own reason for choosing it.

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q7 Look at the two maps of India, physical as well as political, given at the end of this
book. Identify the place you are at now. Which physical feature of India would you
use to describe its location?

K2
N
35° N
LADAKH
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
A SS
AFGHANISTAN
A
AA YY
M AA LL
HH II M
Sutl
ej
30° N
PAKISTAN
NEPAL
Kanchenjunga
Ind I

na
dn

mu BHUTAN
utra
PLAINS
su
us

LS
SL Ya INS map
NORTHERN
ERN PLA h
IL
LIH
THAR DESERT ra
NORTH Garo Hills
Garo Hills B
H

Jaintia Hills
Jaintia Hills
LI
ILL
AL

Cha Gaannga
A

G
AV
VA

25° N mba
l
AR
RA

Mt Abu
Rann of Kachchh VINDHYA RANGE BANGLADESH Khasi Hills
Khasi Hills
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N) CHOTA NAGPUR
N rmaaddaa
Naarm SATPURA RANGE
PLATEAU
Ma Mah MYANMAR
Tapi ha ana
Sundarbans
S
ST
AT AH
na
di di
20° N DECCAN PLATEAU
DECCAN PLATEAU
GH

ARABIAN SEA
G

God
NR N

ava
STAHG NRET
ATS

ER

ri
l Plain
nialP latsa

E

BAY OF BENGAL
ST
TSA
RN GH

EA

Krishna
E

inia n
oasta

la lP
lP l
ta
a
oC nretse

WESTE

ts

15° N
as
ern C

ao
Co
SEW

C

ANDAMAN ISLANDS
nr n
er
West

et
st sa
Ea
W

E

Kave
ri

10° N Anai Mudi
LAKSHADWEEP
NICOBAR ISLANDS
SRI LANKA
INDIAN OCEAN

70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

LEGEND Height above sea level (metres)

0 – 150 150 – 300 300 – 600 600 – 1500 1500 – 3000 3000 – 5000 Above 5000

River (arrow = direction of flow) International boundary Mountain peak

The physical map of India that this chapter asks you to keep beside you — redrawn here
with its legend and its latitude and longitude lines.

Page 48 of 55

as e
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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India
g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
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m l as
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N
35° N

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Ladakh
AFGHANISTAN CHINA
Jammu and Kashmir
Himachal Pradesh
Punjab

m NEPAL
Uttarakhand

co ag
30° N Haryana

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PAKISTAN Arunachal Pradesh

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NEPAL

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Assam

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Rajasthan Meghalaya Nagaland
Bihar
25° N Manipur

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Jharkhand BANGLADESH

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West Bengal

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20° N Odisha

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ARABIAN SEA
Maharashtra

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Karnataka
ANDAMAN ISLANDS

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Kerala
Tamil Nadu
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LAKSHADWEEP
LAKSHADWEEP
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INDIAN OCEAN

e m
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70° E 75° E 80° E 85° E 90° E 95° E

em a
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LEGEND International boundary State boundary National capital

ag l The political map of India referred to in the chapter — redrawn here with the States
named.
se m
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ANSWER agl

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Method: find your town or district on the political map first, because it shows State boundaries

.
and city names. Then look at exactly the same spot on the physical map and note the colour

m a s ema coast or a desert.
gl
and the nearest named feature — a mountain range, a river, a plateau,

. co your place using that. a
sem
Describe

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

IF YOU LIVE IN… THE PHYSICAL HOW TO SAY IT
FEATURE TO NAME

Delhi, Lucknow, Patna The Northern (Gangetic) “On the flat, fertile Gangetic Plains, near the
Plains Yamuna / Ganga.”

Jodhpur, Bikaner The Thar Desert “In the Thar Desert, west of the Aravalli Hills.”

Shimla, Dehradun, The Himalayas “In the Lower Himalayas / Himachal range.”
Gangtok

Hyderabad, Nagpur, The Deccan Plateau “On the Deccan Plateau, between the Western
Bengaluru and Eastern Ghats.”

Kochi, Mumbai, Panaji The western coastal plain “On the narrow west coast, between the
Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.”

Chennai, The eastern coastal plain “On the wide east coast, on the Bay of
Visakhapatnam, Puri Bengal.”

Shillong, Kohima, The hills of the Northeast “In the hills of the Northeast, on the
Itanagar Meghalaya Plateau.”

Sample answer: “I live in Bhopal. On the political map it is in Madhya Pradesh, in the
middle of India. On the physical map the same spot is light brown, which the legend
shows as raised land, and the Vindhya and Satpura hills are marked just to the
south. So I would describe my location as being on the northern edge of the
Peninsular Plateau, above the Narmada valley — high ground, well away from any
coast.”

Q8 Food preservation techniques differ from place to place across India. They are
adapted to local conditions. Do a class project. Gather different methods of
preserving food. Hint: Drying vegetables when they are in season for use during the
off-season.

How to run the project:

1. Divide the class into groups, one for each region of the chapter — Himalayas, plains, desert,
plateau, coast, north-east.
2. Each student interviews someone at home — a grandparent is best — about how food was
stored before refrigerators.

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

3. Record, for each method: the food, the method, the reason it works, and the local
climate that makes it possible.
4. Bring the findings together into one class chart, arranged by region. Photographs or small
samples make it much better.

Sample answer — a filled-in chart:

REGION METHOD EXAMPLE WHY IT WORKS THERE

Thar / Sun-drying Ker–sangri, dried gourd Fierce dry heat and very low humidity
Rajasthan (kaachri), papad, badi remove water fast

Himalayas / Freeze-drying in the Dried apricots, dried Long freezing winters with almost no
Ladakh cold, dry air; greens, hard cheese moisture in the air
smoking (chhurpi), dried meat

Northern Pickling in oil and Mango and lemon A hot dry summer between two crop
Plains salt; sun-drying achaar, dried methi seasons
leaves, wadi

Coasts Salting and sun- Dried fish (Bombay duck, Salt is abundant near the sea; fish
drying prawns), salted mango must be kept in a humid climate

Plateau / Storing in grain Jowar and bajra stored in A dry season long enough to store the
Deccan bins; sun-drying mud bins; dried chillies whole harvest

Northeast Smoking above the Smoked pork and fish, Very heavy rain and damp air make
hearth; fermenting fermented bamboo sun-drying impossible, so smoke and
shoot, axone fermentation are used instead

The common principle: food spoils because microbes need water. Every method
above takes the water away (drying), locks it up (salt, sugar), seals the food off
from air (oil), or makes it too acidic for spoilage microbes (fermenting) — and
each region simply uses whichever of these its own climate makes easiest.

Q9 Despite having such different regions (mountains, deserts, plains, coasts), India
remains one country. How do you think our geography has helped unite people?

The same geography that makes India varied also ties it together. Four ways in which it does so:

1. A frame of natural boundaries. Mountains in the north, desert and the Arabian Sea in the
west, the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Indian Ocean in the south enclose the whole
subcontinent. Living inside one clear frame gave people the sense of belonging to one land.

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

2. Rivers as highways. The Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus and the peninsular rivers have carried
people, goods and ideas for millennia. The flat plains then allowed roads and railways to knit
the country together. Trade routes joined the Himalayas to the sea ports.
3. One monsoon for everyone. The same rains reach almost the whole country between June
and September. Sowing, harvesting and therefore many festivals follow the same rhythm
from Kerala to Assam — a shared calendar of work and celebration.
4. Shared sacred geography. Rivers and mountains are held sacred everywhere, and
pilgrimage routes deliberately cross the country — Kedarnath in the Himalayas,
Rameswaram in the far south, Dwarka in the west, Puri in the east. People from every region
meet at the same places.

Why difference helps rather than divides: no region has everything. The
mountains give water and timber, the plains give grain, the plateau gives minerals,
the coasts give fish, salt and trade. Because each region needs what the others
produce, exchange between them has always been necessary — and exchange is
what builds a shared culture.

Sample answer: “Our geography unites us because it makes us depend on one
another. The Himalayas hold the snow that becomes the rivers; the rivers make the
plains that grow our food; the plateau gives the minerals and the coasts give the
trade. No part of India is complete on its own. Add to this one monsoon that reaches
nearly everyone at the same time, and pilgrimage routes that cross the whole
country, and it is easy to see why so many different regions have long thought of
themselves as one land.”

Chapter at a glance
India is the seventh-largest country in the world and part of Asia. With Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar it forms the Indian Subcontinent.
For study the land is grouped into five regions — the great mountain zone, the plains of
the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region, the southern peninsula, and the islands.
The Himalayas run about 2500 km like a wall in the north. Many peaks cross 8000 m (the
‘Eight Thousanders’). The range has three parts — Himadri (Greater), Himachal (Lower) and
the Shivalik Hills (Outer). Melting snow feeds the Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra, so the
range is called the ‘Water Tower of Asia’.
The Himalayas rose when the Indian landmass broke away from Gondwana, drifted north
and collided with Eurasia about 50 million years ago. India still pushes north about 5 cm a
year, and the mountains still rise about 5 mm a year.

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Ladakh is India's cold desert — winter below –30°C, very little rain, ‘moonland’ terrain and
the salty lake Pangong Tso. South of the mountains lie the fertile Gangetic Plains, home to
a very large share of India's people.
The Thar Desert spreads over Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana; its sand dunes can
rise 150 m. The Aravallis, about 2.5 billion years old, act as a natural barrier that stops the
desert moving east.
The Peninsular Plateau is bordered by the Western Ghats (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)
and the lower Eastern Ghats, with the Deccan Plateau between them. It tilts eastward, so
the Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri and Mahanadi flow east while the Narmada and Tapti flow
west.
India's coastline is over 7500 km long. It has two island groups — Lakshadweep (36 coral
islands) in the Arabian Sea and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (over 500 volcanic
islands) in the Bay of Bengal — and ends in the northeast with the rain-drenched Garo,
Khasi and Jaintia hills of the Meghalaya Plateau.

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co m
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Quick revision
m l a se
m .coWHAT IT MEANS ag / DETAIL
ase
TERM WHERE IT APPEARS EXAMPLE

agl
IN THE CHAPTER

Subcontinent A large landmass that is part of a Page 2 — India and its India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,

m
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continent but stands somewhat neighbours Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka,

sem
apart from it Myanmar

Himadri
a gla
The Greater Himalayas — the Page 6 — the three Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga
highest, most rugged range, snow- ranges

com
covered all year

.
a s emDarjeeling, Shimla,
com moderate climate and rich l
Himachal The Lower Himalayas, with a Page 6 Nainital,

m . agMussoorie
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gl Hills
biodiversity

aShivalik The Outer Himalayas — rolling Page 6 Between the Himalayas and

a s
com
hills and dense forest, a transition the Gangetic Plains

. agl
zone

a s em
agtolAfrica
Gondwana The huge ancient landmass India Page 5 — how the India broke away and drifted
was once part of, next Himalayas formed north

com
.
Cold desert A desert that is cold, not hot — Page 8 — Ladakh Winter below –30°C; Pangong
very little rain, rugged rocky land
se m
Tso; ‘moonland’

com l a
Pages 12–13 — the ag Sometimes as high as 150
.
em
Sand dune A hill-like heap of sand piled and

a s
gl
shaped by the wind Thar metres

a
se m
Taanka / kund Traditional Rajasthani tanks that Page 14 — DON'T Ingenious water conservation
store rainwater, often for drinking
c o m MISS OUT in the Thar
g l a
m . a
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agl
Plateau A landform that rises above the Page 16 — LET'S The Deccan Plateau
land around it and has a more or REMEMBER
less flat top

. c om
mSea, Bay of Bengal, Indian
Peninsula A piece of land surrounded by Page 16 — margin Peninsular India — Arabian

a se Ocean
com
water on three sides note

. ag l
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as Estuary
agl
The wide mouth of a river where it Page 19 — the West Narmada and Tapti estuaries,
meets the sea Coast the largest on the west coast
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landform built of sediment.cat a agl
Delta A triangular or fan-shaped Page 20 — the East Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna,

s em
Coast Kaveri; the Sundarbans delta

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river's mouth

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Class 7 Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

TERM WHAT IT MEANS WHERE IT APPEARS EXAMPLE / DETAIL
IN THE CHAPTER

Lagoon A body of water separated from a Page 20 Pulicat Lake; Chilika Lake
larger water body by a natural
barrier

Archipelago A group of islands Page 21 — 36 coral islands close to the
Lakshadweep Malabar coast

Living root A bridge grown by weaving tree Pages 23–24 — Near Nongriat village,
bridge roots together over many years Meghalaya Cherrapunjee; Mawlynnong
village

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