Notes-Class 10-Geography-Chapter-3-Physiography & Drainage-Maharashtra Board

(ii) Himalayan ranges in south-north direction :

• Shivalik (the southernmost range.)
• Lesser Himalayas.
• Greater Himalayas.

Many Trans Himalayan ranges are also located to the north of Himalayan Range.

(iii) Himalayan ranges in west-east direction :

• Western Himalayas (Kashmir Himalaya).
• Central Himalaya (Kumaun Himalayas)
• Eastern Himalaya (Assam Himalayas).

The information of the North Indian Plains is as follows :

(i) Division :

• Ganga Plains
• Thar Desert
• Punjab - Haryana Plains.

(ii) Features of Ganga Plain :

• The delta of Ganga-Brahmaputra rivers (Sundarbans) extends in the state of West Bengal in India and Bangladesh.
• Sundarbans is the largest delta region in the world.

(iii) Features of Thar Desert :

• The western part of the North Indian Plains is occupied by the Thar Desert (Marusthali).
• The state of Rajasthan is occupied by the Thar Desert.

(iv) Features of Punjab-Haryana Plain:

• The Plains of Punjab lies to the north of Thar Desert.
• It has very fertile soil.
• Agriculture is highly developed in this region.

(i) Mountains :

• The Aravalis Mountain range is located in the northern part.
• Vindhya and Satpuda ranges are located in the central part.
• Western Ghats (mountainous region) is located in the western part and
• Eastern Ghat (mountainous region) is located in the eastern part.

(ii) Plateaus : The Indian peninsula also includes a series of plateaus bordering the Plains.

• Maharashtra Plateau, Karnataka-Telangana Plateau, Chhota Nagpur Plateau, etc. are the main plateaus in this region.

Features of the western coastal region of India :

• Borders the Arabian Sea.
• Rocky and comparatively narrower.
• Short and westward flowing rivers flow to the western coast and meet the Arabian Sea.
• Rivers form estuaries in the western coastal region.

Features of the eastern coastal region of India :

• Borders the Bay of Bengal.
• Comparatively broader.
• Long and eastward flowing rivers flow to the eastern coast and meet the Bay of Bengal.
• Rivers form deltas in the eastern coastal regions.

Features of islands in Lakshadweep Islands group :

• Located in the Arabian Sea.
• To the southwest of the mainland of India.
• Far away from the western coastline of India.
• Atoll islands, comparatively small in extent and are short in height.

2) Andaman and Nicobar Islands : Andaman and Nicobar islands are group of islands of India located in the Bay of Bengal.

Features of islands in Andaman-Nicobar Islands group :

1) Located in the Bay of Bengal.

2) To the southeast of mainland of India.

3) Far away from the eastern coastline of India.

4) Islands in Andaman group :

• Only active volcanic islands in India, comparatively large in extent and have hilly regions in their interior parts. (Barren Island has the only active volcano in India.)
• Nicobar group : Most of the islands are atoll islands.

(ii) Guyana Highlands :

• Located in the northern part
• Pico de Neblina peak is the highest peak (3014 m) lying on the border between Brazil and Venezuela.

(iii) Brazilian Highlands :

• Located in the southern and eastern part
• Northern slope : (a) Amazon and its tributaries flow from the northern slope. (b) Many rapids and waterfalls are formed by these rivers. (c) Rivers originating from the northern slopes meet the Atlantic Ocean.
• Southern slope : (a) Major rivers like Uruguay, Paraguay and Parana originate from the southern slope. (b) These rivers flow from Brazil and enter Argentina.
• Eastern Slope : Very steep forming the Great Escarpment.

The Great Escarpment : The Great Escarpment border the eastern side of the

Brazilian Highlands. The information of the Great Escarpment is as follows :

(i) The nature and the altitude of the Great Escarpment :

• From Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre, the height of Brazilian Highlands/ Plateau decreases remarkably leading to the formation of the Great Escarpment.
• The altitude of the Great Escarpment/ eastern side of the Brazilian Highland is approximately 790 m.

(ii) The effect of the Great Escarpment on climate :

• It acts as a barrier to the southeast Trade winds.
• It leads to heavy rains in the Brazilian coastal areas and it also gives rise to the rain shadow area/ ‘Drought Quadrilateral' to the northeast of the Brazilian Highlands.

(i) Features of the northern coast :

• Extends from Amapa province in the north to Rio Grande do Norte.
• Northern coast is a low-lying region as Amazon and its many tributaries flow to the northern coast and meet North Atlantic Ocean
• Marajo island, Marajo and Sao Marcos Bays lie on this coast.

(ii) Features of the eastern coast :

• Extends from Rio Grande do Norte to the south.
• Many small rivers flow to the eastern coast and meet South Atlantic Ocean.
• Sao Francisco is the only major river meeting the South Atlantic Ocean in this region.
• Many beaches and sand dune complexes lie on the eastern coast of Brazil.
• In some areas, the eastern coast of Brazil is protected by coral reefs and atoll islands.

(i) Amazon Plains :

• Largest plain land of Brazil.
• Lies between Guyana Highlands and Brazilian Highlands in the northern parts of Brazil.
• Width is the maximum, i.e. nearly 1300 km in the west.
• The width is the minimum, i.e. 240 km where the Guyana Highlands and Brazilian
• Highlands come closer.
• Most of the area is inaccessible.

(ii) The plain of Paraguay and Parana rivers :

• Located to the southwest of the Brazilian Highlands.
• It is near the source region of Paraguay and Parana rivers.

(iii) Features of Pantanal region :

(1) One of the largest wetlands in the world.

(2) Characterized by swamps and marshes.

(3) Located towards the southwest of the Brazilian Highlands extending in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Reasons behind the formation of swamps in the extensive continental location of Pantanal :

• Paraguay river and its tributaries flow from the Pantanal region.
• Pantanal receives runoff from the Brazilian Highlands.
• The sediments brought by Paraguay river and its tributaries get deposited in the low lying Pantanal region.
• The sediments and erosion residues as well as water remains filled throughout the years in Pantanal region leading to formation of swamps.

(ii) Features of coastal islands :

• Formed due to depositional work of Amazon river and its tributaries.
• They are near the eastern coast of Brazil in South Atlantic Ocean and are coral islands/ atolls.

(iii) Features of marine islands :

• Were a part of the mainland of Brazil.
• Located in the Atlantic Ocean and nearly 300 km away from the mainland of Brazil.
• Rocky
• They are the tops of the submerged mountains.

Difference between the physiography of India and Brazil.

(ii) The features of Sindhu river and its tributaries :

• Main river : Sindhu
• Tributaries : Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, etc. All these rivers flow from the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Satluj originates near Man Sarovar.
• The deposition of sediments brought by Satluj and its tributaries has formed the Punjab-Haryana Plain.

(iii) The features of Ganga river and its tributaries :

• The main river Ganga originates from Gangotri glacier.
• Yamuna is a major tributary of Ganga and it originates at Yamunotri.
• Dihang, Brahmaputra are the tributaries of Ganga flowing in northeast region of India.
• Chambal, Ken, Betawa, Shon, Damodar, etc. are the peninsular tributary rivers of Ganga.

(ii) Features of westward flowing rivers in India :

• Many westward flowing rivers flowing from Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Southern Gujarat have similar features.
• Tapi, Narmada, Mahi and Sabarmati flow into the Gulf of Khambhat.
• Mahi river flows from the northeast to the southwest.
• Sabarmati river originates from the southern slopes of Aravalis.
• Luni river originates from the western slopes of Aravali and flows into the Gulf of Kutchchh.

(iii) Features of eastward flowing rivers in India :

• Ganga, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri are major eastward flowing rivers.
• Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri originate in the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.
• Godavari is the second largest river system in India in terms of the catchment area.
• Krishna river basin is located to the south of Godavari. Bhima and Tungabhadra are the major tributaries of river Krishna.
• River Kaveri flows through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is used for irrigation since a long time.

Measures are being taken to control pollution in the rivers of India :

The following measures are being taken to control pollution in the rivers of India :

• Controlling the discharge of human sewage into rivers.
• Applying sufficient and appropriate pre-treatment to the industrial effluent/waste before being discharged to the sewers.
• Displaying hoardings informing tourists not to pollute water of rivers and highlighting the importance of cleanliness.
• Removing solid waste from rivers and applying other river cleaning processes.

 (i) Features of Amazon basin :

• Amazon collects its headwaters from the eastern slopes of Andes Mountains in Peru.

• Amazon river basin forms the largest plains in Brazil.
• It is located in the northern parts of Brazil.
• Amazon river has a huge discharge, leading to formation of islands near its mouth.
• The width of the mouth of Amazon river is nearly 150 km. Most of the course and the mouth of Amazon river is used for navigation.

(ii) Features of Paraguay — Parana system :

• Located in the southwest region of Brazil.
• Paraguay and Parana flow in southwest direction in Brazil and meet River Plata in Argentina.
• Receives their headwaters from the southern slopes of Brazilian Highlands.

(iii) Features of Sao Francisco :

• Sao Francisco’s entire basin is within Brazil.
• It originates from the eastern slopes of Brazilian Highlands.
• From its origin, for a distance of about 1000 km it flows towards the north over the Brazilian Plateau and then takes a sharp eastward turn and enters the coastal strip along the South Atlantic Ocean.
• The downstream of Sao Francisco is used for navigation for nearly a distance of about 250 km.

(iv) Coastal rivers of Brazil :

• These rivers are of short length.
• Significant due to densely populated coastal area.
• River Paraniba and River Itapecuru flows to the north and meet the North Atlantic Ocean.
• River Jequitinhonha and River Pusguvach and some other rivers meet the South Atlantic Ocean.
• River Puraguaco flows to the east and enters the Atlantic Ocean near Salvador town.

Distinguish between Ganga River Basin and Amazon River Basin :