Physical Geography of India
Geography: KS3, topic 18.1.2
Physical Geography
India is the 7th largest country by landmass with a total land area of 2,973,190 km².
Physical features
- India has a wealth of distinctive physical features formed by the interaction of processes including:
- Mountain ranges, deserts, rivers, islands and coastal regions.
Rivers
- The three main rivers flowing through India are:
- The Ganges, the Indus and Brahmaputra.
The Ganges
- The Ganges (2510 km long) is a vital river for the country for both financial and sacred reasons.
- The source is located in the Himalaya Mountains. It then flows downstream through Calcutta before finally flowing out into the Bay of Bengal.
- The citizens of India rely on the river to grow crops.
Mountains
- The highest mountain range in India is found in the Northeast.
- The Himalayas separates the country from the Tibetan plateau.
- Here we find the tallest peak in the world, Mount Everest.
Deserts
- India has one of the largest deserts in the world, The Great Thar Desert.
- It stretches an estimated 77,000 square miles across the North West of the country.
- It is characterised by both small and large sand dunes, ranging from 15 metres in height to over 150 metres and saline lake beds.
- The climate is extremely dry with little precipitation throughout the year (less than 300mm per year) and temperatures exceeding 50°C in the summer.
Test yourself on Physical Geography of India
Which of the following would not be found in India?
Where in India is the highest mountain range?