SPI Geography · Free notes
Physical Features of India: SPI Geography
The physical features of India account for 12 questions in the SPI bank, one from the sample paper and eleven from the LWS mocks, and none of them is HARD. Nearly every one is a name taken straight from the Class 9 chapter on India's physical divisions: a range, a peak, a belt of alluvium, a plateau or an island headquarters. The wrong options are usually real names from a different part of the map, so learn each name with the one fact that places it.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
The Himalayas and the Northern Plains
5 questionsThe Himalayas run in three parallel ranges and are divided from west to east by rivers; south of them, the Northern Plains are made of river deposits laid down in belts.
The Plateau, Desert, Coasts and Islands
7 questionsSouth of the plains lies the old Peninsular Plateau, edged by the Western and Eastern Ghats; to its west is the Indian Desert, and around it run the coastal plains and two groups of islands.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 8 reference tables · 15 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 8 reference tables · 15 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (4)
The three parallel ranges and the highest peaks3 rows
| Range | Other name | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| Himadri | Great or Inner Himalayas | Northernmost and highest; snow all year |
| Himachal | Lesser or Middle Himalayas | Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar, Mahabharat ranges; hill stations |
| Shiwalik | Outer Himalayas | Lowest and outermost, 900 to 1,100 m Duns such as Dehra Dun lie between the Himachal and the Shiwalik. |
Divisions of the Himalayas by river valleys4 rows
| Division | From river | To river |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab Himalayas | Indus | Satluj |
| Kumaon Himalayas | Satluj | Kali |
| Nepal Himalayas | Kali | Teesta |
| Assam Himalayas | Teesta | Dihang |
Belts of the Northern Plains: bhabar, terai, bhangar, khadar4 rows
| Name | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Bhabar | Belt of pebbles, 8 to 16 km wide; streams disappear | Foot of the Shiwaliks |
| Terai | Wet, swampy, marshy land; streams reappear | South of the bhabar |
| Bhangar | Older alluvium | Above the flood level |
| Khadar | Newer, younger alluvium; very fertile | Flood plains Khadar is renewed by floods almost every year. |
Parts of the Northern Plains from west to east3 rows
| Part | River system | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab plain | Indus and its tributaries | West |
| Ganga plain | Ganga | Between the Ghaggar and the Teesta |
| Brahmaputra plain | Brahmaputra | Assam, in the east |
Watch out for (7)
- Mixing up Himadri and Himachal→ The three parallel ranges and the highest peaks
- Taking the Karakoram for a peak→ The three parallel ranges and the highest peaks
- Calling the Purvanchal a part of the Assam Himalayas→ Divisions of the Himalayas by river valleys
- Getting the river order wrong→ Divisions of the Himalayas by river valleys
- Mixing up bhabar and bhangar→ Belts of the Northern Plains: bhabar, terai, bhangar, khadar
- Thinking the older alluvium is the more fertile→ Belts of the Northern Plains: bhabar, terai, bhangar, khadar
- Calling the bhabar a part of the plain→ Parts of the Northern Plains from west to east
Reference tables (4)
The Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau4 rows
| Part | Where | Named pieces |
|---|---|---|
| Central Highlands | North of the Narmada | Malwa plateau; Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand to the east |
| Chotanagpur plateau | East of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand | Drained by the Damodar |
| Deccan Plateau | South of the Narmada | Satpura range on its north; Mahadev, Kaimur, Maikal to the east |
| Meghalaya plateau | North east | Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills |
The Western and Eastern Ghats3 rows
| Feature | Western Ghats | Eastern Ghats |
|---|---|---|
| Average height | 900 to 1,600 m | About 600 m |
| Shape | Continuous; crossed through passes | Broken by rivers |
| Highest peak | Anai Mudi, 2,695 m | Mahendragiri, 1,501 m |
The Indian Desert4 rows
| Feature | Fact |
|---|---|
| Location | West of the Aravali hills, mostly in Rajasthan |
| Rainfall | Below 150 mm a year |
| Typical dunes | Barchans, shaped like a crescent |
| Only large river | Luni, in Rajasthan |
Coasts, mangroves and islands7 rows
| Place | Fact |
|---|---|
| Konkan coast | West coast from Mumbai to Goa |
| Malabar coast | Southern part of the west coast, in Kerala |
| Coromandel coast | Southern part of the east coast, in Tamil Nadu |
| Chilika lake | Largest saltwater lake in India, in Odisha |
| Sundarbans | Largest mangrove forest, Ganga and Brahmaputra delta, West Bengal Named after the sundari tree. |
| Lakshadweep | Coral islands in the Arabian Sea; headquarters Kavaratti |
| Andaman and Nicobar | Islands in the Bay of Bengal; Barren Island volcano |
Watch out for (8)
- Taking the Chotanagpur plateau for the eastward extension→ The Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau
- Putting the Maikal range in the Central Highlands→ The Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau
- Choosing the capital for the biggest city→ The Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau
- Giving Anai Mudi for the Eastern Ghats→ The Western and Eastern Ghats
- Taking the Khasi for a peak→ The Western and Eastern Ghats
- Choosing Gujarat for the Luni→ The Indian Desert
- Looking for mangroves inland→ Coasts, mangroves and islands
- Putting Lakshadweep in the Bay of Bengal→ Coasts, mangroves and islands
Question weightage by concept
8 concepts · 12 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
Question weightage by concept
8 concepts · 12 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The three parallel ranges and the highest peaks | 2 | 17% |
| Divisions of the Himalayas by river valleys | 1 | 8% |
| Belts of the Northern Plains: bhabar, terai, bhangar, khadar | 1 | 8% |
| Parts of the Northern Plains from west to east | 1 | 8% |
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coasts, mangroves and islands | 3 | 25% |
| The Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau | 2 | 17% |
| The Western and Eastern Ghats | 1 | 8% |
| The Indian Desert | 1 | 8% |
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past SPI paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.