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India Land
India, with an area of 3.3 million sq. km, is a subcontinent. The peninsula is
separated from mainland Asia by the Himalayas. The country lies between
8deg.4' and 37deg.6' north of the Equator and is surrounded by the Bay of
Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean to the south.
The Himalayas form the highest mountain range in the world, extending
2,500 km over northern India. Bounded by the Indus river in the west and
the Brahmaputra in the east, the three parallel ranges, the Himadri,
Himachal and Shivaliks have deep canyons gorged by the rivers flowing into
the Gangetic plain.The western Himalayas, with the Kashmir, Kulu and Manali valleys, include
the lofty highland plateau of Ladakh. The central Himalayas extend over
northern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal, while the eastern Himalayas stretch into
North Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. In the eastern areas of the
country are the Purvanchal mountains which consist of Patkai Bum, Naga,
Garo, Khasi and Jaintia and the Mizo and Lushai hills, named after the tribes
that inhabit them.The constant erosion of these lofty mountains by the raging torrential rivers
builds the vast alluvial plains of the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra. The
Ganga meanders across this vast plain from the north-west to the east
where it is joined by the Brahmaputra. The two rivers form the world's
largest and most fertile delta before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
The Indian peninsula is an ancient land and was once part of the larger
continent of Gondwanaland. Its Deccan Plateau is formed of old crystalline
and lava rocks. It is cut off from the Gangetic plain by a series of low
ranges like the Aravallis and Vindhyas. The plateau has the Eastem Ghats
on its eastern extremity and the higher ranges of the Western Ghats to the
west. A narrow uneven coastal plain in the west is dissected by swift
flowing rivers, beautiful estuaries, lagoons and backwaters. The east coast
is wide and has deltas of the Godavari, Mahanadi and Cauvery rivers.
Flanking the peninsula on either side are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.