THE GREAT INDIAN DESERT

THE GREAT INDIAN DESERT AND ITS EXTENSION

• The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is a large, arid region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent that forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan.  
• It is the world's 17th largest desert, and the world's 9th largest subtropical desert.
•  About 85% of the Thar Desert is in India, and the remaining part in Pakistan. 
• In India, it covers about 320,000 km² (120,000 sq mi), of which 60% is in Rajasthan and extends into Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana. 

• This desert comprises a very dry part, the Marusthali region in the west, and a semi desert region in the east with fewer sand dunes and slightly more precipitation.
• The indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills.
•  Its is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes.
•  This region receives very low rainfall below 150mm per year. It has arid climate with low vegetation cover. Streams appear during the rainy season. Soon after they disappear into the sand as they do not have enough water to reach the sea. 

• Luni is the only large river in this region.

• Barchans ( crescent shaped dunes) cover larger area but longitudinal dunes become more prominent near the Indo- Pakistan boundary. If you visit Jaisalmer , you may go to sea a group of barchans. 

GO BACK TO THE INDIAN GEOGRAPHICAL ZONE
SEE THE INDIAN PENINSULAR PLATEAU AND ITS EXTENSION 
TAKE A LOOK OF GREAT HIMALAYA

THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU

  PROPERTIES OF PENINSULAR PLATEAU: 

• The Peninsular Plateau is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks.
• It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of Gondwanaland and thus making it a part of the oldest landmass.
• The plateau has broad and shallow valleys and rounded hills.

DIVISIONS OF PENINSULAR PLATEAU:

The Peninsular plateau can be divided into two major parts :

1. Central Highlands 
2. Deccan Plateau

1.CENTRAL HIGHLANDS:

•  The part of the Peninsular Plateau lying to the North of Narmada river covering a major area of the Malwa Plateau is known as Central Highlands. 
• Vindhya range is bounded by the central highlands on the South and the Arawali Ranges on the Northwest.
• The further westward extension gradually merges with the sandy and rocky desert of Rajasthan.The flow of the rivers draining this region, namely the Chambal, the Sind , the Betwa and Ken is from Southwest to the Northeast, thus indicating the slope.
• The Central Highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east. The eastward extension of this plateau are locally know as the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
• The Chhotanagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension, drained by the Damodar river.

2.DECCAN PLATEAUS:

• The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.
• The Satpura Range flanks its broad base in the north while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills ans the Maikai Range form its eastern extensions.
•  Locate these hills and ranges in the physical map of india. The deccan plateau is the higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards. An extension of the plateau is also visible in the northeast locally known as the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North cachar Hills. 
• It is separated by  a fault from the Chhotanagpur plateau. 
• Three prominent hill ranges from the west to east are the Garo, the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills. 
• The western and the eastern ghats mark the western and the eastern edges of the deccan plateau respectively.
• Western ghats lie parallel to the western coast.They are continuous and can be crossed through passes only.
• Locate the Thal, Bhor and Pal Ghats in the Physical map of India.
• The Western Ghats are higher than the Eastern Ghats. Their average elevation is 900-1600 meters as against 600 meters of the eastern Ghats.
• The eastern ghats stretch from the Mahanadi Valley to the Nigiris in the south. 
• The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous and irregular and dissected by rivers draining into the bay of bengal.
•  The Western Ghats cause orographic rain by facing the rain bearing moist winds to rise along the slopes of the Ghats.
•  The western ghats are known by different local names. 
• The highest peaks include the Anai Mudi(2,695 meters)and Doda Betta (2,637 meters).
•  Mahendragiri(1,501 meters) is the highest peak in the eastern ghats.
•  Shevroy Hills and the Javadi hills are located to the southeast of the eastern ghats. Locate the famous hill stations of Udhagamandalam, popularly known as Ooty and the Kodaikanal.
• One of the distinct features of the Peninsular plateau is the black soil area known as Deccan Trap. This is the volcanic origin hence the rocks have denuded over the time and are responsible for the formation of the black soil. The aravali hills lie on the western and northwestern margins of the peninsular plateau. These are highly eroded hills and are found as broken hills. They extend from Gujarat to Delhi in a southwest - northeast direction.