India, the seventh-largest country in the world, is known for its diverse physical (Physical Characteristics of India) geography. It is bordered by the Himalayan mountain range to the north, which includes some of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Kanchenjunga. The country is also home to vast plains such as the Indo-Gangetic Plain, rich in fertile soil due to the rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra. The western part of India features the Thar Desert, while the southern peninsula is surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Bay of Bengal to the east, and the Indian Ocean to the south. India’s coastline stretches over 7,500 kilometers, with a tropical climate in the south and more temperate conditions in the north. The Deccan Plateau dominates central India, flanked by the Eastern and Western Ghats. This diverse geography supports a wide range of ecosystems, from rainforests to arid regions, making India a country of immense natural beauty and contrast.
The Physical Characteristics of India
Historical Facts | Physical Characteristics of India |
Himalayan Mountain Range | Stretches across northern India, home to some of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest. |
Indo-Gangetic Plain | Fertile plains formed by the Ganges, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra rivers, supporting agriculture. |
Thar Desert | A large arid region in northwestern India, covering parts of Rajasthan. |
Western and Eastern Ghats | Mountain ranges along the western and eastern coasts of the Deccan Plateau. |
Deccan Plateau | A large plateau covering most of southern India, flanked by the Ghats. |
Rivers | Major rivers include the Ganges, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Godavari, and Krishna, vital for agriculture. |
Coastline | India has over 7,500 kilometers of coastline, bordering the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Indian Ocean. |
Climate | Ranges from tropical in the south to temperate in the north, with seasonal monsoons affecting the climate. |
Forests and Ecosystems | Diverse ecosystems ranging from tropical rainforests in the Western Ghats to dry deciduous forests. |
Introduction
India’s physical characteristics are marked by its vast geographical diversity, spanning a variety of landscapes and ecosystems. Covering an area of about 3.28 million square kilometers, India is the seventh-largest country in the world, with distinct topographical features that range from towering mountains to fertile plains and coastal regions. India is bounded on the north by the Himalayas and on the south, east and west by the open sea. On the north-east and on the north-west, ranges of hills connect the main chain of the Himalayas with the sea.
Natural boundaries of India
- (1) India is thus naturally protected on all sides. It must not be supposed, however, that she was cut off from the rest of the world by these formidable barriers. Himalaya is the most inaccessible frontier that nature has designed for any country, but even here, there are roads from Tibet to Nepal that have carried for ages not merely peaceful missionaries of culture and religion, but formidable hosts of soldiers as well.
- (2) Besides, there are mountain passes in the north-west which have served for ages as the high road of communication between India and the outer world. Apart from invasions and immigrations unrecorded in history, innumerable bands of colonists, merchants, and conquering hosts entered and left India through these passes in historical times ever since the Arvans crossed the Hindu Kush about four thousand years ago.
- (3) The north-eastern chains contain a remarkable gap through which the Brahmaputra enters India, and it must have been frequented by people of all ages, though recorded instances are few and far between. The sea too has never operated as a barrier to the enterprising Aryans. From early times they boldly plied the ocean and came into contact with islands and countries both far and near. But as the navy in ancient days could hardly ever be a formidable instrument for aggressive purposes, India was practically secure against invasions from the sea.
- (4) The natural frontiers of India thus gave security, but not immunity, from invasions, and while they ensured definite individuality to her people by separating them from the rest of Asia by well-marked boundary lines, they never isolated them from the rest of the world.
Area
Within these frontiers, India comprises an area of one hundred and fifty thousand English square miles and is thus equal in extent to the whole of Europe with the exclusion of Russia. Its coastline extends for more than three thousand miles, and its mountain barrier is half that length. Its population numbers nearly three hundred million.
Indin, a subcontinent, not country
- (1) The physical features of the country are varied in character—there being inaccessible mountain heights, the highest on the face of the earth, low alluvial plains, high tablelands, wild forests, secluded valleys, as well as arid deserts. It has the hottest plains as well as the coolest hill resorts. The variety in physical characteristics is only equalled by the variety of races, religions, and languages, and it may be said, without much exaggeration, that India alone contains greater varieties of each of these than the whole of Europe.
- (2) India cannot thus be looked upon as a country in the same sense in which we apply the term to modern European countries like France and Germany. It would be more conventional to look upon it as a continent and its different provinces as so many countries. The term subcontinent, recently applied to India, is a happy designation, and it will be well to bear in mind the full significance of such a name while reading its history.
- (3) To take an example, it will be unreasonable to look for that unity in Indian history that the annals of a country like France or Italy afford. Such unity may be expected only in kingdoms like Magadha, Gauda, Kosala, Surasena (Mathura), Avanti, and Karnata, each of which is equal in arca and population to many of the European states.
- (4) The occasional unity of India or a large part of it under the Mauryas or their successors should not be likened to processes in the formation of kingdoms such as we are familiar with in the case of modern European states or of the kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, and Italy. It should rather be compared to the brilliant but ephemeral empires, established by those ancient states or brought into existence by the imperial ambitions of Charlemagne, Charles V, Louis XIV, and Napoleon.
True Import of the above
- (1) Modern historians are never tired of emphasizing the contrast between the peaceful empire established by the British Raj and the unsuccessful efforts of the ancient Indians in that direction. They conveniently ignore the fact that in speaking of ancient India, they are speaking of a period when time and space had not been practically eliminated by the modern discoveries of science.
- (2) How physical characteristics influence history in this respect may be illustrated by one example. The news of Moplah riots reached the government at Simla in less than three minutes, and an adequate military force could be dispatched in an equal number of days. But if a rebellion had occurred in that region in the days of Asoka, the news would not have reached Pataliputra in less than three months, and at least double that period would have been necessary to send a requisite force.
- (3) A clear recognition of these factors is of primary importance for a proper understanding of Indian history. Failure to do this has often vitiated the judgment of historians. They have, for example, inferred that the Indians were unenterprising and lacked military skill, because there are no records of their expeditions outside their frontiers. But the fact is ignored that the subcontinent of India, together with Further India, Indo-China, and the Pacific Islands, offered too large a field for their military enterprise to tempt them outside its boundaries.
- (4) The largest empires ruled over by the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians were far less in extent than India, whose political boundaries in ancient times extended up to the Hindu Kush and the Helmund, together with its colonial empire in the cast. The Persian and Roman empires as well as the area over which Alexander gained his meteoric success are equal to or only a little larger than this greater India, while the empire of Louis XIV or of Napoleon is insignificant compared to its whole extent.
The Vindhyas
As regards the physical characteristics of the interior, the most noteworthy feature is the central range of hills known as the Vindhya, which divides India into two unequal portions. Its dense and impenetrable hills and forests made communication extremely difficult, and hence a sharp distinction has always been evident between the people of the north and the people of the south. The history of the two portions has also, generally speaking, followed independent courses, though at times they have been brought into contact with each other.
Northern India
The portion north of the Vindhya range contains fertile plains both in the east as well as in the west, with the desert of Rajputana intervening between the two. The plain on the west of the desert is watered by the Indus and that on the east by the Ganges system. These two rivers and their tributaries served as easy means of communication and hence their banks were studded from very ancient times with flourishing seats of civilization. The short space between the desert of Rajputana and the chains of Himalaya is the only connecting link between these two plains and serves as an admirable defending ground against any army from the west which seeks to penetrate into the interior of Hindustan. It was no mere accident that several battles which decided the fate of India were fought on this famous ground.
Southern India
The part of India lying south of the Vindhya is a great tableland that rises abruptly in the west and slowly descends towards the east, leaving only two long narrow strips of plain lands along the coast in both these directions. The Krishna and its tributary the Tungabhadra divide the tableland into two parts, the Deccan and the South India proper, which have often played separate but important roles in history. The two other important river systems in the south of the Vindhya are those of the Godavari in the north and the Kaveri in the south.
The wealth of India and its effect
- (1) The fertile plains of India, with easy means of irrigation, have made it one of the richest agricultural countries in the world. Metallic ores deposited in the soil, and huge timber forests have stimulated industry and manufacture. Large navigable rivers and extensive sea-coasts, studded with good Harbours, have developed inland and foreign trade and carried Indian products all over the civilized world.
- (2) To crown all, gold, silver, jewels, pearls, and various precious stones are found in abundance in the soil. All these factors made India the richest country in the world. The wealth of India became proverbial and tempted greedy invaders from beyond the mountain passes. The fertility of the soil and the wealth of the country were thus also indirect causes of her downfall and degradation.
- (3) It has often been alleged that they were also direct causes, inasmuch as they enervated the people and made them an easy prey to foreign invaders. This is however not so self-evident as has generally been assumed. Indian soldiers never lacked in bravery and hardihood and their defeat is to be traced to causes of a different character.
Influence of physical features upon the civilization of the country.
The wild and sublime beauty of nature in which India is peculiarly rich gave a philosophic and poetic turn to the Indian mind and remarkable progress was made in religion, philosophy, art and literature. But while casy means of livelihood favoured the growth of these elements, the absence of a keen struggle with nature was detrimental to the development of positive science. In short, almost all the main peculiarities of intellectual development in India may be explained with reference to its physical environments.
Conclusion
In conclusion, India’s physical characteristics are marked by remarkable diversity, encompassing a wide range of landscapes that include towering mountains, fertile plains, arid deserts, and lush forests. The Himalayan mountain range not only serves as a natural barrier but also influences the climate and river systems that sustain much of the country’s agriculture. The Indo-Gangetic Plain, with its rich soil, plays a crucial role in feeding the population, while the Deccan Plateau contributes to the country’s mineral wealth and unique ecosystems. Additionally, the extensive coastline provides access to marine resources and trade routes. This geographical diversity fosters a variety of climates and habitats, supporting a rich array of biodiversity. Overall, the physical features of India are integral to its cultural, economic, and environmental landscapes, shaping the lives of its people and the nation’s identity.
(FAQ) about the physical characteristics of India?
1. What are the major mountain ranges in India?
The major mountain ranges include the Himalayas in the north, the Western Ghats along the western coast, and the Eastern Ghats on the eastern side of the Deccan Plateau.
2. What is the Indo-Gangetic Plain?
The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a fertile region formed by the Ganges, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra rivers, crucial for agriculture in India.
3. Where is the Thar Desert located?
The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is located in northwestern India, primarily in the state of Rajasthan.
4. What is the significance of the Deccan Plateau?
The Deccan Plateau is a large elevated region in southern India, surrounded by the Eastern and Western Ghats, and plays a significant role in India’s geography and climate.
5. What is the length of India’s coastline?
India’s coastline stretches over 7,500 kilometers, bordering the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean.
6. How does India’s climate vary across the country?
India’s climate varies from tropical in the south to temperate in the north, with distinct monsoon seasons that affect rainfall and agriculture.
7. What are the major rivers in India?
Major rivers include the Ganges, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Godavari, and Krishna, which are vital for agriculture, transportation, and cultural significance.
8. What types of ecosystems are found in India?
India has a wide range of ecosystems, including tropical rainforests, dry deciduous forests, mangroves, deserts, and alpine vegetation in the Himalayas.