Landforms and mountains
On a journey from Chhota Nagpur through Prayagraj to Almora you would see three very different landscapes: plateau, plain and mountain.
A landform is a natural physical feature of the Earth's surface. The three main ones are mountains, plateaus and plains. A mountain is much higher than its surroundings, with a broad base, steep slopes and a narrow summit.
In the figure : How to recognise a mountain, with Indian examples.
Landforms and mountains
In the app you can move this figure with your finger.
Open in the appRule 1: Kinds and age of mountains — Tall, sharp mountains like the Himalayas are relatively young and still growing. Shorter, rounded ones like the Aravalli are much older and worn down by erosion. Ranges: Himalayas (Asia), Alps (Europe), Andes (South America).
- Easy : The Himalayas are young mountains.
- Medium : Anamudi in Kerala is the highest peak of south India.
- Exam-type : How high is Everest? Answer: 8,848 m; Tibetans call it Chomolungma and Nepalis Sagarmatha.
Rule 2: Life in the mountains: chances and challenges — People cut steps into slopes for terrace farming; herding and tourism are important. Dangers include landslides, avalanches, cloudbursts and flash floods. Too many tourists strain the fragile environment.
- Easy : Terrace farming is done on mountain slopes.
- Medium : Bachendri Pal was the first Indian woman to climb Everest, in 1984.
- Exam-type : What is a landslide? Answer: the sudden collapse of a mass of earth or rock from a mountainside.
The Ganga rises in the Himalayas and is about 2,500 km long.
Treating hills and mountains as the same. Hills are lower with gentler slopes.
Mountain = broad base + steep slopes + narrow summit. Memory clue : "B-S-N" (Broad, Steep, Narrow).
Spot the difference
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Landform | A natural feature of the Earth | Mountain, plateau, plain |
| Mountain | Very high with a narrow top | Himalayas |
| Hill | Lower with a rounded top | Hills of the Sahyadri |
| Terrace farming | Farming on steps cut in a slope | North Indian hills |
Practice questions
- 1What is a landform?
- 2Name the three main landforms.
- 3Which is the highest peak in the world?
- 4Why are the Himalayas called young and the Aravalli old?
- 5What is terrace farming?
- 6Name two challenges for people living in mountains.
- 7Why is too much tourism risky for mountains?
- 8Why do many communities hold mountains sacred? Give one example.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A natural physical feature of the Earth's surface.
- 2Mountains, plateaus and plains.
- 3Mount Everest (8,848 m).
- 4The Himalayas formed recently in geological time and are still growing; the Aravalli is very old and worn round.
- 5Farming on steps cut into a slope.
- 6Any two: landslides, avalanches, cloudbursts, flash floods, cold.
- 7Too many visitors strain the fragile environment and increase waste and pollution.
- 8High peaks seem to symbolise nature's power; for example Mount Kailash is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and followers of Bon.
Plateaus
At Jog Falls in Karnataka or Nohkalikai Falls in Meghalaya, you stand at the edge of a plateau.
A plateau is a raised landform with a more or less flat top; some of its sides are steep. Plateaus may be a few hundred to several thousand metres high.
In the figure : What a plateau is, with main examples.
Rule 1: Plateaus are rich in minerals — Plateaus are called storehouses of minerals, so mining is a major activity. The Chhota Nagpur Plateau has huge reserves of iron, coal and manganese; the East African Plateau is famed for gold and diamonds.
- Easy : Coal is found on the Chhota Nagpur Plateau.
- Medium : The rocky soil on many plateaus is less fertile for farming.
- Exam-type : What is the exception? Answer: lava plateaus often have rich black soil.
Rule 2: Famous plateaus and waterfalls — The Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest; it is about 2,500 km long from east to west. The Deccan Plateau of central and south India was formed by volcanic activity. Rivers falling over plateau edges make waterfalls.
- Easy : The Tibetan Plateau is called the "Roof of the World".
- Medium : The Nohkalikai Falls drop about 340 m from the Cherrapunji Plateau.
- Exam-type : On which river are the Jog Falls? Answer: the Sharavati, in the Western Ghats.
Plateau = flat on top, some sides steep; it has no pointed summit like a mountain.
Treating a plateau and a plain as the same. A plateau is raised; a plain is low and flat.
Plateau = high + flat + minerals. Memory clue : "H-F-M" (High, Flat, Minerals).
Spot the difference
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plateau | Raised landform, flat on top | Deccan Plateau |
| Tibetan Plateau | Largest and highest plateau | Average height 4,500 m |
| Lava plateau | Formed from volcanic lava | Black soil |
| Waterfall | A river falling over a cliff | Jog, Hundru |
Practice questions
- 1What is a plateau?
- 2Which is the largest and highest plateau in the world?
- 3How was the Deccan Plateau formed?
- 4Why are plateaus called "storehouses of minerals"?
- 5Which minerals are found on the Chhota Nagpur Plateau?
- 6Name one waterfall and where it is.
- 7Why is farming less common on plateaus, and what is the exception?
- 8Give two differences between a plateau and a mountain.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A raised landform with a more or less flat top.
- 2The Tibetan Plateau.
- 3Through volcanic activity millions of years ago.
- 4Because large deposits of minerals such as iron, coal and gold are found there.
- 5Iron, coal and manganese.
- 6For example the Nohkalikai Falls, Cherrapunji Plateau (Meghalaya).
- 7Rocky soil is less fertile; the exception is the rich black soil of lava plateaus.
- 8A plateau has a flat top while a mountain has a narrow one; a plateau is broader and less steep overall.
Plains
If your village is surrounded by flat fields and a river, you live on a plain; the first civilisations grew in such places.
A plain is a broad flat or gently undulating land with no large hills or deep valleys, usually not more than 300 m above sea level. Rivers deposit sediments to make floodplains.
In the figure : Features of a plain, and the Ganga plain.
Rule 1: Rivers build fertile plains — Rivers from mountains carry rock, sand and silt and deposit them on the plain. The soil becomes fertile and all kinds of crops grow.
- Easy : Farming is the main occupation on plains.
- Medium : The Ganga plain grows rice, wheat, maize, cotton and jute.
- Exam-type : What are sediments? Answer: fine particles of rock, sand and soil carried by rivers.
Rule 2: Life and challenges on plains — More than one-fourth of India's people live on the Ganga plain. Farming was once rain-fed; now canals and groundwater irrigate it, but groundwater is falling. The gentle slope makes river transport easy, and sources and confluences of rivers are sacred to many communities.
- Easy : Irrigation increased production.
- Medium : Too much pumping lowers the groundwater level.
- Exam-type : Why did ancient civilisations grow on plains? Answer: fertile soil, water and easy transport.
Most people live on plains because food and water are easy to get.
Thinking all plains are equally fertile. Those with river silt are more fertile.
Plain = flat + fertile + densely populated. Memory clue : "F-F-P" (Flat, Fertile, Populated).
Spot the difference
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | Broad flat land (below 300 m) | The Ganga plain |
| Floodplain | A plain made by river silt | Indus-Ganga plain |
| Sediments | Rock, sand and silt carried by a river | Fertile soil |
| Irrigation | Giving water to fields artificially | Canals, pumps |
Practice questions
- 1What is a plain?
- 2Up to roughly what height are plains?
- 3Name two crops of the Ganga plain.
- 4What are sediments?
- 5Why are plains fertile?
- 6What problem has irrigation created?
- 7Why is river transport easy on a plain?
- 8Why is population higher on plains?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A broad flat or gently undulating land.
- 2Up to about 300 m above sea level.
- 3Any two: rice, wheat, maize, cotton, jute.
- 4Fine particles of rock, sand and soil carried by rivers.
- 5Because rivers deposit silt brought from the mountains.
- 6Overuse of groundwater is making it fall.
- 7Because the gentle slope makes the water flow slowly.
- 8Fertile land, plenty of water and easy transport make life easier.
Deserts and how people adapt
The folk songs and legends of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan show how people create culture even in a harsh land.
A desert is a large dry expanse with very little precipitation. Some are hot (Sahara, Thar), some cold (Gobi). Adaptation is the ability to adjust to surroundings.
In the figure : Kinds of deserts and the five tinais.
Rule 1: The distinct life of deserts — Desert plants and animals are special and life is hard; yet humans have settled in almost all deserts. The communities of the Thar have a rich tradition of folk songs and legends.
- Easy : The Thar Desert lies in the northwest of India.
- Medium : The Sahara is in Africa and the Gobi in Asia.
- Exam-type : Are all deserts hot? Answer: no, some such as the Gobi are cold.
Rule 2: Tinai: an ancient idea of five landscapes — Ancient Tamil Sangam poetry names five tinais (landscapes): mountain, forest, fertile plain, seashore and dry land. Each had its own occupations, deities and moods.
- Easy : A tinai means a type of landscape.
- Medium : This shows ancient people knew their landforms well.
- Exam-type : How are tinais and landforms related? Answer: both classify landscapes; the tinai is an ancient Indian classification.
Humans live on every landform — a sign of our power to adapt.
Thinking a desert is only sand. It is any very dry region with little rain.
Desert = little rain; hot (Thar, Sahara) or cold (Gobi). Memory clue : "T-S-G" (Thar, Sahara, Gobi).
Spot the difference
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Desert | Dry region with very little rain | Thar Desert |
| Hot desert | Very hot by day | Sahara |
| Cold desert | Cold and dry region | Gobi |
| Tinai | Five landscapes of Sangam poetry | Kurinji (hills), Marutam (plain) |
Practice questions
- 1What is a desert?
- 2Name one hot and one cold desert.
- 3Where is the Thar Desert in India?
- 4What is a tinai?
- 5Which five landscapes do the Sangam tinais cover?
- 6How can people live even in deserts?
- 7What is common between the tinai system and the mountain-plateau-plain system?
- 8Give one advantage and one difficulty of living on a landform of your choice.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A large dry expanse with very little precipitation.
- 2Hot: Sahara or Thar; cold: Gobi.
- 3In the northwest of India.
- 4A type of landscape in ancient Tamil poetry.
- 5Mountain, forest, fertile plain, seashore and dry land.
- 6Because people adapt their way of life, use of water and occupations to the conditions.
- 7Both classify regions by the shape and character of the land.
- 8For example plains: advantage — fertile land; difficulty — floods or falling groundwater.