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Location:
- South of the Northern Plains in India, spanning about 1.6 million sq. km, nearly half of India’s total area.
Features:
- Made up of ancient rock formations with hills, smaller plateaus, and valleys.
- Bounded by the Aravalli Range in the northwest, the Bundelkhand Uplands, Kaimur, Rajmahal Hills in the north and northeast, the Western Ghats in the west, and the Eastern Ghats in the east.
- Average elevation is around 600 meters above sea level, with Anamudi Peak (2695 m) as the highest point.
- Slopes from west to east, part of the ancient Gondwana land.
- Divided by the Narmada River into Central Highlands (north) and Deccan Plateau (south).
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Central Highlands:
Location:
- North of the Narmada River, between the Northern Plains.
Features:
- Aravalli Range marks the northern and northwestern boundaries, extending from Gujarat to Delhi.
- The region slopes from Delhi (400 meters) to the southwest (1500 meters) with Guru Shikhar (1722 m) as the highest peak.
- The western part is known as the Malwa Plateau, situated between the Aravalli Range and the Vindhya Range.
- Rivers like Chambal, Betwa, and Ken flow here and merge with the Yamuna River.
- The eastern extension is known as Bundelkhand, and further east, it’s referred to as Baghelkhand.
- The Chotanagpur Plateau lies in the northeastern part, known for its mineral wealth like iron ore and coal, covering parts of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
Deccan Plateau:
- Largest natural formation in peninsular India- Triangular shape
- Bordered by Vindhya-Satpura ranges, Western and Eastern Ghats
- Area: 700,000 sq km, elevation: 500-1000m
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Western Ghats:
- Along western edge of peninsula
- Northern part called Sahyadri
- Height increases southward
- Annaimalai, Elamalai, Palani hills meet at Anaimudi peak
- Hill station Kodaikanal located here
Eastern Ghats:
- Runs southwest to northeast along eastern edge
- Also called Purvadricular
- Meets Western Ghats at Nilgiri Hills
- Discontinuous, cut by rivers
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Great Indian Desert:
- Also called Thar Desert
- Northwestern India’s largest arid region
- Area: 200,000 sq km, spanning India-Pakistan border
- 17th largest desert globally, 9th largest subtropical desert
- West of Aravalli range, covers 2/3 of Rajasthan- Two parts: Marusthali (full desert), Banger (semi-desert)- Contains salt lakes (Dhands) and sand dunes