Physical features of India Class 9 Geography Chapter 2 Extra Questions are available here. These extra questions are prepared by the subject experts.
Physical features of India Class 9 Geography Chapter 2 Extra Questions
Question 1: What are the major physical features of India?
Answer: India has practically all major physical features of the earth, including mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus, and islands.
Question 2: What constitutes one of the ancient land masses on the earth’s surface in India?
Answer: The Peninsular Plateau constitutes one of the ancient land masses on the earth’s surface.
Question 3: What is the geological nature of the Himalayan mountains?
Answer: The Himalayan mountains form an unstable zone and represent a very youthful topography with high peaks, deep valleys, and fast-flowing rivers.
Question 4: How are the northern plains of India formed?
Answer: The northern plains are formed of alluvial deposits.
Question 5: What is the composition of the Peninsular Plateau?
Answer: The Peninsular Plateau is composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks with gently rising hills and wide valleys.
Question 6: What are the major physiographic divisions of India?
Answer: The major physiographic divisions of India are:
- The Himalayan Mountains
- The Northern Plains
- The Peninsular Plateau
- The Indian Desert
- The Coastal Plains
- The Islands
Question 7: What are the characteristics of the Himalayan Mountains?
Answer: The Himalayas are geologically young and structurally fold mountains that stretch over the northern borders of India. They represent the loftiest and one of the most rugged mountain barriers in the world.
Question 8: In which direction do the Himalayan ranges run?
Answer: The Himalayan ranges run in a west-east direction from the Indus to the Brahmaputra.
Question 9: What is the distance covered by the Himalayan arc?
Answer: The Himalayan arc covers a distance of about 2,400 Km.
Question 10: How does the width of the Himalayas vary?
Answer: The width of the Himalayas varies from 400 Km in Kashmir to 150 Km in Arunachal Pradesh.
Question 11: How do the altitudinal variations in the Himalayas differ?
Answer: The altitudinal variations are greater in the eastern half than in the western half.
Question 12: How many parallel ranges does the Himalaya consist of in its longitudinal extent?
Answer: The Himalaya consists of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent.
Question 13: What is the northern-most range of the Himalayas known as?
Answer: The northern-most range is known as the Great or Inner Himalayas or the Himadri.
Question 14: What is the average height of the Great or Inner Himalayas?
Answer: The Great or Inner Himalayas have an average height of 6,000 metres.
Question 15: What does the Great or Inner Himalayas contain?
Answer: The Great or Inner Himalayas contain all prominent Himalayan peaks.
Question 16: What is the height of Mt. Everest and in which country is it located?
Answer: Mt. Everest is 8848 metres high and is located in Nepal.
Question 17: What is the height of Kanchenjunga and in which country is it located?
Answer: Kanchenjunga is 8598 metres high and is located in India.
Question 18: What is the height of Makalu and in which country is it located?
Answer: Makalu is 8481 metres high and is located in Nepal.
Question 19: What is the height of Dhaulagiri and in which country is it located?
Answer: Dhaulagiri is 8172 metres high and is located in Nepal.
Question 20: What is the height of Nanga Parbat and in which country is it located?
Answer: Nanga Parbat is 8126 metres high and is located in India.
Question 21: What is the height of Annapurna and in which country is it located?
Answer: Annapurna is 8078 metres high and is located in Nepal.
Question 22: What is the height of Nanda Devi and in which country is it located?
Answer: Nanda Devi is 7817 metres high and is located in India.
Question 23: What is the height of Kamet and in which country is it located?
Answer: Kamet is 7756 metres high and is located in India.
Question 24: What is the height of Namcha Barwa and in which country is it located?
Answer: Namcha Barwa is 7756 metres high and is located in India.
Question 25: What is the height of Gurla Mandhata and in which country is it located?
Answer: Gurla Mandhata is 7728 metres high and is located in Nepal.
Question 26: What is the nature of the folds of the Great Himalayas?
Answer: The folds of the Great Himalayas are asymmetrical in nature.
Question 27: What is the core of the Great Himalayas composed of?
Answer: The core of the Great Himalayas is composed of granite.
Question 28: What is a notable feature of the Great Himalayas regarding snow and glaciers?
Answer: The Great Himalayas are perennially snow-bound, and a number of glaciers descend from this range.
Question 29: What is the range lying to the south of the Himadri known as?
Answer: The range lying to the south of the Himadri is known as Himachal or Lesser Himalaya.
Question 30: What are the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya ranges mainly composed of?
Answer: The Himachal or Lesser Himalaya ranges are mainly composed of highly compressed and altered rocks.
Question 31: What is the altitude range and average width of the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya?
Answer: The altitude of the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya varies between 3,700 and 4,500 metres, and the average width is 50 Km.
Question 32: Which range forms the longest and most important range in the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya?
Answer: The Pir Panjal range forms the longest and most important range in the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya.
Question 33: What are the other prominent ranges in the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya?
Answer: The Dhaula Dhar and the Mahabharat ranges are also prominent ranges in the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya.
Question 34: What famous valleys are located in the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya?
Answer: The famous valleys in the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya are the Kashmir Valley, the Kangra Valley, and the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh.
Question 35: What is the Himachal or Lesser Himalaya region well-known for?
Answer: This region is well-known for its hill stations.
Question 36: What are some features mentioned that lie in the Great Himalayas?
Answer: Some features mentioned include glaciers and passes.
Question 37: What is the outer-most range of the Himalayas called?
Answer: The outer-most range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks.
Question 38: What is the width and altitude range of the Shiwaliks?
Answer: The Shiwaliks extend over a width of 10-50 Km and have an altitude varying between 900 and 1100 metres.
Question 39: What are the Shiwaliks composed of?
Answer: The Shiwaliks are composed of unconsolidated sediments brought down by rivers from the main Himalayan ranges located farther north.
Question 40: What covers the valleys of the Shiwaliks?
Answer: The valleys of the Shiwaliks are covered with thick gravel and alluvium.
Question 41: What are the longitudinal valleys lying between the lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks known as?
Answer: The longitudinal valleys lying between the lesser Himalaya and the Shiwaliks are known as Duns.
Question 42: What are some well-known Duns?
Answer: Some well-known Duns are Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun, and Patli Dun.
Question 43: On what basis have the Himalayas been divided besides longitudinal divisions?
Answer: The Himalayas have been divided based on regions from west to east, demarcated by river valleys.
Question 44: What is the part of the Himalayas lying between the Indus and Satluj rivers traditionally known as?
Answer: The part of the Himalayas lying between the Indus and Satluj rivers is traditionally known as the Punjab Himalaya. It is also regionally known as the Kashmir Himalaya in the west and the Himachal Himalaya in the east.
Question 45: What is the part of the Himalayas lying between the Satluj and Kali rivers known as?
Answer: The part of the Himalayas lying between the Satluj and Kali rivers is known as the Kumaon Himalayas.
Question 46: What demarcates the Nepal Himalayas?
Answer: The Kali and Teesta rivers demarcate the Nepal Himalayas.
Question 47: What is the part of the Himalayas lying between the Teesta and Dihang rivers known as?
Answer: The part of the Himalayas lying between the Teesta and Dihang rivers is known as the Assam Himalayas.
Question 48: What marks the eastern-most boundary of the Himalayas?
Answer: The Brahmaputra marks the eastern-most boundary of the Himalayas.
Question 49: What happens to the Himalayas beyond the Dihang gorge?
Answer: Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply to the south and spread along the eastern boundary of India.
Question 50: What are the hills and mountains beyond the Dihang gorge known as?
Answer: They are known as the Purvachal or the Eastern hills and mountains.
Question 51: What are the hills running through the north-eastern states mostly composed of?
Answer: These hills are mostly composed of strong sandstones, which are sedimentary rocks.
Question 52: What covers these hills?
Answer: These hills are covered with dense forests.
Question 53: How do these hills mostly run?
Answer: These hills mostly run as parallel ranges and valleys.
Question 54: What does the Purvachal comprise?
Answer: The Purvachal comprises the Patkai hills, the Naga hills, the Manipur hills, and the Mizo hills.
Question 55: How has the northern plain been formed?
Answer: The northern plain has been formed by the interplay of the three major river systems, namely the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries.
Question 56: What type of soil forms the northern plain?
Answer: The northern plain is formed of alluvial soil.
Question 57: How was this fertile plain formed?
Answer: The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying at the foothills of the Himalaya over millions of years formed this fertile plain.
Question 58: What area does the northern plain cover?
Answer: The northern plain spreads over an area of 7 lakh sq. km.
Question 59: What are the dimensions of the northern plain?
Answer: The northern plain is about 2400 km long and 240 to 320 km broad.
Question 60: What is the population density of the northern plain like?
Answer: The northern plain is a densely populated physiographic division.
Question 61: Why is the northern plain agriculturally productive?
Answer: With a rich soil cover combined with adequate water supply and favorable climate, the northern plain is agriculturally productive.
Question 62: What are the rivers coming from the northern mountains involved in?
Answer: The rivers coming from the northern mountains are involved in depositional work.
Question 63: What causes the formation of riverine islands in the lower course of the rivers?
Answer: In the lower course, due to the gentle slope, the velocity of the river decreases, resulting in the formation of riverine islands.
Question 64: What happens to the rivers in their lower course due to the deposition of silt?
Answer: The rivers in their lower course split into numerous channels due to the deposition of silt.
Question 65: What are the channels formed by the splitting of rivers known as?
Answer: These channels are known as distributaries.
Question 66: How is the Northern Plain broadly divided?
Answer: The Northern Plain is broadly divided into three sections.
Question 67: What is the western part of the Northern Plain referred to as?
Answer: The western part of the Northern Plain is referred to as the Punjab Plains.
Question 68: Which rivers form the Punjab Plains?
Answer: The Punjab Plains are formed by the Indus and its tributaries.
Question 69: Where does the larger part of the Punjab Plains lie?
Answer: The larger part of the Punjab Plains lies in Pakistan.
Question 70: Which rivers originate in the Himalaya and are part of the Punjab Plains?
Answer: The Indus and its tributaries — the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, and the Satluj originate in the Himalaya.
Question 71: What is the section of the Punjab Plains dominated by?
Answer: This section of the plain is dominated by the doabs.
Question 72: What does the word ‘Doab’ mean?
Answer: ‘Doab’ is made up of two words — ‘do’ meaning two and ‘ab’ meaning water.
Question 73: What does the word ‘Punjab’ mean?
Answer: ‘Punjab’ is made up of two words — ‘Punj’ meaning five and ‘ab’ meaning water.
Question 74: What is Majuli, and where is it located?
Answer: Majuli, in the Brahmaputra river, is the largest inhabited riverine island in the world.
Question 75: Between which rivers does the Ganga plain extend?
Answer: The Ganga plain extends between the Ghaggar and Teesta rivers.
Question 76: Over which regions is the Ganga plain spread?
Answer: The Ganga plain is spread over North India in Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, partly Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
Question 77: Where is the Brahmaputra plain located?
Answer: In the East, particularly in Assam, lies the Brahmaputra plain.
Question 78: How are the northern plains generally described, and is it true?
Answer: The northern plains are generally described as flat land with no variations in its relief. This is not true, as the plains have diverse relief features.
Question 79: Into how many regions can the Northern plains be divided according to the variations in relief features?
Answer: According to the variations in relief features, the Northern plains can be divided into four regions.
Question 80: What is the bhabar region, and how is it formed?
Answer: The bhabar is a narrow belt of about 8 to 16 km in width lying parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks where the rivers deposit pebbles after descending from the mountains. All the streams disappear in this bhabar belt.
Question 81: What is the terai region, and how is it formed?
Answer: South of the bhabar belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge and create a wet, swampy, and marshy region known as terai. It was a thickly forested region full of wildlife, which has been cleared to create agricultural land and to settle migrants from Pakistan after partition.
Question 82: What notable national park is located in the terai region?
Answer: Dudhwa National Park is located in this region.
Question 83: What forms the largest part of the northern plain?
Answer: The largest part of the northern plain is formed of older alluvium.
Question 84: What feature does the older alluvium present?
Answer: The older alluvium presents a terrace-like feature.
Question 85: What is the older alluvium part of the northern plain known as?
Answer: This part is known as bhangar.
Question 86: What does the soil in the bhangar region contain?
Answer: The soil in the bhangar region contains calcareous deposits, locally known as kankar.
Question 87: What are the newer, younger deposits of the floodplains called?
Answer: The newer, younger deposits of the floodplains are called khadar.
Question 88: Why are khadar deposits considered ideal for intensive agriculture?
Answer: Khadar deposits are renewed almost every year and are very fertile, making them ideal for intensive agriculture.
Question 89: What is the Peninsular Plateau composed of?
Answer: The Peninsular Plateau is composed of old crystalline, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.
Question 90: How was the Peninsular Plateau formed?
Answer: The Peninsular Plateau was formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land, making it a part of the oldest landmass.
Question 91: What are the main geographical features of the Peninsular Plateau?
Answer: The Peninsular Plateau has broad and shallow valleys and rounded hills.
Question 92: What are the two broad divisions of the Peninsular Plateau?
Answer: The two broad divisions of the Peninsular Plateau are the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.
Question 93: What is the part of the Peninsular Plateau lying to the north of the Narmada river known as?
Answer: The part of the Peninsular Plateau lying to the north of the Narmada river is known as the Central Highlands.
Question 94: What major area does the Central Highlands cover?
Answer: The Central Highlands cover a major area of the Malwa Plateau.
Question 95: What ranges bound the Vindhyan range?
Answer: The Vindhyan range is bounded by the Satpura range on the south and the Aravalis on the northwest.
Question 96: With what does the westward extension of the Central Highlands gradually merge?
Answer: The westward extension of the Central Highlands gradually merges with the sandy and rocky desert of Rajasthan.
Question 97: What is the flow direction of the rivers draining the Central Highlands region?
Answer: The rivers, namely the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa, and the Ken, flow from southwest to northeast, indicating the slope.
Question 98: How do the Central Highlands vary in width from west to east?
Answer: The Central Highlands are wider in the west but narrower in the east.
Question 99: What are the eastward extensions of the Central Highlands locally known as?
Answer: The eastward extensions of the Central Highlands are locally known as Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand.
Question 100: What marks the further eastward extension of the Peninsular Plateau?
Answer: The Chotanagpur Plateau marks the further eastward extension.
Question 101: Which river drains the Chotanagpur Plateau?
Answer: The Damodar River drains the Chotanagpur Plateau.
Question 102: What is the shape and location of the Deccan Plateau?
Answer: The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.
Question 103: What flanks the broad base of the Deccan Plateau in the north?
Answer: The Satpura range flanks the broad base of the Deccan Plateau in the north.
Question 104: What hills and ranges form the eastern extensions of the Deccan Plateau?
Answer: The Mahadev, the Kaimur hills, and the Maikal range form the eastern extensions of the Deccan Plateau.
Question 105: How does the elevation of the Deccan Plateau vary from west to east?
Answer: The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards.
Question 106: What is the extension of the Deccan Plateau in the northeast locally known as?
Answer: The extension of the Deccan Plateau in the northeast is locally known as the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau, and North Cachar Hills.
Question 107: How is the northeast extension of the Deccan Plateau separated from the Chotanagpur Plateau?
Answer: It is separated by a fault from the Chotanagpur Plateau.
Question 108: What are the three prominent hill ranges from the west to the east in the northeast extension of the Deccan Plateau?
Answer: The three prominent hill ranges are the Garo, the Khasi, and the Jaintia Hills.
Question 109: What marks the western and eastern edges of the Deccan Plateau?
Answer: The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats mark the western and eastern edges of the Deccan Plateau, respectively.
Question 110: How do the Western Ghats lie in relation to the western coast?
Answer: The Western Ghats lie parallel to the western coast.
Question 111: How can the Western Ghats be crossed?
Answer: The Western Ghats can be crossed through passes such as the Thal, Bhor, and Pal Ghats.
Question 112: Which Ghats are higher, Western or Eastern?
Answer: The Western Ghats are higher than the Eastern Ghats.
Question 113: What is the average elevation of the Western Ghats compared to the Eastern Ghats?
Answer: The average elevation of the Western Ghats is 900–1600 metres, whereas the Eastern Ghats have an average elevation of 600 metres.
Question 114: From where to where do the Eastern Ghats stretch?
Answer: The Eastern Ghats stretch from the Mahanadi Valley to the Nilgiris in the south.
Question 115: How are the Eastern Ghats described in terms of continuity and river dissection?
Answer: The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous, irregular, and dissected by rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal.
Question 116: What climatic effect do the Western Ghats have?
Answer: The Western Ghats cause orographic rain by facing the rain-bearing moist winds to rise along their western slopes.
Question 117: What are the highest peaks in the Western and Eastern Ghats?
Answer: The highest peaks in the Western Ghats include Anai Mudi (2,695 metres) and Doda Betta (2,637 metres). Mahendragiri (1,501 metres) is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats.
Question 118: Where are the Shevroy Hills and the Javadi Hills located?
Answer: The Shevroy Hills and the Javadi Hills are located to the southeast of the Eastern Ghats.
Question 119: What are some famous hill stations in the region?
Answer: Famous hill stations in the region include Udagamandalam (Ooty) and Kodaikanal.
Question 120: What is the Deccan Trap, and how was it formed?
Answer: The Deccan Trap is a black soil area of volcanic origin. The rocks are igneous and have denuded over time, forming the black soil.
Question 121: Where do the Aravali Hills lie, and how are they described?
Answer: The Aravali Hills lie on the western and northwestern margins of the Peninsular plateau. They are highly eroded and found as broken hills extending from Gujarat to Delhi in a southwest-northeast direction.
Question 122: Where is the Indian desert located?
Answer: The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills.
Question 123: What is the terrain of the Indian desert like?
Answer: The terrain is an undulating sandy plain covered with sand dunes.
Question 124: How much rainfall does the Indian desert receive annually?
Answer: The Indian desert receives very low rainfall, below 150 mm per year.
Question 125: What type of climate does the Indian desert have?
Answer: The Indian desert has an arid climate with low vegetation cover.
Question 126: What happens to streams in the Indian desert?
Answer: Streams appear during the rainy season but soon disappear into the sand as they do not have enough water to reach the sea.
Question 127: What is the only large river in the Indian desert?
Answer: Luni is the only large river in this region.
Question 128: What type of sand dunes cover larger areas of the Indian desert?
Answer: Barchans (crescent-shaped dunes) cover larger areas of the Indian desert.
Question 129: What type of sand dunes become more prominent near the Indo-Pakistan boundary?
Answer: Longitudinal dunes become more prominent near the Indo-Pakistan boundary.
Question 130: What can you see if you visit Jaisalmer?
Answer: You may go to see a group of barchans if you visit Jaisalmer.
Question 131: What flanks the Peninsular plateau on the west and east?
Answer: The Peninsular plateau is flanked by narrow coastal strips running along the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east.
Question 132: What is the western coast of India sandwiched between?
Answer: The western coast is sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
Question 133: What are the three sections of the western coast?
Answer: The three sections of the western coast are the Konkan (Mumbai – Goa) in the north, the Kannad Plain in the central stretch, and the Malabar Coast in the south.
Question 134: How are the plains along the Bay of Bengal described?
Answer: The plains along the Bay of Bengal are wide and level.
Question 135: What are the northern and southern parts of the eastern coast called?
Answer: The northern part is referred to as the Northern Circar, while the southern part is known as the Coromandel Coast.
Question 136: Which large rivers have formed extensive deltas on the eastern coast?
Answer: The Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri rivers have formed extensive deltas on the eastern coast.
Question 137: What is an important feature along the eastern coast?
Answer: Lake Chilika is an important feature along the eastern coast.
Question 138: What is the significance of Lake Chilika?
Answer: Lake Chilika is the largest saltwater lake in India.
Question 139: Where is Lake Chilika located?
Answer: Lake Chilika lies in the state of Odisha, to the south of the Mahanadi delta.
Question 140: How many groups of islands does India have besides the vast mainland?
Answer: India has two groups of islands.
Question 141: What are the two groups of islands in India?
Answer: The two groups of islands are the Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Question 142: Where are the Lakshadweep Islands located?
Answer: The Lakshadweep Islands are located close to the Malabar coast of Kerala.
Question 143: What is the composition of the Lakshadweep Islands?
Answer: The Lakshadweep Islands are composed of small coral islands.
Question 144: What were the Lakshadweep Islands previously known as?
Answer: They were previously known as Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindive.
Question 145: When were the islands named Lakshadweep?
Answer: They were named Lakshadweep in 1973.
Question 146: What is the area covered by the Lakshadweep Islands?
Answer: The Lakshadweep Islands cover a small area of 32 sq km.
Question 147: What is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep?
Answer: Kavaratti island is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep.
Question 148: What is Pitti Island known for?
Answer: Pitti Island is uninhabited and has a bird sanctuary.
Question 149: Where are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands located?
Answer: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located in the Bay of Bengal, extending from north to south.
Question 150: How are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands described in terms of size and number?
Answer: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are bigger in size and more numerous and scattered.
Question 151: How is the entire group of Andaman and Nicobar Islands divided?
Answer: The entire group is divided into two broad categories: the Andaman in the north and the Nicobar in the south.
Question 152: What is believed about the origin of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?
Answer: It is believed that these islands are an elevated portion of submarine mountains.
Question 153: Why are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands strategically important for India?
Answer: These island groups are of great strategic importance for the country.
Question 154: What type of climate do the Andaman and Nicobar Islands experience?
Answer: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands experience an equatorial climate.
Question 155: What is the vegetation like in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?
Answer: The islands have a thick forest cover and great diversity of flora and fauna.
Question 156: Where is India’s only active volcano found?
Answer: India’s only active volcano is found on Barren Island in the Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands.
Question 157: What does a detailed account of different physiographic units highlight?
Answer: A detailed account highlights the unique features of each region.
Question 158: How do different regions of India complement each other?
Answer: Each region complements the other and makes the country richer in its natural resources.
Question 159: What are the mountains in India major sources of?
Answer: The mountains are major sources of water and forest wealth.
Question 160: What role do the northern plains play in India?
Answer: The northern plains are the granaries of the country and provide the base for early civilizations.
Question 161: What is the significance of the plateau region in India?
Answer: The plateau is a storehouse of minerals, which has played a crucial role in the industrialization of the country.
Question 162: What do the coastal region and island groups provide in India?
Answer: The coastal region and island groups provide sites for fishing and port activities.
Question 163: What is the significance of the diverse physical features of India?
Answer: The diverse physical features of the land have immense future possibilities for development.