The Peninsular plateau is a tableland composed M old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks. It was formed due to breaking and drifting of Gondwana land, thus making it a part of the oldest landmass. This plateau has broad and shallow valleys and rounded hills. The Peninsular plateau consists of two broad divisions, namely the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.
Central Highlands
(i) The part of the Peninsular plateau lying to the North of the Narmada river covering a major area of the Malwa plateau is known as Central Highlands.
(ii) The Vindhyan range is bounded by the Central Highlands on the South and the Aravalis on the North-West. The westward extension gradually merges with the sandy and rocky desert of Rajasthan.
(iii) The flow of the rivers draining this region, namely the Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken, is from South-West to North-East, thus indicating the slope.
(iv) The Central Highlands are wider in the West, but narrower in the East.
(v) The eastward extensions of this plateau are locally known as Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand. The Chota Nagpur plateau marks the further eastward extension being drained by the Damodar river.
Deccan Plateau
This triangular area lies South of the Narmada. The Satpura mountain range marks its broad boundary in the North. The plateau is separated from the hills in the North-East by a geological fault. The hills are Garo, Khasi and Jaintia. The Western Ghats cause orographic rain by forcing the rain bearing moist monsoon winds to rise along the Western slopes of the ghats. The part of the plateau known as Deccan Trap contains black soil of volcanic origin.

(i) Corsls are small, short lived, sedentary marine animals with a calcareous horny skeleton.
(ii) These thrive in shallow, mud free and warm wastewater grow into large colonies called coral reefs.
(iii) They secrete calcium carbonate (hard rock like substance). The coral secretion and their skeletons form coral deposits in the form of reefs.
(iv) They are mainly of three types: barrier reef, fringing reefs and atolls.
(v) Atolls are circular or horse shoe shaped coral reefs.
Examples: The Great Barrier Reef of Australia; and Lakshadweep Islands.

1. The Decan Plateau is a triangular landmass.
2. It lies to the south of the river Narmada
3. The Satpura ranges flank in broad base in the north while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range are its eastward extension.
4. The Deccan plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards.

Meghalaya

Himachal or lesser Himalayas

(i) Himalaya covers a distance of 2,400 km.
(ii) Their width varies from 400 km in Kashmir to 150 km in Arunachal Pradesh.

Larger fragments of earth's crust are known as tectonic plates.

Distinction between Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(i) Lakshadweep Islands:
(1) It is located in the Arabian sea close to the Malabar coast of Kerala.
(2) This grouped of islands constitutes many small coral islands (known as Laccadive, Minicoy and island is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep
(3) Kavaratti island is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep
(4) This island group has great diversity of flora and fauna.
(5) The Pitti island has a bird sanctuary. This is uninhabite.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
(1) Elongated chain of islands from north to south in the Bay of Bengal is Andaman and Nicobar islands(2) THey are bigger in size and large in number and scattered.
(3) These islands are an elevated portion of submarine mountains
(4) These islands experience equatorial climate due to closeness to the equator.
(5) It has thick forest cover.
(6) India's only active volcano is found on Berren islands in Andaman and Nicobar group of islands.