Distinction between Central Highlands and deccan Plateau

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.

Major physiographic divisions of India
(i) The Himalayan Mountains
(ii) The Northern Plains
(iii) The Peninsular Plateau
(iv) The Indian Desert
(v) The Coastal Plains
(vi) The Islands

Formation of the Himalayas:
(i) The convection currents and the lateral compressional forces were responsible for the formation of the Himalayas or great Himalaya Range.
(ii) In between the Gondwana land and the Eurasian Plate there was a narrow, elongated trough called the Tethys Sea. It was filled with sedimentary rocks.
(iii) Convectional currents in the crust split it into several plates.
(iv) The Indo Australian plate after separating from the Gondwana land drifted towards north. As a result both the north and southern plates collided.
(v) Due to collision, the sedimentary rocks accumulated in the geosyncline of the Tethys, got folded and uplifted.
(vi) The  uplifted folds in course of time assumed the stature of the Himalayas and the West Asian mountain system.

1. The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of Aravali Hilla
2. It is also called Thar Desert, and extends to Sindh province of Pakistan.
3. It is an undulating sandy plain coverd with sand dunes.
4. It has very low rainfall, below 150 mm per year.
5. It has arid climate.
6. It has very less vegetation.
7. Streams appear during the rainy season, but they disappear into sand due to very less water.
8.Luni is only river in this region.
9. Brachans (crescent shaped dunes) cover larger areas. Longitudinal dunes become more prominent near the Indo-Pakistan boundary.

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.

Barren Island, situated in the Andaman and Nicobar group of Island.

Lakshadweep