Distinction between Central Highlands and deccan Plateau

(i) Pir Panjal, the longest range
(ii) Dhauladhar range
(iii) Mahabharat range

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.

The Indian Desert
(i) The Indian Desert lies in the states of Rajasthan, North Gujarat, South Punjab and Western Haryana.
(ii) It is sandy track. Sand dunes dominate the terrain.
(iii) It is devoid of forests, only shrubs and scrubs are here and there.
(iv) Water scarcity looms large.

Different physiographic region of our country highlights the unique features of each region.
 (i) The mountains are the major sources of water and forest wealth.
 (ii) The nortern plains are the granaries of the country
 (iii) They provide the base for the early civilisations
 (iv) The plateau is a storehouse of minierals, which has played a crucial role in the industrialisation of the country.
 (v) The coastal regions and the islands groups provide site fishing and port activities.
Hence the diverse physical features of the land immense future possibilities of development.

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.

Gondwana land

(i) Kashmir valley (J & K)
(ii) Kangra and kullu valleys (Himachal Pradesh)

To the south of the Himadri range

Eastern Coastal Plains are more fertile because:
(i) These are wide and level, while western coastal plain is narrow plain.
(ii) Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and Kaveri have formed extensive delta on this coast. These rivers also provide irrigations to surrounding area.