Download Class 9 Social Science NCERT Solutions PDF - Contemporary India Chapter 2: Physical Features of India

 

Download the Class 9 Social Science NCERT Solutions PDF for Contemporary India Chapter 2: Physical Features of India. This resource provides detailed explanations and answers, helping students understand India's diverse landforms, including mountains, plains, plateaus, and coastal regions. Perfect for exam preparation and enhancing geographic knowledge.

Download Class 9 Social Science NCERT Solutions PDF - Contemporary India Chapter 2: Physical Features of India

Chapter 2: Physical Features of India

QUESTION 1: 

Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.

 (i) A landmass bounded by sea on three sides is referred to as

(a) Coast                                          (b) Peninsula
(c) Island                                          (d) None of the above

 ANSWER: (b) Peninsula

 (II) Mountain ranges in the eastern part of India forming its boundary with Myanmar are collectively called as

(a) Himachal                                  (b) Purvachal
(c) Uttarakhand                              (d) None of the above

ANSWER: (b) Purvachal

 (III) The western coastal strip, south of Goa is referred to as

(a) Coromandel                             (b) Kannad
(c) Konkan                                    (d) Northern Circar

 

ANSWER: (b) Kannad

 (IV) The highest peak in the Eastern Ghats is

(a) Anai Mudi                              (b) Mahendragiri
(c) Kanchenjungaa                     (d) Khasi

ANSWER: (b) Mahendragiri

QUESTION 2: Answer the following questions briefly:

(I) What are tectonic plates?

(II) Which continents of today were parts of the Gondwana land?

(III) What is bhabar?

(IV) Name the three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south.

(V)   Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhyan ranges?

(VI) Name the island group of India having coral origin.

ANSWER 2:

(I) Due to internal heat of the earth, the currents of the semi-molten rocks begin to move towards the crust and tear it apart dividing it into large fragments called lithospheric or tectonic plates. There are seven such major plates namely, South America, North America, Pacific, Indo–Australian, Eurasian, African and Antarctic.

 (II) Gondwana land is the name given to the hypothetical ‘super-continent’ located in Southern hemisphere. Gondwana Land included South America, part of Africa (south Africa including Madagascar), part of Asia (India, Arabia, Malaya), Australia and Antarctica, prior to its break-up under the forces causing continental-drift.

 (III) The ‘Bhabar’ is that narrow belt of the plain which is covered with pebbles and lies along the foothills of the Shiwaliks from the Indus to the Teesta. This belt is laid down by numerous streams descending down the hills.

 (IV) The three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south are:
a) The northernmost range which is known as the great Himalayas or Inner Himalayas or the Himadri.
b) The range lying to the south of the Himadri which is known as Himachal or the lesser Himalaya.
c) The outermost range of the Himalayas which is known as the Shiwaliks. These are the foothill ranges and represent the southernmost division of the Himalayas.

(V) Malwa plateau or Central Highland
(VI) Lakshdweep.

QUESTION 3:

Distinguish between
(I)    Converging and diverging tectonic plates.
(II)    Bhangar and Khadar
(III) Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats.

ANSWER 3:

(I) The internal heat of the earth makes the molten rocks to rush towards the surface of the earth and drive the crust into large fragments known as “Tectonic Plates”. These plates are drifting oven the mantle of the earth. As a result when the two or more plates are pushed towards each other they are called ‘Converging Plates’. On the other hand if they are moving away from each other, they are called ‘Diverging Plates’.

(II) According to the age of the soils of the Northern Plain they have been differentiated by two names: (a) Bhangar and (b) Khadar. The difference between these two are mentioned below:

a) Bhangar - These are the older alluvium or old soil and form the largest part of the Northern Plains.

They lie above the flood plains of the rivers and present a terrace like structure. It often contains Kankar nodules made of calcareous deposits.

b) Khadar - The newer and younger deposits of the flood plains are known as ‘Khadar’. So, these are the new alluvium or new soil and are very fertile. Thus, Khadar is ideal for intensive agriculture.

(iii)

	WESTERN GHATS			EASTERN GHATS
	1. The Western Ghats are situated and mark			1. The Eastern Ghats are situated and mark
	the western edges of Deccan Plateau parallel			the eastern edges of Deccan Plateau parallel
	to  the  western  coasts  of  India  along  the			to the eastern coasts of India along the Bay
	Arabian Sea.			of Bengal.
	2.  Continuous,  can  be  crossed  through  the			2. Discontinuous, irregular and dissected by
	passes only.			rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal.
	3.  The  Western  Ghats  are  higher  than  the			3. Average elevation is 600 meters.
	Eastern  Ghats.  Average  elevation  is  900  -			4.Thehighestpeaksincludethe
	1600 meters.
				Mahendragiri, the Javadi Hills.
	4.  The  height  increases  progressively  from			5. The Eastern Ghats also enclose a strip of
	north to south. The highest peaks include the
				land between its eastern slopes and the Bay
	Anai Mudi, the Doda Belta.
				of  Bengal  which  is  known  as  the  Eastern
	5. The Western Ghats enclose a narrow strip			Coastal Plain. It is wider than the Western
	between its western slopes and the Arabian			Coastal strip with its maximum breadth 120
	Sea  which  is  known  as  Western  Coastal			km.
	Plain. Its maximum width is 64 km.			6.  It  receives  rain  both  in  summer  and
	6.  It  experiences  orographic  rain  mostly  in			winter, especially in winter through winter
	summer due to the summer monsoons. The			monsoons. However, here the rain is lesser
	climate is hot and moist.			than the western strip.
	7. Here the soil is highly fertile. Rice, spices,			7. The soil is not as fertile as western strip.
	rubber and fruits like coconuts, cashew nuts			Rice, ground nuts, cotton, tobacco, coconuts
	etc. are grown here.			etc. are grown here.

QUESTION 4:

 Describe how the Himalayas were formed.

ANSWER 4:

The Indian Peninsula drifted towards the north and finally collided with the much larger Eurasian Plate. As a result of this collision, the sedimentary rocks which were accumulated in the geosynclines (known as Tethys) got folded and formed the mountain systems of the West Asia and Himalaya.

QUESTION 5: 

Which are the major physiographic divisions of India? Contrast the relief of the Himalayan region with that of the Peninsular plateau.

ANSWER 5:

The major physiographic divisions of India are the following:
a) The Himalayan Mountain Wall of the north.
b) The Northern Plains.

c) The Peninsular Plateau.
d) The Indian Dessert.
e) The Coastal Plains.
f) The Islands.
The following table compares and contrasts between the relief of the Himalayan region with that of the Peninsular plateau.

Himalayan Region

1.The Himalayas are young fold mountains of comparatively recent origin.
2.They are the highest mountains in the world.
3. Many great rivers like - the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra originate from the Himalayas.
4.The Himalayas are formed of the sedimentary rocks.
5.They are formed at the edge of the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
6. Important hill stations like - Shimla, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Nainital are found on the Himalayas.

Peninsular Plateau

1.  They are a part of the oldest structures of the Indian subcontinent.
2.  The Central Highlands are formed of low hills and there is no high peak of world-wide fame in these hills.
3.  Very few rivers like - the Narmada and the Tapti originate from these hills.
4.  The Central Highlands are formed of igneous and metamorphic rocks.
5.  They are formed at the edge of the Deccan Plateau.
6.  No well known hill station is found here.

QUESTION 6: 

Give an account of the Northern Plains of India.

ANSWER 6:

The Great Northern Plain extends from the Punjab Plain in the west to the Brahmaputra valley in the east. 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. The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying at the foothills to the south of the Himalayas over millions of years formed this fertile plain. It spreads over an area of 7 lakh square km. The plain is about 2400 km long and 240 - 320 km broad. The rich soil cover combined with the abundant water supply and favourable climate made this agriculturally a very productive part of India. Because of this factor the density of population is also the highest in this region among all the physiographic divisions of India. The Northern Plain is broadly divided into three sections:

a) The Punjab Plain - It is the western part of the Northern Plain formed by the Indus and its tributaries. This section is dominated by the Doabs.

b) The Ganga Plain - It is the largest part of the Northern Plain and extends between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers.
c) The Brahmaputra Plain - It forms the eastern part of the Northern Plain by the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries. It is narrower than the Ganga Plain and is a flood prone area. In the south-east side of the Northern Plain lays the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta which is the largest delta of the world.

QUESTION 7:

Write short notes on the following.
(i)  The Indian Desert
(ii)  The Central Highlands
(iii)  The Island groups of India

ANSWER 7:

(i) Lying towards the west of the Aravali Hills, the Indian Desert is an undulating sandy plain covered with crescent-shaped

and longitudinal sand dunes. This region is characterised by very little rainfall, an arid climate and low vegetation cover.

Streams appear only during the rainy season. Luni is the only large river in this region.

(ii) 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 the Central Highlands. They are bound by the Vindhya Range from the south and by the Aravali Hills from the northwest. The further westward extension merges with the Indian Desert while the eastward extension is marked by the Chotanagpur Plateau. The rivers draining this region flow from southwest to northeast. The Central Highlands are wider in

the west but narrower in the east.

(iii)  India has two groups of islands. The Lakshadweep Islands lie in the Arabian Sea, to the southwest of the mainland. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie in the Bay of Bengal, to the southeast of the mainland. Lakshadweep is composed of small coral islands, covering a small area of 32 square kilometres. Kavaratti Island is its administrative headquarters. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are bigger in size and are more numerous and scattered. The entire group of islands is divided into Andaman (in the north) and Nicobar (in the south). Both these island groups are rich in flora and fauna, and are of great strategic importance to the country.

Question 1:
Project/Activity
Locate the peaks, passes, ranges, plateaus, hills, and duns hidden in the puzzle. Try to find where these features are located.

You may start your search horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

ANSWER 7:

Vertical
CHOTANAGPUR
ARAVALI
KONKAN
JAINTIA
MALWA
NILGIRI
SHIPKILA
VINDHYA
BOMDILA
SAHYADRI
SATPURA

Horizontal
NATHULA
CARDEMOM
GARO

KANCHENJUNGA
ANAIMUDI
EVEREST
PATLI