Indian subcontinent is separated from the main landmass of Asia by the huge range of mountains called the Himalayas. The subcontinent includes countries like Pakistan, Nepal Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. India is the largest country in the subcontinent.
India has three main landforms:-
1) The Himalayas in the North.
2) The indo-Gangetic plains in the middle.
3) The Deccan plateau or Dakshin plateau in the south.
The Himalayas extend from the west to east for nearly two thousand and five hundred kilometers. These high mountains protect India from winds from the north. The tall peaks are covered with ice. There are beautiful carved peaks like Mt. Kanchenjunga, Mt. Nanda Devi and Mt. Shivling.
There are beautiful valleys between the hills like the Kashmir valley, the Kulu valley, the Kumaon valley and the valley of flowers. There are many glaciers in this region like the Gangothri, Yamunothri and kathiling. From these glaciers, rivers run down to the plains. The Himalayan range is a big watershed. Many rivers flow down the mountains in different direction. The Ganga, Yamuna, Sindhu, Brahmaputra are big rivers in India. There are also beautiful lakes in the Himalayas like the Lake Manasarovar and the Dal Lake. Up to a great height, there are many villages and forests.
Animals like the panda, sow- leopard and musk deer have made their homes on the higher mountains slopes.
There are many forests of oak, birch, pine and deodar. Himavan they mythical king of the Himalayas, is the protector of forests lakes, animals and birds.
Many useful are found in the Himalayas. The Himalayas look grand with sunlit peaks, green forests and brooks.
Indian culture is influenced by the Himalayas. The Himalayas prevent the freezing northern winds from Central Asia from reaching India. They are also giant-like guard. There are only few high and difficult passes. So invaders were few and far between. The Himalayas protect and allow Indian culture to grow undisturbed. Though the Himalayas prevented the entry of large armies, they allowed a few pilgrims and traders to come through the passes.
The indo –Gangetic plains were formed by the Indus and its tributaries. The Himalayan Rivers powered the rocks on the mountains and carried them down to form an alluvial plain. This is a flat land with a gentle slope to the east.
These fertile flat plains are fine places for man to live in. even today, more people live in the Gangetic plains than anywhere else in India. There are many ancient cities here like Varanasi, Patna, Hastinapur and Gaya. The main occupation of the people is growing crops. The Deccan plateau is a volcanic plateau. The lava from the crack on the west side spread over a large area in sheets. The west side of the plateau is higher and bounced by the hills called he Western Ghats. Hence many of the south Indian rivers like the Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery flow from the west to the east.
The Eastern Ghats on the east coast consists of another group of hills.
The Arabian Sea in the west and the Bay of Bengal in the east enclose the southern peninsula. India has long coastal line. The east coast is called the Coramandel coast and on the west are the Malabar, the Konkani and the Saurashtra coasts. There are fine harbors on the west coast and on the east coast. There are also beautiful beaches and lakes. The marina beaches in Chennai are the second largest beach in the world.