Look at the Map of India. The colored part is the plateau region. It is also called the Deccan Plateau or the Great Peninsula Plateau. It is rocky and uneven high land or table land. Its height varies from 600 metres to 900 metres above the sea-level. The Deccan Plateau Region looks like an irregular triangle. Its soil consists of hard rocks made up of molten Lava. It is the oldest part of our country. It includes some parts of the States of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerla, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Orissa.

It slopes towards the North in the North-western parts. Us rivers Chambal, Betwa and Sone flow Northwards and join the river Yamuna and Ganga. Two of the rivers of this part Narbada and Tapti flow towards the West into the Arabian Sea. The most part of the Deccan Plateau slopes towards the East. Its rivers Marianadf, Godavar, Krishna and Cauvery rise in the Western Ghats and flow towards the East into the Bay of Bengal.

The rivers of the Deccan Plateau differ in many ways from the rivers in the Northern Plains. These rivers are seasonal. They do not have water all the year round. They have water in the rainy season only. The water flows down quickly with great speed. These rivers are not navigable. They form gorges and water-falls. The Jog Falls in Karnataka over the Sharavati river are the highest water­falls in India. The farmers have to depend on tanks and dams for water for irrigation.