The homogeneously flat reverie region has been bestowed by nature with fertile, well grained alluvial soils, tropical monsoon climate, permanent running rivers suitable for irrigating fields and generating hydro-electricity, favorable relief for construction of means of transport, settlement etc. All these factors arc conductive for economic, social and human growth.
The North Indian plain is the granary of India. Sluggishly moving perennial rivers arc navigable, useful for canal irrigation and generation of hydro-electricity. Although this plain encompasses 35% of Indian total area, yet supports over 40% of India’s population.
The peninsular plateau
It is a triangular shaped area, having base in the north and tapering to the south. South of the great plain of India, it is surrounded by seas on three sides. Kanya Kumari is its southern apex.
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It has the Bay of Bengal in the cast and the Arabian Sea on its west. It is an elevated plateau. It is separated from the Indo-gangetic plain by the Vindhyas, the Satpura, Mahadeo, Maikal and Sarguja ranges. Its height varies from 300-900 m.
The Plateau slopes towards the east and northwards it merges into the Ganga Plain. It is the oldest part of India. It is a stable landmass of the world.
The entire terrain has several small and large plateaus, undulating surface and rounded peaks seldom rising over 600 m. In some parts there has been volcanic activity. Thus a large- area in the north-west is covered by volcanic material.
This ancient tabular block, covering an area of 16 lakh sq km is mainly composed of Archaean gneisses, and schists. It is India’s largest geographic region. The Plateau is guarded by Western Ghats in the west and the Eastern Ghats in the cast.
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A part of the Peninsula has however, been subsided and uplifted accompanied by folding and faulting.
Long period of erosion has brought it to an old age stage. The shallow and broad valleys, the existence of old eroded mountains which now exist as relics of the past, some precipitously create hills, are the symbols of long crosional processes and geological changes. In fact complex surface features arc the main characteristics of this plateau.