NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Geography Chapter 2

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.

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

1. Coast

2. Island

3. Peninsula

4. None of the above

Ans. (c) Peninsula

ii. Mountain ranges in the eastern part of India forming its boundary with Myanmar are collectively called as

1. Himachal

2. Uttarakhand

3. Purvanchal

4. none of the above

Ans. (c) Purvanchal

iii. The western coastal strip, south of Goa is referred to as

1. Coromandel

2. Konkan

3. Kannad

4. Northern Circars

Ans. (b) Kannad

iv. The highest peak in the Eastern Ghats is

1. Anai Mudi

2. Kanchenjunga

3. Mahendragiri

4. Khasi

Ans: (c) Mahendragiri

2. Answer the following questions briefly.

i. What are tectonic plates?

Ans: The large fragments of earth’s crust which are torn due to vertical currents are called tectonic plates.

ii. Which continents of today were part of the Gondwana land?

Ans: South America, Australia, Africa (Central and southern part and Madagascar), Peninsular India, Arabian region and Antarctica were parts of the Gondwana land.

iii. What is bhabar?

Ans: Bhabar is a narrow belt containing pebbles instead of silt along the banks of the upper Himalayan rivers from the Indus river to the Teesta River.

iv. Name the three major divisions of the Himalayas from north to south.

Ans: The three major divisions of the Himalayas are:

1. The Great or the Inner Himalayas or the Himadri

2. The Middle Himalayas or the Himachal

3. The Outer Himalayas or the Shivaliks

v. Which plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhyan ranges?

Ans. The Malwa plateau lies between the Aravali and the Vindhyan Ranges.

vi. Name the island group of India having coral origin.

Ans. Lakshadweep Islands is the island group of Indiawhich has a coral origin.

3. Distinguish between:

i. Converging and diverging tectonic plates

Ans: The difference between convergent and divergent tectonic plates are:

ii. Bhangar and Khadar

Ans: The difference between Bhangar and Khadar soils are:

iii. Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats

Ans. The difference between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats are:

4. Describe how the Himalayas were formed.

Ans: Initially, the Earth had a single landmass called Pangea and at the current location of the Himalayas was a massive sea called the Tethys Sea. Due to the collision of plates below the Earth’s surface and subsequent rearrangement, the land was divided into several parts. The Indian plate gradually moved towards the north and collided with the Eurasian plate giving rise to a system of fold mountains called the Himalayas. They are the youngest mountains in the world to have been formed. Due to the constant movement of the plates, the Himalayas are still growing in height.

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

Ans: The major physiographic divisions of India are:

• The Himalayan Mountains

• The Northern Plains

• The Peninsular Plateau

• The Indian Desert

• The Coastal Plains

• The Islands

6. Give an account of the Northern Plains of India.

Ans: The Northern Plains are formed by the deposition of the fertile alluvium that was deposited by the rivers originating in the Himalayas. They stretch from the south of the northern mountains to the north of the peninsular plateau and towards the east of the Indian desert. It is divided into three parts, i.e. Punjab Plains, Ganga Plains and the Brahmaputra Plains. The Northern plains cover approximately 3000 kilometers and there are several rivers that drain this region such as Sutlej, Ravi, Beas, Ganga, Yamuna, Ghagra, Gandak, Kosi, Chambal, Betwa, Son, etc.

The North Indian Plains are divided into four different zones:

1. Bhabhar

2. Tarai

3. Bangar

4. Khadar

7. Write short notes on the following.

i. The Indian Desert

Ans: The Great Indian Desert is also known as the Thar Desert and is located in Rajasthan, India and also in Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan. A part of the desert is also located in the states of Gujarat and Haryana.

The Thar desert is a very dry region in between the countries of India and Pakistan and is highly scarce in water availability and the only water sources are the natural and man-made ponds across the region. Due to this reason, the people generally live a nomadic life, which involves their constant movement from place to place. The Luni river is an important river in the Thar desert and it drains a large area of the desert. The other major river is Ghaggar which flows in the northern and eastern part of the desert. 

ii. The Central Highlands

Ans: The parts of the peninsular plateau which are found in the north of the River Narmada and generally covers a major portion of the Malwa plateau is known as the Central Highlands. The rivers which drain this region flow from southwest to northeast, due to their slope. The Central Highlands are wider in the western side but narrow down towards the east. In Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, they are known as Bundelkhand and Baghelkhad. The Chotanagpur plateau is in the extreme east of the Central Highlands with the the Damodar River flowing through it.

iii. The Island groups of India

Ans: There are two island groups controlled by India. They are located in the Arabian Sea (Lakshadweep Islands) and the Bay of Bengal (Andaman and Nicobar Islands). These islands are located off the Malabar coast of India. The capital city of Lakshadweep Islands is Kavaratti and is the smallest Union territory by area and the second smallest by population. The Islands of Lakshadweep provide India a strategic base in the Arabian Sea and India is able to reach out to the Maldives and other regions in the Indian Ocean in crucial times.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of 572 islands. The Nicobar Islands extend close to the Sumatra islands which make the reach of India to Southeast Asian nations very easy, The Indian Navy also maintains a base in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which helps it to control the vessels passing through the strait of Malacca. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands also have the North Sentinel Island which has the most primitive people from the human race and are untouched by civilization and they are known as the Sentinelese people.

Map Skills:

On an outline map of India show the following.

i. Mountain and hill ranges – the Karakoram, the Zaskar, the Patkai Bum, the Jaintia, the Vindhya range, the Aravali, and the Cardamom hills.

ii. Peaks – K2, Kanchenjunga, Nanga Parbat and the Anai Mudi.

iii. Plateaus, Chotanagpur and Malwa

iv. The Indian Desert, Western Ghats, Lakshadweep Islands

 Ans:

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NCERT Solution for Class 9 Geography Chapter 2 – All Questions

 Physiography of India

India is located latitudinally in the Northern Hemisphere and longitudinally in the Eastern Hemisphere. India lies largely on the Indian Plate, the northern portion of the Indo-Australian Plate. It is divided into six physiographic divisions namely:

• The Himalayan Mountains

• The Northern Plains of India

• The Peninsular Plateau

• The Indian Desert

• The Coastal Plains

• The Islands

Some of the Physiographic Divisions Are Described Below:

Northern Plains of India

The Northern Plains of India have been formed by the alluvium soil that the mountain rivers deposit. It has turned the soil surface on land fertile for the growth of rich harvesting crops. The Northern Plains has led to the development of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The rich soil is aid by different climatic conditions and constant water supply from the rivers flowing through them. Between the mouths of river Indus and the Ganga-Brahmaputra, the Northern Plains of India covers a distance of 3200km. The difference in relief has divided the Northern Plains into four zones:

• Bhabar

• Tarai

• Bangar

• Khadar 

The Plateau of India

The Plateau of India is roughly triangular with its base parallel to the Ganga Valley and its apex points towards the southern tips of the country. It is made of an old hard mass of igneous and metamorphic rocks called the Gondwanaland.

The Indian Desert

The Indian Desert lies towards the north-west of the Aravali Hills. It is an undulating sandy plain that is covered by dunes called the barchans. The region receives significantly less rainfall, i.e. below 150 cm and has an arid climate with low vegetation. Luni is the only large river flowing. Streams appear only during the monsoon.

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Solved Examples on the Physical Features of India Class 9 NCERT Solutions

Q. Define Bhabar.

Answer: Bhabar is a narrow belt of the plains that is covered with pebbles, and it lies along the foothills of the Shivalik from the river Indus to the river Teesta.

Q. A Landmass That Is Bounded by the Sea on Three Sides is Called:

1. Coast.

2. Peninsula.

3. Island.

4. None of the above.

Answer: (b) Peninsula.