Page 255 - New Medley 3 Semester 1

There are two narrow strips of plain land. These are along the eastern and

the western coasts of India. These two coastal plains meet at Kanniyakumari
in the South. The Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri

rivers flow along the eastern coastal plain. On the Western Coastal Plains,
the main rivers are the Narmada and the Tapi.

Plateaus

The Southern part of India is surrounded

by the Arabian Sea in the west, the Indian
Ocean in the south and the Bay of Bengal

in the east. It is a peninsula. A peninsula
is a piece of land surrounded by water on

three sides.

Most of the land surface in the Indian peninsula
is either level or uneven. It is much higher Deccan Plateau

than the surrounding plain areas. Thus, the southern part of India is a
plateau and is called the Deccan Plateau or the Southern Plateau. It is

the largest part of our country. The southern plateau is surrounded by
hill ranges on all sides. It is made up of very hard rocks. The land is

also less fertile than the plain area. Some parts of the plateau region are
covered with thick forests.

The main rivers of this region are the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the

Krishna, the Kaveri, the Narmada and the Tapi. These have less water
during the dry season. The plateau region is rich in minerals.

Deserts

The northwestern part of India is covered

with a thick layer of loose sand. Such areas
are called deserts. This desert area is called

the Great Indian Desert or the Thar Desert.
It is in Rajasthan. The climate is very hot

and dry. The rainfall is negligible. The main
trees are kikar and babool. They have deep

roots and long thorns. Desert

253