Page 300 - New Medley 4 Semester 1

plateau region. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats meet at the

Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. Anai Mudi, about 2,695 metres high, is the
highest peak in Southern Plateaus. The north-western part of the Deccan

Plateau is made up of lava flow. This part is known as the Deccan Trap.
It covers Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The Importance of Southern Plateaus

The Southern Plateaus are rich in minerals, such as iron, manganese,
copper, bauxite, mica, chromium, coal, etc. The black lava soil is

fertile. It is used for growing cotton, sugarcane and oilseeds. The
highlands are covered with thick valuable forests. Many rivers can help

in generating electricity. The main hill stations are Mahabaleshwar,
Khandala, Pachmarhi, Udhagamandalam (Ooty) and Kodaikanal. The

Southern Plateaus are spread over the States of Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra

Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.

Madhya Pradesh

It is the second largest State in India. Bhopal is the capital city. Other
important cities in Madhya Pradesh are Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior.

Pachmarhi is the only hill station. Some parts of the state have valuable
forests. The tiger reserves are in the Kanha and Bandhavgarh National

Parks. The main occupation of the people is farming. The State is rich
in mineral resources. Many types of industries, such as cotton textiles,

metals, automobiles and handicrafts have developed.

Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha

Chhattisgarh is located towards the east of Madhya Pradesh. Raipur is
the capital of Chhattisgarh. The State has thick and valuable forests and

rich mineral resources, such as coal, iron, manganese, limestone, bauxite,
etc. The main crops are rice, linseed and betel. Hindi is the main language

spoken by the people.

Jharkhand was created out of Bihar. Its capital is Ranchi. Rice, wheat,

maize and pulses are produced. The Damodar river flows through the

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