Pariksha SaathiLesson 5 of 10 · Haryana General Knowledge
Geography of Haryana: Location, Area and Physiographic Regions
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Location and extent
Haryana is a landlocked state of north-western India, lying in the plain between the Shivalik hills in the north and the Aravalli hills and the edge of the Thar desert in the south. It covers 44,212 sq km, about 1.34 per cent of India's area, which makes it a little smaller than Punjab and a little larger than Kerala. Census 2011 counted about 2.54 crore people, a density of 573 persons per sq km and a literacy rate of 75.55 per cent.
Neighbours
Haryana borders Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh to the north-west, Himachal Pradesh to the north, and Rajasthan to the south and south-west; to the east the Yamuna separates it from Uttar Pradesh and, for a short stretch in the far north-east, from Uttarakhand. It surrounds the National Capital Territory of Delhi on three sides, north, west and south, which is why a large part of the state, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar, falls in the National Capital Region. The Yamuna forms almost the whole eastern boundary with Uttar Pradesh.
The Shivalik hills
In the north-east, in Panchkula and Yamunanagar districts and the edge of Ambala, lie the Shivaliks, the youngest and outermost range of the Himalayas. They are made of soft sandstone, clay and loose conglomerate, so seasonal torrents called chos cut deep gullies and spread sand over the fields below, causing serious soil erosion. The Morni hills in Panchkula district form the highest part of the state; Karoh peak, at about 1,467 metres, is Haryana's highest point, and Morni, with its Tikkar Tal lakes, is the state's only hill station. Below the hills runs a narrow foothill belt of coarse, gravelly soil.
The Ghaggar-Yamuna plain
Most of Haryana is a vast alluvial plain built by the Yamuna, the Ghaggar and their streams, sloping very gently towards the south and south-west. It has two parts. The Khadar is the low-lying belt of new alluvium along the Yamuna and other rivers, renewed by floods. The Bangar is the higher, older alluvium beyond the reach of floods; it forms the main farmland of central Haryana around Rohtak, Jind and Kaithal and gives its name to the Bangru dialect. Because this plain is flat and fertile, it holds most of the state's farms, towns and people.
The semi-desert sandy plain
In the south-west, in Sirsa, Hisar, Bhiwani and Mahendragarh, the plain merges into the Thar desert. Here sandy soils, low shifting sand dunes called tibbas, scanty rainfall and dust storms are common. The tract next to Rajasthan is called the Bagar and gives its name to the Bagri dialect. Bajra, guar, mustard and gram are the typical crops where irrigation is limited.
The Aravalli hills
In the south, low ridges of the Aravallis, among the oldest fold mountains in the world, run through Mahendragarh, Rewari, Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh and continue into Delhi as the Ridge. They are rocky, dry and broken, with scrub forest, and act as a barrier against the spread of the desert towards Delhi. Dhosi hill near Narnaul, linked with the sage Chyavana, is described as an extinct volcano. Remember the four-way division exams use: Shivalik hills (north-east), Ghaggar-Yamuna plain (centre), semi-desert sandy plain (south-west) and Aravalli hills (south).
Key facts
- Area 44,212 sq km, about 1.34 per cent of India; a little smaller than Punjab and a little larger than Kerala; landlocked.
- Neighbours: Punjab and Chandigarh (north-west), Himachal Pradesh (north), Uttar Pradesh and, for a short stretch, Uttarakhand (east, across the Yamuna), Rajasthan (south and south-west); Delhi is surrounded on three sides.
- Census 2011: population about 2.54 crore, density 573 per sq km, literacy 75.55 per cent.
- Shivalik hills (Panchkula, Yamunanagar): soft rocks cut by seasonal torrents called chos; the Morni hills hold Karoh peak (about 1,467 m), Haryana's highest point.
- Morni (Panchkula): Haryana's only hill station, with the twin Tikkar Tal lakes.
- Ghaggar-Yamuna plain: Khadar = low, new, flood-renewed alluvium along rivers; Bangar = higher, older alluvium; most farmland and people.
- Semi-desert sandy plain (Sirsa, Hisar, Bhiwani, Mahendragarh): sand dunes (tibbas), low rain; the Bagar tract gives its name to the Bagri dialect.
- Aravalli hills (Mahendragarh, Rewari, Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh): among the oldest fold mountains; Dhosi hill near Narnaul is linked with sage Chyavana.
Quick revision
Landlocked; 44,212 sq km (about 1.34 per cent of India); borders Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand (across the Yamuna), Rajasthan; surrounds Delhi on three sides; Census 2011: 2.54 crore, density 573, literacy 75.55 per cent; four regions: Shivaliks (north-east, chos, Morni hills, Karoh peak about 1,467 m), Ghaggar-Yamuna plain (Khadar, Bangar), sandy plain (south-west, Bagar), Aravallis (south, Dhosi hill).