The Peninsular Plateau, Western and Eastern Ghats, Coasts, Islands and the Thar

Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked on 28 October 2026; not yet read line by line by a human editor. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Editorial standards & corrections

The oldest landmass

The Peninsular Plateau is a tableland of old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks, a part of the ancient Gondwana land and the oldest, most stable landmass of India. It is roughly triangular and slopes gently to the east, which is why most of its big rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal. Its old rocks make it the store-house of India's minerals. The Narmada divides it into the Central Highlands to the north and the Deccan Plateau to the south.

Central Highlands and their ranges

The Central Highlands lie north of the Narmada and cover most of the Malwa plateau. The rivers here, the Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken, flow from south-west to north-east, showing the slope. The eastward extensions are Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand, and further east the Chotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand, drained by the Damodar and rich in coal and iron ore. The Aravalli range in the north-west, among the oldest fold mountains in the world, runs from Gujarat to Delhi; its highest peak is Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) at Mount Abu in Rajasthan. The Vindhya range lies north of the Narmada and the Satpura range between the Narmada and the Tapi; Dhupgarh (1,350 m) near Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh is the highest point of the Satpuras. The Maikal range at Amarkantak is the source of the Narmada and the Son.

Deccan Plateau and the Ghats

The Deccan Plateau, south of the Narmada, is bounded by the Satpura range in the north, with the Mahadev, Kaimur and Maikal ranges as its eastern extensions. Its north-west is the Deccan Trap, sheets of basalt laid down by volcanic eruptions, which weathered into black soil. The Western Ghats or Sahyadri run along the west coast from the Tapi to Kanyakumari; they are continuous and higher (900 to 1,600 m), and are crossed through passes such as the Thal Ghat (Mumbai-Nashik), the Bhor Ghat (Mumbai-Pune) and the Palghat (Palakkad) gap between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Their highest peak, Anamudi (2,695 m) in the Anaimalai hills of Kerala, is the highest point of peninsular India; Doddabetta (2,637 m) in the Nilgiris is the highest peak of Tamil Nadu. The Eastern Ghats are lower (about 600 m on average) and broken by the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri; they include the Javadi and Shevaroy hills and the Nallamala range. NCERT names Mahendragiri (1,501 m) in Odisha as their highest peak, though some peaks in Andhra Pradesh, such as Arma Konda, are higher. The two Ghats meet in the Nilgiri hills.

Coastal plains

The western coastal plain, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, is narrow and is divided into the Konkan coast (Mumbai to Goa), the Kannad or Kanara plain (Goa to Mangaluru) and the Malabar coast (Mangaluru to Kanyakumari). It is a submerged coast with no large deltas but good natural harbours, and the Malabar coast of Kerala has backwaters called kayals, of which Vembanad is the largest. The eastern coastal plain along the Bay of Bengal is wider and level, built by the deltas of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. Its northern part is called the Northern Circars and its southern part the Coromandel coast. Chilika lake in Odisha, the largest saltwater lagoon of India, lies south of the Mahanadi delta.

Island groups

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal are the raised tops of a submarine mountain chain that continues the Arakan Yoma of Myanmar. They lie close to the Equator, have an equatorial climate with thick forests, and the Ten Degree Channel divides the Andaman group in the north from the Nicobar group in the south. Barren Island is India's only active volcano and Narcondam a dormant one; Saddle Peak in North Andaman is the highest point; and Indira Point on Great Nicobar is the southernmost point of India. The islands are home to old tribes such as the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese, and the Shompen of Great Nicobar. Lakshadweep, in the Arabian Sea off Kerala, is a group of 36 small coral islands, many of them atolls; Kavaratti is its headquarters, Minicoy lies alone in the south, and Pitti island has a bird sanctuary.

The Thar Desert

West of the Aravallis lies the Thar or Great Indian Desert, an undulating sandy plain mostly in Rajasthan that extends into Pakistan. It gets less than 150 mm of rain a year, has scanty vegetation, and is covered with crescent-shaped dunes called barchans. Streams appear only in the rainy season and then sink into the sand; the Luni is the only large river, flowing south-west from the Aravallis near Ajmer into the Rann of Kachchh without reaching the sea. Inland drainage has left salt lakes such as Sambhar, Didwana and Pachpadra. The semi-arid strip east of the Thar is called the Bagar. The Indira Gandhi Canal, fed from the Harike barrage at the Beas-Sutlej confluence in Punjab, has brought irrigation to the desert, and the Desert National Park near Jaisalmer shelters the Great Indian Bustard. Ladakh, by contrast, is a cold desert.

Key facts

Peninsular Plateau: oldest landmass, part of Gondwana land; the Narmada divides it into the Central Highlands (north) and the Deccan Plateau (south).
Aravalli, among the oldest fold mountains: highest peak Guru Shikhar (1,722 m), Mount Abu, Rajasthan; Satpura's highest point is Dhupgarh (1,350 m) near Pachmarhi.
Western Ghats (Sahyadri): continuous, 900-1,600 m; Anamudi 2,695 m (Kerala) highest of peninsular India; Doddabetta 2,637 m (Nilgiris); passes Thal Ghat, Bhor Ghat, Palghat.
Eastern Ghats: broken by rivers, about 600 m; Javadi, Shevaroy, Nallamala; Mahendragiri (1,501 m, Odisha) highest in NCERT; the two Ghats meet in the Nilgiris.
West coast: Konkan (Mumbai-Goa), Kanara (Goa-Mangaluru), Malabar (Mangaluru-Kanyakumari, with kayals); east coast: Northern Circars (north) and Coromandel (south).
Andaman and Nicobar: Ten Degree Channel between them; Barren Island the only active volcano, Narcondam dormant; Saddle Peak highest; Indira Point southernmost.
Lakshadweep: 36 coral islands in the Arabian Sea; Kavaratti headquarters; Minicoy in the far south; Pitti island bird sanctuary.
Thar: under 150 mm of rain, barchan dunes; Luni ends in the Rann of Kachchh; salt lakes Sambhar, Didwana, Pachpadra; Indira Gandhi Canal from the Harike barrage.
Chotanagpur plateau (Jharkhand), drained by the Damodar, is the mineral store-house; the Deccan Trap's basalt weathers into black soil.

Quick revision

Peninsular Plateau: oldest, Gondwana, slopes east; Central Highlands (Malwa, Bundelkhand, Baghelkhand, Chotanagpur) and Deccan; Guru Shikhar 1,722 m (Aravalli), Dhupgarh 1,350 m (Satpura); Western Ghats continuous, Anamudi 2,695 m; Eastern Ghats broken, Mahendragiri 1,501 m; Konkan, Kanara, Malabar on the west, Northern Circars and Coromandel on the east; Barren Island active volcano; Lakshadweep 36 coral islands; Thar under 150 mm rain, Luni into the Rann of Kachchh.

Practise this topic

All 10 lessons on Indian Geography: Physical, Economic and Human