Pariksha SaathiLesson 5 of 10 · Rajasthan General Knowledge
Geography of Rajasthan: Location, Borders and Physiographic Divisions
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Location and shape
Rajasthan lies in north-western India between about 23°3' and 30°12' north latitude and 69°30' and 78°17' east longitude. Its shape is roughly a rhombus, often compared to a kite. It stretches 826 km from north to south and 869 km from east to west. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the south of the state, through Banswara district, touching the southern edge of Dungarpur. The extreme points usually asked are Kona village in Sri Ganganagar (north), Borkund in Banswara (south), Katra in Jaisalmer (west) and Silana in Dholpur (east).
Area and borders
With 3,42,239 sq km, about 10.41 percent of India's area, Rajasthan has been the largest state since 1 November 2000, when Madhya Pradesh was divided to form Chhattisgarh. Its total boundary is about 5,920 km. The western boundary with Pakistan, part of the Radcliffe Line drawn in 1947, is 1,070 km long and runs from Hindumalkot in Sri Ganganagar to Bakhasar in Barmer; Jaisalmer has the longest stretch of it. The remaining 4,850 km is shared with five states: Punjab (north), Haryana (north and north-east), Uttar Pradesh (east), Madhya Pradesh (south-east, the longest interstate border) and Gujarat (south-west). The border with Punjab is the shortest.
Four physiographic regions
Geographers divide the state into four regions: the north-western desert, about 61 percent of the area; the Aravalli hills, about 9 percent; the eastern plains, about 23 percent; and the south-eastern Hadoti plateau, about 7 percent. The Aravalli range, running from south-west to north-east, is the great divide: west of it the land is dry and sandy, east of it greener and more fertile.
The Thar desert
The Thar or Great Indian Desert (Marusthali) extends into Pakistan, where part of it is called Cholistan, and it is among the most densely populated deserts in the world. The 25 cm isohyet (a line joining places of equal rainfall) divides it into the arid west, with sand dunes and rocky tracts, and a semi-arid belt to the east that includes the Ghaggar plain, the Shekhawati tract, the Nagauri upland and the Luni basin (Godwar). Dunes take forms such as barchans (crescent dunes), longitudinal dunes and parabolic dunes; shifting dunes are called dharian in Jaisalmer. Playa lakes, saline hollows that fill after rain, are called rann or tat. The Lathi series, an underground freshwater belt between Pokaran and Mohangarh in Jaisalmer, supports sewan grass, which shelters the great Indian bustard.
The Aravalli range
The Aravallis are among the oldest fold mountains in the world, formed in Precambrian times and now worn down to low hills. They run about 692 km from Palanpur in Gujarat to the Raisina hill of Delhi, of which about 550 km, roughly 80 percent, lie in Rajasthan. The range is highest in the south-west and lowest in the north-east. Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) on Mount Abu in Sirohi is the highest peak, crowned by a temple of Dattatreya; Ser (1,597 m) is the second highest. The Uriya plateau near Guru Shikhar is the highest plateau of the state, and the Bhorat plateau lies between Kumbhalgarh and Gogunda. Mount Abu, the state's only hill station, is a granite block with Nakki lake, the Dilwara temples and Achalgarh. The Aravallis are a water divide: rivers to their east drain to the Bay of Bengal and those to their west to the Arabian Sea. Passes through the range are called nal, such as the Desuri nal.
Eastern plains and Hadoti
The eastern plains are drained by the Chambal, Banas and Mahi. The Chambal basin is cut into deep ravines (beehad) in Dholpur, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur, the worst gully erosion in the state. The Banas plain covers much of Mewar and the Jaipur-Tonk area. In the south, the Mahi basin forms the Chhappan plain between Banswara and Pratapgarh, and the Dungarpur-Banswara region is called Vagad. The Hadoti plateau of Kota, Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar is an extension of the Malwa plateau, with Vindhyan sandstone scarps, black soil and the Chambal, Kali Sindh and Parvati rivers.
People (Census 2011)
Rajasthan had 6,85,48,437 people in 2011, 5.66 percent of India's population, with a density of 200 persons per sq km, a sex ratio of 928 females per 1,000 males and a literacy rate of 66.1 percent. The desert, though the largest region, is far less densely settled than the eastern plains.
Key facts
- Extent: 23°3' to 30°12' N and 69°30' to 78°17' E; 826 km north-south and 869 km east-west; rhombus (kite) shape.
- Area 3,42,239 sq km (10.41 percent of India); largest state since 1 November 2000.
- Pakistan border (Radcliffe Line) 1,070 km, from Hindumalkot (Sri Ganganagar) to Bakhasar (Barmer); Jaisalmer has the longest stretch.
- Neighbours: Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh (longest border) and Gujarat; the Punjab border is the shortest.
- Physiographic shares: desert about 61 percent, Aravalli about 9 percent, eastern plains about 23 percent, Hadoti plateau about 7 percent.
- Aravalli: about 692 km from Palanpur to Delhi, about 550 km in Rajasthan; Guru Shikhar 1,722 m, Ser 1,597 m; Uriya is the highest plateau.
- Tropic of Cancer passes through Banswara; extreme points Kona (north), Borkund (south), Katra (west), Silana (east).
- Lathi series: underground water belt from Pokaran to Mohangarh (Jaisalmer) with sewan grass.
- Census 2011: 6.85 crore people, 5.66 percent of India, density 200, sex ratio 928, literacy 66.1 percent.
Quick revision
23°3'-30°12' N, 69°30'-78°17' E; 826 km N-S, 869 km E-W; area 3,42,239 sq km (10.41%), largest since 2000; Pakistan border 1,070 km (Hindumalkot to Bakhasar), longest in Jaisalmer; MP longest, Punjab shortest interstate border; desert 61%, Aravalli 9%, plains 23%, Hadoti 7%; Aravalli 692 km (550 km in state); Guru Shikhar 1,722 m; Lathi series; Census 2011: density 200, sex ratio 928.