Map Class 09

Previous Class Topic

Covered India’s physical features, including important mountains, peaks, glaciers, passes, plateaus,
plains, and coastal regions.

India’s Unfinished Mapping Components

Main areas pending include the detailed study of islands and rivers.

Additional coverage of lakes, wetlands, and Ramsar sites is also required.

Economic dimensions linked to geographical features are yet to be addressed.

Islands of India

Andaman and Nicobar Group

Located to the east in the Bay of Bengal.

Classified primarily as volcanic islands, though coral reefs do exist along certain shores.

Extend from the Arakan Yoma range in Myanmar; subduction processes near the Java Trench explain the
region’s volcanic activity.

Maritime borders shared:

Andaman Islands share one with Myanmar.

Nicobar Islands share one with Indonesia.

Geographical Highlights

Largest Andaman Island: Middle Andaman.

Highest Peak: Saddle Peak in North Andaman.

Administrative Center: Port Blair, on South Andaman.

Volcanic Features:

Barren Island (active volcano).

Narcondam (dormant volcano).

Dense Rainforests: Due to high rainfall and temperature.

Tribal Communities

Populations include Sentinelese, Great Andamanese, Nicobarese, and Jarawa.

Sentinelese: Extremely reclusive group on North and South Sentinel Islands, known for avoiding all
external contact.

Jarawa: Received attention when some members were added to voter lists.
Great Andamanese and Nicobarese are among other Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the
area.

Renaming of Certain Islands

Ross Island → Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island

Neil Island → Shaheed Dweep

Havelock Island → Swaraj Dweep

Port Blair (the city) has been renamed in some references to Sri Vijayapuram.

Mount Harriet → Mount Manipur: A tribute to Manipur prisoners exiled here after the 1891 Anglo-Manipur
war.

Nicobar Group

Largest Island: Great Nicobar, containing India’s southernmost point, Indira Point.

Car Nicobar: Northernmost of Nicobar group.

Little Nicobar: Located between Car Nicobar and Great Nicobar.

Indira Point: Southern tip of Great Nicobar, near Galathea Bay.

Galathea Bay: Rich coral reefs, mangroves, and habitat for the leatherback turtle.

Proposed site of a major port under construction due to strategic proximity to the Strait of Malacca.

Lakshadweep Group

Located to the west of India in the Arabian Sea.

Coral Islands built atop old volcanic ridges.

Extends toward the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Major landforms include atolls and reefs.

Pamban Island

Off the coast of Tamil Nadu, connected to the mainland by road and rail bridges.

Rameshwaram: Located on Pamban Island.

Dhanushkodi: Southernmost tip of Pamban, known as a ghost town after the 1964 cyclone.

Ram Setu / Adam’s Bridge: Chain of limestone shoals from Dhanushkodi toward Sri Lanka.

Separates the Palk Bay in the north from the Gulf of Mannar in the south.

Kachchatheevu and Other Nearby Features

Kachchatheevu: Disputed uninhabited island near Pamban, awarded to Sri Lanka.

Wadge Bank: Shallow water area south of the Gulf of Mannar, known for abundant marine life and pearl
fishing.
Western Coast Islands

St. Mary’s Islands

Near Udupi, Karnataka.

Notable for rare columnar basaltic rock formations.

Geological link to similar basalt columns in Madagascar.

Netrani Island

Offshore from the Karnataka coast (Canara Coast).

Hosts coral reefs and was once used as a naval base.

Other smaller coral reef locations nearby include Malvan (Maharashtra) and Angria Bank (off the coast).

Coral Reef Distribution

Major reefs in India found in:

Lakshadweep (extensive coral islands).

Andaman and Nicobar Islands (fringing reefs around volcanic land).

Gulf of Mannar (southeast coast of Tamil Nadu).

Gulf of Kutch (northwestern coast of Gujarat).

Smaller pockets of reefs: Netrani, Malvan, Angria Bank.

Eastern Coast mostly lacks reefs, likely due to high sediment flow.

Important Water Channels and Passages

Coco Channel: Between Andaman group and Coco Island (Myanmar).

Great Channel (6° Channel): Between Great Nicobar and Sumatra (Indonesia).

10° Channel: Separates Little Andaman from the Nicobar group.

9° Channel: Between Minicoy and the rest of Lakshadweep.

8° Channel: Between Minicoy and Maldives.

Palk Strait: Narrow water passage between Tamil Nadu coast and northern Sri Lanka.

Kozhikode as a UNESCO City of Literature

Kozhikode (Calicut) on India’s western coast recognized for its significant contribution to literary heritage.

Designation reflects cultural and historic prominence in literary pursuits.

Dandakaranya Region

Refers to a broad area within the Deccan region.

The topography varies, and large flat expanses can be found in certain plains.

Regional Divisions in India

Northern and Central Regions

Uttarakhand: Divided into

Garhwal

(west) and

Kumaon

(east).

Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan:

Malwa

Region (parts of MP and southern Rajasthan).

Mewar

(Udaipur area, known for forts and proximity to Aravallis).

Marwar

(Jodhpur region with Thar Desert).

Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand: Spanning MP and parts of UP; includes Rewa, known for white tigers.

Gondwana: Across MP, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, historically inhabited by Gond communities.

Northern Plains and Adjoining Areas

Braj Bhoomi: Mathura region.

Awadh: Around Lucknow.

Magadh: South Bihar, historically linked to Buddhism and Gaya.

Chota Nagpur: Covers parts of Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.

Western Regions

Saurashtra: Southern Gujarat, with the upper area being Kutch.

Maharashtra and Andhra Regions

Marathwada: Central region in Maharashtra, often drought-prone.

Vidarbha: Eastern Maharashtra, around Nagpur, known for cotton.

Kalinga: Geographical overlap of Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh.

Tulu Nadu: Coastal Karnataka area where the Tulu language is prevalent.

Major River Systems

Indus River System

Main Course

Origin: Near Lake Manasarovar in Tibet.

Flows through India’s Ladakh region, then into Pakistan.

Exits into the Arabian Sea near the Gulf of Sindh.

It is an antecedent river, cutting across mountain ranges like Ladakh and Zanskar.

Important Tributaries

Right Bank Tributaries

Shyok

Fed by Rimo Glacier, merges with Indus in the Pakistan-occupied region.

Tributaries include Nubra and Galwan.

Gilgit

Origin in Gilgit-Baltistan, merges with Indus in POK.

Kabul

Originates in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush, joins Indus downstream.

Left Bank Tributaries

Zanskar

Emerges from the northern slopes of the Great Himalaya, joins Indus after Leh.

Jhelum

Origin at Verinag in the Pir Panjal range.

Passes closely to Srinagar, contributes water to Wular Lake (freshwater lake, Ramsar site).

Chenab

Formed by the union of Chandra and Bhaga rivers (from the Bara Shigri glacier region).

Flows through Jammu & Kashmir, then Pakistan.

Ravi

Originates near Rohtang Pass, flows along the India-Pakistan border; merges with Chenab in Pakistan.
Beas

Origin near Manali; flows through the Kullu valley.

Joins Sutlej at Harike in Punjab.

Home to Indus dolphins and gharials in its stretch.

Sutlej

Originates near Rakas Lake (adjacent to Manasarovar).

Enters India via Shipki La Pass.

Hosts Bhakra and Nangal multipurpose projects (

Gobind Sagar reservoir behind Bhakra Dam

).

Key Hydropower Projects

Chenab: Pakal Dul, Kwar, Dulhasti, and Ratle (run-of-the-river) projects.

Jhelum: Kishanganga project on the Neelam tributary.

Ravi: Ranjit Sagar Dam.

Beas: Pong Dam (reservoir is a Ramsar site).

Sutlej: Known for the Bhakra-Nangal projects.

Ganga River System

Formation and Course

Formed by the confluence of

Alaknanda

And

Bhagirathi

At Devprayag in Uttarakhand.

Flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, then enters Bangladesh.

Joins the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh, eventually draining into the Bay of Bengal.

Tehri Dam (260 m high) is on the Bhagirathi, near its origin from the Gangotri glacier.

Major Confluences in Uttarakhand (Panch Prayag)

Vishnu Prayag: Confluence of Alaknanda with Dhauliganga.

Nand Prayag: Confluence with Nandakini.

Rudra Prayag: Merging point with Mandakini (origin near Kedarnath).

Devprayag: Confluence with Bhagirathi, where the river is formally named Ganga.

Key Cities Along Ganga

Rishikesh and Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

Prayagraj (Allahabad) where the Yamuna meets the Ganga.

Varanasi, Patna, and other cities in the plains before reaching West Bengal.

Left Bank Tributaries

Ramganga

: Origin in Pauri Garhwal, passes through Jim Corbett National Park.

Gomti

: Entirely within UP; flows via Lucknow.

Ghaghara (Saryu)

: Large antecedent river from Tibet; merges near Bihar.

Gandak

(also known as Narayani in Nepal): Joins Ganga near Patna.

Burhi Gandak

: “Old” Gandak, merges within Bihar’s plains.

Kosi (Sapt Kosi)

: Originates in Tibet, flows via Nepal, merges in Bihar; called the “sorrow of Bihar” due to flooding.

Mahananda

: Origin in Darjeeling hills, enters Bangladesh to meet the Ganga.

Right Bank Tributaries

Yamuna

Origin in Yamunotri near Bandarpoonch peaks.

Forms the boundary between Haryana and UP.

Major cities on its banks: Delhi, Agra, Mathura.

Merges with Ganga at Prayagraj.

Tons
: A tributary of Yamuna from Uttarakhand.

Chambal

Biggest right-bank tributary of Yamuna.

Originates in the Vindhyas, passes through Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (Kota region), and merges in
UP.

Habitat for gharials, muggers, and dolphins.

Tributaries of Chambal include

Banas

(from the Aravallis),

Kali Sindh

, and

Parbati

Sindh

: Merges with Yamuna in UP.

Betwa

And

Ken

Both originate from the Vindhyas.

Proposed

Ken-Betwa River Linking Project

In the Bundelkhand region.

Ken

Passes through Panna Tiger Reserve (with the proposed Daudhan Dam).

Son (Sone)

Originates in Amarkantak (near Narmada’s source), flows northwards through MP, UP, Jharkhand, and
enters Bihar.

Rihand

Is a tributary of Son with a significant dam (Rihand Dam).

Distributary in West Bengal

Hugli (Bhagirathi): Branch of the Ganga in West Bengal, passing through Kolkata.

East Kolkata Wetlands

: A Ramsar site on its eastern floodplains.

Sagar Island: Located in the Hugli estuary.

Other Rivers Linked to the Ganga System

Damodar

: Originates on the Chota Nagpur Plateau, historically causing floods known as the “sorrow of Bengal.”

Controlled by Damodar Valley Corporation dams (Konar, Tilaiya, Panchet, Maithon).

Ajay

: Also originates from the Chota Nagpur Plateau and merges with Hugli.

Brahmaputra River System

General Overview

One of the longest and largest rivers in India by discharge volume.

Originates from glaciers near Angsi and Chemayungdung in Tibet.

Called Tsangpo (or Yarlung Tsangpo) in Tibet, flows eastward, bends southward into India as Siang or
Dibang, and is known as Brahmaputra in Assam.

Becomes Jamuna in Bangladesh, joins the Ganga (called Padma there), and ultimately merges with the
Barak river’s outflow as Meghna.

Key Features

Crosses the Great Bend near Namcha Barwa, dropping altitude rapidly but not forming a waterfall.

In India, the main segment is in Assam from Sadiya to Dhubri.

NW2 (National Waterway 2) declared along parts of the Brahmaputra in Assam.

Fifth largest river worldwide by water discharge.

Many national parks (e.g., Kaziranga, Manas, Orang) are located in the Brahmaputra floodplains.

Right Bank Tributaries

Subansiri

: Major tributary from the north, site of a hydropower project.

Tributaries include

Ranga Nadi
And

Jia Dhal

Jia Bhareli (Kameng)

: Originates in Arunachal as Kameng; flows into Assam as Jia Bhareli.

Manas

: Emerges from Bhutan, flows into Assam’s national park region.

Sankosh

: A river from Bhutan merging downstream.

Teesta

: Originating from Sikkim’s glaciers, flows through the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal and enters
Bangladesh to join the Brahmaputra.

Left Bank Tributaries

Often come from eastern Arunachal or the Naga hills.

Dibang

: Flows through high biodiversity zones.

Lohit

: Joins the main stem near Sadiya in eastern Assam.

Dibru

: Merges near the Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve.

Dhansiri

: Arises from the Naga hills.

Kopili

: Originates from the Barail range.

Barak-Surma System

Barak in Manipur enters Assam’s plains and continues into Bangladesh as Surma or Kushiyara, eventually
merging with the Meghna.

Tipaimukh in Manipur is proposed for a hydropower project (with boundary-related concerns).

Major Bridges on Brahmaputra

Dhola-Sadiya (Bhupen Hazarika) Bridge: Currently India’s longest road bridge at approximately 9.15 km.
Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge: Proposed 19 km structure to connect Assam and Meghalaya.

Additional Northeastern River Note

Chindwin River

In Myanmar receives water from

Tizu

In Nagaland.

Tizu

Is designated as National Waterway 101 to facilitate connectivity.

Topic to be Discussed in the Next Class

Peninsular rivers of India, including east-flowing and west-flowing systems.

Lakes, wetlands, and related environment-based current affairs, including Ramsar sites and protected
areas.