Page 134 - SST Class 06

The Deccan Plateau has rich black soil which is
very fertile for the cotton crop. This has made
Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat and Karnataka
cotton belt in India. This region is rich in mineral
wealth also; the important minerals being iron
ore, mica and gold. The gold mines in Kolar
(Karnataka) are famous.
The Coastal Plains
The coastline in the peninsular India measures
6,100 kilometres. It is a long and narrow strip all
along the sea. The hills comprising the Western
Ghats and the Eastern Ghats gradually slope
towards the ocean and form into the plains. The
coastal plains are wider in the eastern side as
compared to the western side.
The Western Coastal Plains are located along the
Arabian Sea and range from the Rann of Kutch
down south to Kerala. The two major rivers here
are the Tapi and the Narmada. The eastern coastal
plains are wider than the Western Coastal Plains.
The Eastern Coastal Plains run along the Bay of
Bengal. The four major rivers flowing in this area
are the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and
the Kaveri.
Islands
The two island groups in India are Andaman and
Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal and the
Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea.
The Andaman and Nicobar islands are in the form
of a cluster. The northern cluster of islands is
known as the Andaman islands; and the southern
cluster, known as the Nicobar islands. Many of
these islands are very small and uninhabited.
The Lakshadweep is a group of 27 coral islands in
the Arabian Sea about 300 km west of Kerala
coast. All of these are very small and 17 of these
are uninhabited.
Info Bits
Info Bits
Corals are tiny short-lived marine animals called
polyps. When they die, their skeletons are left and
other polyps grow on these, and gradually they
become higher and higher, which finally result in
coral islands.
Contemporary Social Science-6
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Coral islands of Lakshadweep
Quiz Time
Write True or False :
1. The desert is about 500 kms long and 100-300
kms wide. _____
2. The Aravalli hills divide Rajasthan into three
parts. _____
3. The Deccan Plateau has rich blue soil. _____
4. The Malwa plateau comprises the northern
region of the peninsular India. _____
5. The Eastern Coastal Plains run along the Bay of
Bengal. _____
GEOGRAPHICAL UNITY OF INDIA
Despite a variety of landforms, India remains one
in spirit and essence. Different landforms might
have resulted in a variety of customs, lifestyles,
eating habits, dresses and so on; yet we all Indians
remain one with one citizenship, ready to sacrifice
ourselves at the altar of our motherland.
Moreover, one region is dependent on the other
because one area produces one thing and the
other region produces another; for example,
Northern Plains meet the wheat requirements,
plateau region meets the mineral needs and
coastal plains meet the need of spices.
STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES OF INDIA
India is one, but in order to run the administration
efficiently, it has been divided into 28 states, 8
union territories and 1 National Capital Territory of
Delhi. New Delhi is the capital of India. The states
and union territories have their respective capitals.