General Knowledge for SSC Exams (The Aravallis and the Deccan Mountains)

(a) The Aravallis: The oldest mountain range in India
(b) The Vindhyas: Separate the southern part of India from the northern part
(c) The Satpuras: Between the rivers Narmada and Tapti
(d) Western Ghats: Average elevation is about 915 to1220 m
(e) Eastern Ghats: Average elevation is about 610 m

Islands

There are two groups of Islands:

1. Andaman and Nicobar Group : The northern cluster of 204 small islands comprise the Andamans and the southern cluster of 19 small islands are the Nicobar islands.
2. Lakshadweep : A group of 27 coral islands scattered in the Arabian sea 300 km west of Kerala.

Soils

1. Alluvial Soil

Areas of the Indo-Gangetic plain covering almost a quarter of Indian soil, and are very fertile. Found in Punjab, Haryana, UP. Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

2. Black Soil

It is rich mineral soil formed by deposition of lava ejected by volcanoes, and is suitable for cotton cultivation. Found in Maharashtra, Gujarat, western Madhya- Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It is also known as regur soil.

3. Red Soil

Formed by the weathering of ancient metamorphic and crystalline rocks and having a high iron content. It is good for cultivation of pulses and coarse grains. Found in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and the north-eastern hill states.

4. Laterite Soil

Formed by the weathering of laterite rocks. Found in areas occupied by the Deccan, Andhra Pradesh, Eastern Ghats, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, coast of Orissa, Meghalaya and Assam. Other types of soil found in India are Saline and Alkaline soils, Peat and Marshy soil, Arid or Desert soil, and Forest soil.

The River Systems

The rivers of India are broadly classified into:

1. The Himalayan System

These are perennial, snow-fed rivers. During the rainy season they are generally flooded and carry 70 per cent of the total discharge of river water into the sea. The three great Himalayan rivers are as follows: The holy Ganges is the longest river in the country. The 2900 km Brahmaputra is longer than the Ganges but only one third of the river passes through India.

2. The Deccan System

These are seasonal rivers as their flow manly depends on rainfall. They carry about 30 per cent of total discharge of Indian rivers. The list of, important rivers of peninsular India are given in the table on the following page.
Godavari is the largest river system in peninsular India. The Cauvery system is the southernmost in the country.

3. The Third River System

These are small rivers in sandy areas of Rajasthan, called ‘rivers of inland drainage basins’, with no outlet in sea, except Luni which drains into the Rann of Kutch.

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