Regional Geography of India with Special Reference to Rajasthan
What this domain tests
This section tests India's physiographic divisions and Rajasthan's regions, climate, drainage and water projects.
Core rules
- India's physiographic divisions: Himalayas, Indo-Gangetic Plain, Peninsular Plateau, coastal plains and islands.
- Rajasthan: Aravalli Range (old fold mountains), Thar Desert, Marwar and Mewar regions, eastern plains and Hadoti plateau.
- The Aravalli acts as a drainage divide. The Luni is the main western river and drains inland toward the Rann of Kachchh. The Chambal and Banas drain eastward.
- The Indira Gandhi Canal brings water to western Rajasthan, supporting irrigation but also causing waterlogging and salinity in places.
Worked example
Why does the Luni disappear into the Rann of Kachchh rather than reaching the sea? It rises in the Aravallis and flows southwest through an arid region. With low rainfall, high evaporation and no major tributary, its flow decreases downstream and it ends in inland drainage.
Traps
Guru Shikhar, not Mount Abu town, is the highest Aravalli peak. The Aravallis are not young fold mountains like the Himalayas. The Chambal is not a Himalayan river. The Thar is not uniformly sandy; it includes rocky and gravelly tracts.