Geographical Diversity of India
The Peninsular Plateau
Learn what a plateau is, and explore the Peninsular Plateau.
A plateau is land that rises above the land around it and has a fairly flat top, like a table, often with steep sides.
India's most important plateau is the big triangle in the middle and south. A peninsula has water on three sides (here: the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean), so this is the Peninsular Plateau. It is very old land.
Two mountain ranges border it (W comes before E):
| Western Ghats | Eastern Ghats | |
|---|---|---|
| height | higher, like a wall along the west coast | lower, broken into small hills |
| also | many monsoon waterfalls; rich wildlife; UNESCO World Heritage Site; northern part called the Sahyadri | — |
Between them is the Deccan Plateau, a wide stretch of flat highland.
The plateau tilts a little to the east. Water runs downhill, so most rivers flow east into the Bay of Bengal: Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi, and the Kaveri. Only a few flow west into the Arabian Sea: the Narmada and Tapti.
The plateau is rich in minerals, forests and fertile land. Its coal makes much of India's electricity, though burning it adds to global warming.
Its forests are home to tribal communities such as the Santhal, Gond, Baiga, Bhil and Korku, each with its own language and traditions, closely tied to nature. They live across Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Gujarat.
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