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Question

What makes the northern plains so fertile?


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Solution

The Northern Plains are fertile due to the deposition of alluvial soil. It is an agriculturally very productive part of India, due to abundant availability of water supply, favourable climate and rich soil. Hence the Northern plains are known as the granaries of India and this physiographic division of India is very good for growing crops and is densely populated.

Northern Plains – Important Facts

  • The Northern Plains are spread over an area of 7 lakh square kilometres.
  • The Northern plains are 240 to 320 Km broad and 2400 Km long.
  • The variation in the maximum depth of the alluvium deposits is 1000 m to 2000 m.
  • The Northern plains were formed by 3 major river systems, the Ganga, the Indus and the Brahmaputra rivers and its large number of tributaries.
  • The Northern plains were the base for the early civilizations.
  • This alluvial soil supports a variety of crops such as sugarcane, rice, wheat and jute.

Northern Plains – 3 Main Divisions

The Northern plains are divided into 3 main sections.

Punjab Plains

  • It is the Western part of the Northern Plain.
  • Doab (‘Do’ means ‘two’ and ‘ab’ means ‘water’)dominates this section of the Northern plains.
  • This section of the Northern plain is formed by the massive Indus river and its large tributaries such as the Beas, the Ravi, the Sutlej, the Chenab river, all of which have its origins in the Himalayas.
  • The major part of this section of the Northern Plains lies in Pakistan.

Ganga Plains

  • This section of plain Northern Plain covers the North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Delhi and parts of Jharkhand and West Bengal.
  • The Ganga plain section of the Northern Plains extends between the Teesta river and the Ghaggar river.

Brahmaputra Plain

  • This section of Northern Plains covers the Indian state of Assam.
  • The Brahmaputra plains are known for their sand bars and riverine islands.
  • Braided streams are formed in this region due to shifting river courses.
  • Brahmaputra plains are subjected to periodic floods.

Northern Plains – Divisions based on Relief Features

The vast Northern Plains have diverse relief features, hence Northern Plains can be divided into different regions which are mentioned below:

Bhabar

  • Pebbles are deposited in a narrow belt of 8 km to 16 km in width. These pebbles are deposited by the rivers flowing down from the mountains.
  • This narrow belt lies parallel to the slopes of Shiwaliks.
  • All the streams disappear in this bhabar belt.

Terai

  • It is a marshy, wet and swampy region.
  • This region is created by the streams and rivers which re-emerge.
  • Teria is located to the South of the Bhabar belt.

Articles to explore

  1. What are Piedmont plains? Give an example?
  2. Distinguish between plateaus and plains.

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