GREAT MOUNTAIN WALL
    The Indian subcontinent occupies a strategic position in Southern Asia has 
    it has distinct geography entity, separated from the rest of Asia by the lofty
    mountain barriers of the Himalayas, the Kirthars, the Sulaiman, the Hindukush
    and the Poorvanchal ranges. The countries comprising Indian subcontinent are 
    India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, India being the largest among 
    all these 

    The territories of India's mainland extend for 3,214 kms between the extremes
    of north and south, and 2,993 kms in the east-west extreme points. The 
    northern boundaries of India has three distinct physical divisions. The northern
    boundaries of India are provided by the lofty ranges of the Himalayas which run 
    almost in a wall like shape from north-west to north-east. 



    THE GREAT MOUNTAIN WALL OF THE NORTH
  
    India's northern frontiers are distinctly marked out by an arc shaped huge 
    mountain wall comprising the snow capped mountain ranges of the KARAKORAM 
    and the Himalayas. The karakoram ranges rises from the Pamir Knot in the north-
    west and stretches towards the south-east up to the Indus Gorge in the Jammu
    and Kashmir The world's 2nd highest mountain peak K2 (Godwin Austen), which 
    has a height of 8,610 mts, belongs to this chain of mountains. Famous Baltoro
    glacier also lies in the high valleys of Karakoram ranges. To the south of the
    Karakoram mountains is the Ladakh range and further below southwards is the  
    Zaskar range of mountains, both of which lie in Jammu and Kashmir.

    The Himalayas, which form almost a 2,500 kms long continuous mountain wall  
    on India's north, extending from Indus in the west to Brahmaputra in the east, 
    can be divided into western Himalayas encompass Jammu and Kashmir and 
    Himachal Pradesh. The central Himalayas are spread over northern Uttar Pradesh 
    and Nepal. The eastern Himalayas  cover northerns part of the West Bengal and 
    extend into Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh.

    The Himalayas broadly consist of three parallel ranges: The HIMADRI, 
    The HIMACHAL and The SIWALIKS. 
          
    The HIMADRI or the greater Himalayas comprise the northern most range and 
    lie on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Its the highest mountain range with an 
    average height of about 6,000 mts above the sea level. The world's highest
    mountain peak, Mt. Everest (8,848 mts) belongs to the Greater Himalayas. 
    Kanchenjunga (8,597 mts), Nanga Parbat (8,125 mts) and Nanda Devi
    (7,816 mts) are the highest peaks of the Greater Himalayas in India.   

    South of the Himadri lies the Himachal range, which is also known as the
    Middle or the Lesser Himalayas, which has a height varying between 3700
    and 4500 metres above sea level. This range of alternating ridges and valleys
    and highly dissected uplands contains many of Indian's important hill stations.
    The beautiful Kashmir, Kulu and Kangra valleys of India and Kathmandu valley 
    in Nepal lie in this mountain range. The popular hill stations of Shimla, Mussoorie,
    Nainital and Darjeeling are located on the Himachal ranges of the Himalayas.

    The Siwalik range in the southern most range of Himalayas which is the lowest
    among the Himalayan ranges with a height of between 900 to 1,200 mts above 
    the sea level. It is made up of mud and soft rocks, it is a discontinuous range
    which lies on the northern border of the Ganga plain and extends towards east 
    to merge with the main mountains.

    Though the Himalayas, with their loftiest mountain ranges, form the impeccable
    barrier on India's northern frontiers, they do contain some gaps in their ranges
    which provide natural routes across these high mountains. These gaps, called 
    passes, have not only been traditional trade routes over the past many
    centuries, but have also provided easy access to the foreign invaders and 
    greatly influenced the course of India's history. The important passesin the 
    Himalayas are the KHYBER, the BOLAN, the SHIPKI-LA, the NATHU-LA,
    the BOMDI-LA.

    On India's north-eastern side are located the Poorvanchal mountains, which 
    consist of the Patkai Bum and the Naga Hills in the north, Mizo and Lushai in 
    the south and the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills which lie in the centre. These
    mountain ranges are neither as tall nor as spectacular as the mighty Himalayas. 
 
    
   
   |GREAT PLAINS|  |DRAINAGE OF GREAT PLAINS|  

   |GREAT PLATEAU OF PENINSULAR INDIA|  |GREAT DESERT OF RAJASTHAN|

   |COASTAL STRIPS|  |INDIAN ISLANDS|