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Mountain Ranges of India
1. The Aravalli Range
- Age & Status:
- Oldest mountain range in India.
- One of the oldest in the world, with an approximate age of 570 million years (formed in the Precambrian Era).
- Classified as a Residual Mountain, meaning it is the remnant of a much larger range that has been eroded over time.
- Location:
- Stretches over 800 km from Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana, ending in Delhi.
- Key Feature:
- Highest peak is Guru-Shikhar (1,722 meters).
2. The Himalayan Range
- Age & Status:
- The most recent mountain range in India.
- One of the newest mountain ranges in the world.
3. The Satpura Range
- Location:
- Located in central India, spanning Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
- Key Feature:
- Flanked by the Narmada and Tapti rivers (the rivers form its northern and southern boundaries).
- Sub-Ranges (West to East):
- The correct sequence is: Barwani Hills → Mahadeo Range → Maikal Range.
4. The Vindhya Range
- Status:
- An ancient mountain range.
- Location:
- Mainly stretches across Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
5. The Eastern Ghats
- Age:
- Older than the Western Ghats.
6. The Western Ghats
- Age:
- Younger than the Eastern Ghats.
- Junction with Eastern Ghats:
- The Nilgiri Hills are the meeting point of the Western and Eastern Ghats.
Major Peaks of India
1. Anaimudi
- Height: 2,695 meters.
- Location: Situated in the Idukki district of Kerala, part of the Anaimalai Hills (Western Ghats).
- Significance: Highest peak in Southern India.
- Feature: The name means “elephant’s forehead”.
2. Dodabetta
- Height: 2,637 meters.
- Location: Highest peak in the Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu.
3. Nanda Devi
- Location: Highest peak in the state of Uttarakhand (Himalayas).
4. Saramati
- Location: Highest peak in the state of Nagaland.
5. Guru-Shikhar
- Height: 1,722 meters.
- Location: Highest peak of the Aravalli Range, in Rajasthan.
Hill Stations & Specific Hills
1. Palni Hills
- Location: Part of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu.
- Key Feature: The hill station of Kodaikanal is situated here.
2. Nilgiri Hills
- Location: Tamil Nadu.
- Significance: Known as the ‘Queen of Hills’; junction of Eastern and Western Ghats.
3. Anaimalai Hills
- Location: Part of the Western Ghats, spread across the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
- Key Feature: Home to Anaimudi peak.
4. Sequence of Southern Hills (North to South)
- The correct sequence is: Nallamalai Hills → Javadi Hills → Nilgiri Hills → Anaimalai Hills.
Mountain Ranges & Peaks of India
1. The Nilgiri Hills
- Located in the Western Ghats.
- Situated at the junction of three states: Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
- Doda Betta (Doddabetta) is the highest peak in the Nilgiris and the highest in Southern India, with a height of 2,637 meters.
- Inhabited by fifteen tribal groups, including the Badagas, Kotas, and Todas.
2. The Western Ghats (Sahyadri Range)
- Known as Sahyadri in Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka.
- Anaimudi is the highest peak in the Western Ghats.
- The southern part of the Western Ghats is higher than the northern region.
- The Cardamom Hills are the southernmost range of India, part of the Western Ghats, and lie along the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- They are about 365 km from Kanyakumari.
- The Western Ghats and the Cardamom Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
3. The Satpura Range
- A range of hills in Central India.
- The Tapti River flows to the south of the Satpura range.
- The Narmada and Tapti river valleys are old rift valleys.
- Dhupgarh (1,350 m), located in Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, is the highest peak in the Satpura Range.
- The Maikal Range is part of the Satpura Range.
- The Ramgiri Hills are part of the Maikal Range (Satpura) in Chhattisgarh.
4. The Eastern Ghats
- Salher is not situated in the Eastern Ghats. It is the second-highest peak in Maharashtra (1,567 m) and part of the Sahyadri (Western Ghats).
- Peaks in the Eastern Ghats include Gali Konda, Sinkram Gutta, and Madugula Konda.
- The Nallamalai Hills are part of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh.
- The Ramgiri Hills are also part of the Eastern Ghats (Mahendra Parvat) in Andhra Pradesh.
5. Other Important Hills & Ranges
- Shevaroy Hills: Located in Salem, Tamil Nadu. The hill station Yercaud is situated here.
- Ajanta Range: Spread over only one state – Maharashtra.
- Hills in Maharashtra: Balaghat Range, Harishchandra Range, Satmala Hills.
- Mandav Hills: Located in Gujarat (not Maharashtra).
- Garhjat Hills: A mountain range in Odisha.
- Kaimur Hills: Extend from Madhya Pradesh to Bihar.
- Mikir Hills: Located in North-East India (Assam).
- Mahadeo Hills: Located in Central India (Madhya Pradesh).
6. Regional Locations
- Cardamom Hills: Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- Pir Panjal Range: Jammu & Kashmir to Himachal Pradesh.
- Naga Hills: Located at the Indo-Myanmar border.
7. Specific Peaks
- Parasnath Hill: Located in Giridih, Jharkhand. Height: 1,365 meters. It is a major Jain pilgrimage site.
- Raman Sagar Mountain: A submerged mountain in the Arabian Sea, 455 km west-southwest of Mumbai, with a height of 1,505 meters.
8. Order of Hills (South to North)
The correct sequence from south to north is:
- Satmala Hills (Maharashtra)
- Kaimur Hills (MP to Bihar)
- Naga Hills (Indo-Myanmar border)
- Pir Panjal Range (J&K to HP)
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