THE GREAT PLAINS

THE GREAT PLAINS Between the Himalayas and thE Peninsular Plateau are found the Great Northern Pljiins tha stretch in an east-west direction for about 2,400 km. The) cover more than seven lakh sq km and have a widtt ranging from less than 200 km (as in Bihar) to 500 km (af in Punjab and Rajasthan). The depth is about 1,300-1,400n on an average. Alluvial in nature, these plains are composec of older alluvium (bhangar) or the newer alluvium (khadai or bet). The rivers flowing from the Himalaya deposi pebbles and coarse sand in forelands ca~led bhabar or ghar Small rivers that disappear below the ground in thE bhabars reappear in the plains, creating large swamps callec terais.

The Great Plains have a number of sub-p~ains, such as
The Punjab-Haryana Plains With a distance of 640 km from north-east to south-west and 300 km from west t< east, these flat plains occupy 1.75 lakh sq km and have c height ranging from 200 m to 300m. They comprise tht Bist Doab (between Sutlej and Beas rivers) the Upper Bar Doab (between Beas and Ravi rivers), and the south-eas Malwa Plain.

The Rajasthan Plains These comprise the marusthal of Thar and the nearly Bagar areas and occupy an area 0 1.75 lakh sq km. Sand dunes are longitudinal (in the wes and south) and transverse (in the east). The Luni rive flowing towards the south-west is the only river in thl region.' The Rajasthan desert is sloping towards two direc tions: (a) westwards to the Indus Valley in Pakistan, an( (b) southwards to the Rann of Kutch.

The Ganga Plains Spreading across the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar for 3.57 lakh sq km, the plains comprise the raised bhangar areas and khadar areas. The Ganga Plain is divided into the (a) Ganga-Yamuna Doab, (b) Rohilkhand Plain, (c) Avadh Plain (covering the eastern half of Uttar Pradesh), (d) Bihar Plain, and (e) Bengal Plain. The Ganga delta, which constitutes the Bengal basin, has part of it stretching along the sea and covered with tidal forests (the Sunderbans).

The Brahmaputra Plains The low-level plains formed by deposits carried by mainly the Brahmaputra river but also the Diband, the Sesiri and the Luhit are bordered by high mountains. Moist soil conditions and thick forests form the northern extreme.