NCERT Solutions for Class 7th Social Science Chapter 1 Geographical Diversity of India
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
India is the seventh-largest country in the world and part of Asia. With Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar it forms the Indian Subcontinent . For study the land is grouped into five regions — the great mountain zone, the plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region, the southern peninsula, and the islands. The Himalayas run about 2500 km like a wall in the north. Many peaks cross 8000 m (the ‘Eight Thousanders’). The range has three parts — Himadri (Greater), Himachal (Lower) and the Shivalik Hills (Outer). Melting snow feeds the Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra, so the range is called the ‘ Water Tower of Asia ’. The Himalayas rose when the Indian landmass broke away from Gondwana , drifted north and collided with Eurasia about 50 million years ago. India stil
- Theme: India and the World: Land and the People
- The physical map of India at the end of the book
- Latitude, longitude and India's natural boundaries
- The Himalayas
- The ‘Eight Thousanders’
- The three ranges of the Himalayas
- The Brahmaputra
- Fig. 1.16
- The Great Indian Desert or Thar Desert
- The shape of a sand dune
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | Example / detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subcontinent | A large landmass that is part of a continent but stands somewhat apart from it | Page 2 — India and its neighbours | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar |
| Himadri | The Greater Himalayas — the highest, most rugged range, snow-covered all year | Page 6 — the three ranges | Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga |
| Himachal | The Lower Himalayas, with a moderate climate and rich biodiversity | Page 6 | Nainital, Darjeeling, Shimla, Mussoorie |
| Shivalik Hills | The Outer Himalayas — rolling hills and dense forest, a transition zone | Page 6 | Between the Himalayas and the Gangetic Plains |
| Gondwana | The huge ancient landmass India was once part of, next to Africa | Page 5 — how the Himalayas formed | India broke away and drifted north |
| Cold desert | A desert that is cold, not hot — very little rain, rugged rocky land | Page 8 — Ladakh | Winter below –30°C; Pangong Tso; ‘moonland’ |
| Sand dune | A hill-like heap of sand piled and shaped by the wind | Pages 12–13 — the Thar | Sometimes as high as 150 metres |
| Taanka / kund | Traditional Rajasthani tanks that store rainwater, often for drinking | Page 14 — DON'T MISS OUT | Ingenious water conservation in the Thar |
| Plateau | A landform that rises above the land around it and has a more or less flat top | Page 16 — LET'S REMEMBER | The Deccan Plateau |
| Peninsula | A piece of land surrounded by water on three sides | Page 16 — margin note | Peninsular India — Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean |
| Estuary | The wide mouth of a river where it meets the sea | Page 19 — the West Coast | Narmada and Tapti estuaries, the largest on the west coast |
| Delta | A triangular or fan-shaped landform built of sediment at a river's mouth | Page 20 — the East Coast | Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri; the Sundarbans delta |
| Lagoon | A body of water separated from a larger water body by a natural barrier | Page 20 | Pulicat Lake; Chilika Lake |
| Archipelago | A group of islands | Page 21 — Lakshadweep | 36 coral islands close to the Malabar coast |
| Living root bridge | A bridge grown by weaving tree roots together over many years | Pages 23–24 — Meghalaya | Near Nongriat village, Cherrapunjee; Mawlynnong village |
Exercises
- Theme: India and the World: Land and the People — The Big Questions Page 1
- The physical map of India at the end of the book — Let's Explore Page 2
- Latitude, longitude and India's natural boundaries — Let's Explore Page 3
- The Himalayas — In-text Questions Page 3
- The ‘Eight Thousanders’ — Let's Remember Page 4
- The three ranges of the Himalayas — Let's Explore Page 6
- The Brahmaputra — Don't Miss Out Page 11
- Fig. 1.16 — Let's Explore Page 11
- The Great Indian Desert or Thar Desert — In-text Questions Page 12
- The shape of a sand dune — Let's Explore Page 12
- The Aravalli Hills — Let's Explore Page 14
- The States the Aravalli range spans — Let's Explore Page 15
- The Peninsular Plateau — Let's Remember Page 16
- The direction in which the rivers flow — Let's Explore Page 16
- Tribal communities of the plateau — Let's Explore Page 17
- India's Amazing Coastlines — Let's Explore Page 19
- The Delta in West Bengal and the Sundarbans — In-text Questions Page 22
- The hills of the Northeast — In-text Questions Page 23
- The chapter in four points — Before we move on … Page 24
- End-of-chapter exercise — Questions and activities Page 24–25