Q1. Amazon is a large river in the world. Near its mouth ______.
Amazon is a large river in the world. Near its mouth, no deltas are found.
Updated on: 2026-03-31 | Author: SSC Solutions Editorial Team
Amazon is a large river in the world. Near its mouth, no deltas are found.
| Sr. No. | India - major physiographic divisions | Brazil - major physiographic divisions |
| 1. | India lies on the Asian continent. | Brazil lies on the South American continent. |
| 2. | The Himalayas: The northeastern portion of India is made up of three parallel ranges often referred to as the Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and the Outer Himalayas. | The Highlands: They make up more than half of the country’s landmass and are the main source of the nation’s abundant mineral resources. They are recognized for their diversity. |
| 3. | The North Indian Plains: made by the Ganga River in the northern parts of India and the border surrounding areas of the Himalayas | The Great Escarpment: a plateau edge of southern America that separates the region’s highland interior plateau from the fairly narrow coastal strip. |
| 4. | The Peninsula: India is surrounded by water on three sides: the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, and the Indian Ocean in the south. | The Coastal Region: Brazil has a coastline of about 7400 km. One may divide that into two parts, namely the northern and eastern coasts. |
| 5. | Coastal Plains: India is blessed with a long coastline extending for approximately 7500 km. The western coast borders the Arabian Sea, whereas the eastern coast borders the Bay of Bengal. | The Plains: Pampas are vast plains extending westward across central Argentina from the Atlantic coast to the Andean foothills. |
| 6. | Island Groups: India has two large groups of islands, one each in the Arabian Sea and in the Bay of Bengal. The islands in the Arabian Sea are known as Lakshadweep, whereas the islands in the Bay of Bengal are called the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. | Island Groups: Besides the mainland, some islands are also included in Brazil. They can be classified into coastal islands and marine islands. |
| North Indian plains | Brazilian plains | |
| 1. | The North Indian Plains are divided into two sub-divisions, viz. the Ganga Basin and the Brahmaputra Valley. | The Brazilian plains are confined to two areas, viz. the Amazon basin in the north and Paraguay-Parana source region in the southwest. |
| 2. | North Indian Plains lie between Himalaya Mountains in the north and the peninsular plateau in the south. Also, it extends from Rajasthan and Punjab in the west to Assam in the east | Amazon plains form the largest plain land of Brazil. It lies between the Guyana Highlands and the Brazilian Highlands. |
| 3. | Most of the parts of West Bengal and Bangladesh together constitute the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta system. It is known as Sunderbans. The western part of the North Indian Plains is occupied by Thar Desert. | Most of the Amazon plains are covered by tropical rainforests. Pantanal is one of the largest wetlands in the world found in Brazil. |
The characteristics/features of the North Indian Plains are as follows:
North Indian Plains which is mostly a flat low-lying area, lies between Himalaya Mountains in the north and the peninsular plateau in the south.
Also, it extends from Rajasthan and Punjab in the west to Assam in the east.
The North Indian Plains are divided into two sub-divisions, viz. the Ganga Basin and the Brahmaputra Valley.
Most of the parts of West Bengal and Bangladesh together constitute the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta system. It is known as Sunderbans which is world’s largest delta.
The western part of the North Indian Plains is occupied by Thar Desert. It is also known as the Marusthali or the Thar Desert.
To the north of the desert lie the Punjab plains which are formed due to the depositional work by river Sutlej and its tributaries. It slopes towards the west and is spread to the west of Aravalis & Delhi ranges. Agriculture is largely practised in this region as the soil here is very fertile.
The eastern coast borders the Bay of Bengal. It has formed as a result of the depositional work of rivers.
The east-flowing rivers from all parts of the country empty into the Bay of Bengal on the east coast.
Since the slope of the land is gentle, rivers flow at lower velocities and deposit the sediments brought with them at the coast.
Guyana Highlands- Amazon river basin - Brazilan Highlands
Karnataka- Maharashtra-Bundelkhand
Juruika- Xingu- Aragua
Like India, Brazil also has ancient plateaus.
Maximum part of Brazil is occupied by highland.
Drought Quadrilateral
The Vindyas act as a water divide between Ganga River Basin and Narmada River basin.
Wainganga is a south-flowing river in the peninsular region.
Mewad Plateaus, Malwa Plateau, Bundelkhand Plateau, and Baghelkhand Plateau lie between the Aravali mountain ranges and Chhota Nagpur Plateau.
Mahendragiri (1690 m) is the peak shown in the Eastern ghats.
The height of the Sahyadri hill increases towards the south.
The Amazon Basin is mainly covered by dense forests.
The Lakshadweep Islands of Arabian Sea are coral islands.
Explanation:
The islands in the Arabian Sea are known as Lakshadweep whereas the islands in the Bay of Bengal are called the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Most of the islands in Lakshadweep are atoll islands. They are small in extent and not very high.
North Indian plains
To the foothills of the Aravalis lies the Mewad Plateau.
Pantanal which lies towards the southwest part of the highland areas is one of the largest wetlands in the world. The reasons behind the formation of swamps in the extensive continental location of Pantanal are as follows:
Pantanal is surrounded by Paraguay and its tributaries. These rivers collect its headwaters from the southern portion of the Highlands.
When the river is flooding, a large amount of sediment comes out with the flow. Heavy sediments are found towards the bottom of the river while suspended particles are scattered all over.
It means that Pantanal is formed due to the work of the river Paraguay and its tributaries. Due to this continuous process, Pantanal has developed into marshy land.
Paraguay river is located in the south-western part of Brazil and flows towards Argentina.
Thus, Pantanal is formed due to the Paraguay river and it is a region of swamps and marshes in north western Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil which extends into Argentina too.
Following are the measures are taken by the government to control pollution in the rivers of India:
Sewage treatment plants have now been made compulsory for every industry around the river basins. The water is treated before it is let out into the river.
Crores of rupees have been allotted for cleaning rivers under the Centre’s National River Conservation Plan (NRCP).
Cleaning of the river Ganga and its tributaries is running actively.
The sewage treatment from residential areas too is regularized as the untreated sewage from residential areas is polluting the rivers.
The use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers has been minimized by the government.
Proper garbage disposal units are now installed so that people do not throw garbage on the road which eventually finds its way into a water body.
Conservation of soil too is done in order to keep the river pollution under control.
More and more people are being educated about the various hazards of river pollution and how to avoid it.
Gangotri glacier is the origin of river Ganga.
Any elevated area, such as a mountain or an upland which separates two drainage basins is known as a water divide. The major water divides of India are as follows:
Western Ghats:
The Western Ghats is a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, located entirely in India. It forms a major water divide in the peninsula.
Most of the major rivers of the Peninsula, such as the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri, flow eastwards and drain into the Bay of Bengal. There are numerous small streams and rivers like Savitri, Terekhol, etc., flowing towards the west of the Western Ghats.
Aravali Range:
The Aravali Hills lie on the western and north-western margins of the Peninsular Plateau.
River Luni originates along the western slopes of the Aravali range and flows in a somewhat northwest to southwest direction and meets the Gulf of Kutch, while Banas, a tributary of River Chambal, flows in a northeast direction.
In this way, Aravali acts as a water divide of India.
Vindhya Range: The Vindhya Range divided the Ganga drainage basin and the Narmada River valley.
Satpuda range: Satpuda range divides the Narmada river valley and the Tapi river valley.
Himalayas: The Himalayas act as a water divide, as they separate the rivers flowing in the Himalayan system from the rivers flowing in the Trans-Himalayan ranges.
Pico da Neblina is the highest peak in Brazil.
Narmada is the west-flowing river in the central part of India.
Amazon river basin is found at west of Brazil.
The Himalayas is one of the youngest fold mountains in the world, and it is a major mountain system of the Asian continent.
The Himalayas extend from Jammu and Kashmir in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east.
They stretch over 2,400 km in length and have an average width of 200-400 km.
They stretch across five countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, China (Tibet), and Pakistan.
It is not a single mountain range but consists of many parallel ranges.
The southernmost range is known as the Shivalik range (Shivalik) and is the youngest of all the ranges.
Next to Shivalik lie the Lesser Himalayas, Greater Himalayas, and Trans-Himalayan ranges from south to north. These ranges are young to old, respectively.
These mountain ranges are further divided into the Western Himalayas (Kashmir Himalayas), Central Himalayas (Kumaun Himalayas), and Eastern Himalayas (Assam Himalayas).
The Amazon plain forms the largest plain land of Brazil and lies between the two highlands, viz., the Guyana Highlands and the Brazilian Highlands.
It lies in the northern parts of Brazil and generally slopes eastwards.
The Amazon basin is quite wide in the west (about 1300 km), and it narrows eastward.
Its width is minimum where the Guyana Highlands and Brazilian Highlands come closer (240 km).
The width of the plains increases as the river approaches the Atlantic Ocean.
Most of the Amazon plains are covered by tropical rainforests.
These are mostly forested areas and largely inaccessible due to frequent flooding and dense undergrowth.
Amazon basin lies to the north of Brazil. Amazon River receives a huge discharge of about 2 lakhs cubic m/s. On the other hand, in North Indian Plains, due to the gentle slope, the speed (velocity) of River Ganga is less.
Due to the throwing of industrial waste in rivers, the river water has become polluted which has an adverse effect on human life.
There are dissimilarities between the eastern and western coasts of India because:
The western coast borders the Arabian Sea whereas the Eastern coast borders the Bay of Bengal.
On the western coast, spurs taking off from the Western Ghats extend right up to the coast. It’s width is also less and it is a rocky coast. On the other hand, the eastern coast has been formed due to the depositional work of rivers.
As rivers that originate from the Western Ghats are short & swift, they form estuaries and not deltas whereas as the Eastern Ghats have gentle slope, the speed of the rivers is less and so they deposit the sediments brought with them at the coast, resulting in the formation of deltas.
Even a cursory look at the map will make one realise that there is North Atlantic and South Atlantic Ocean to the northern and eastern coasts of Brazil respectively.
The southern Brazil is occupied by an extensive plateau. The height (altitude) decreases gradually to its north. A number of rivers take off from the terminal portion of the highlands and flow northwards to meet Atlantic Ocean.
The only major river Sao Francisco flows towards the north for a distance and then takes a sharp eastward turn to enter the coastal strip along the Atlantic Ocean.
Moreover, Amazon which is the longest river in Brazil, originates from the eastern slopes of Andes Mountains in Peru, flows eastward and meet North Atlantic ocean.
Brazil has a coastline of about 7400 km. It can be divided into two parts, namely the northern and eastern coasts.
The northern coast extends from Amapá province in the north to Rio Grande do Norte in the east. It can be called the North Atlantic coast.
On this coast lie Marajó Island, Marajó Bay and São Marcos Bay. Marajó is a large coastal island located between the mouths of the Amazon River and the Tocantins River.
The eastern coast receives many smaller rivers. The only major river along this coast that meets the Atlantic Ocean is the São Francisco. However, the largest river, the Amazon, meets the ocean on the northern coast.
The Brazilian coast is characterised by a large number of beaches and sand dune complexes. It is also protected in some areas by coral reefs and atoll islands.
The Great Escarpment is an important physiographic division of Brazil.
It is very steep and occupies a very small area. The nature of its slope and the effect it has on the climate makes it a separate physiographic region.
The eastern side of the Highlands is demarcated because of escarpment. Here, the altitude of the escarpment is 790 m, the height decreases gradually in some regions. The escarpment is very steep particularly from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre.
The escarpment act as a barrier to the South-east Trade winds giving rise to the rain shadow area in the north-eastern part of the highlands. The region to the north of this area is called ‘Drought Quadrilateral’.
The area lying to the south of North Indian Plains and tapering towards the Indian Ocean is called Indian Peninsula.
It consists of many plateaus and hill ranges.
The Aravalis in the north is the oldest fold mountains here.
It includes a series of plateaus bordering the plain. The northern part of the peninsula includes Mewad, Malwa, Budelkhand, Baghelkhand and Chota Nagpur plateaus in serials from west to east. While the Deccan plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada.
The Vindyas and Satpudas ranges lies in the central part whereas the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats are the western and the eastern borders of the Deccan Plateau respectively.