The Deccan Plateau
The Deccan (from Sanskrit dakshina, "south") is the great plateau south of the Narmada.
Basic features
- Triangular; bounded by the Satpura-Mahadeo-Maikal on the north, Western Ghats on the west, Eastern Ghats on the east.
- Height: 600-900 m in the north, rising to over 1,000 m in the south (Mysore plateau); slopes eastward.
- Deccan Trap: about 5 lakh sq km of basalt in Maharashtra, Gujarat (parts), MP, Karnataka, Telangana, AP; black cotton soil; flat-topped hills with step-like (trap) landscapes.
Sub-divisions
| Plateau | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra Plateau | Maharashtra | Deccan Trap; Ajanta-Satmala, Balaghat, Harishchandra ranges; Godavari-Bhima basins; black soil; cotton |
| Karnataka (Mysore) Plateau | Karnataka | Malnad (hilly, wet, west) and Maidan (plain, dry, east); Bababudan hills, Coorg; coffee, Kolar gold |
| Telangana Plateau | Telangana | Gneissic base; Godavari-Krishna; Nizamabad, Medak |
| Rayalaseema | AP | Dry; Cuddapah, Kurnool; diamond |
| Dandakaranya | Chhattisgarh-Odisha-Maharashtra-AP | Forest and tribal area (Bastar); Indravati |
Hills of the Deccan
- Mahadeo hills (Maharashtra, Pachmarhi), Balaghat range, Ajanta range (Ajanta caves), Harishchandra and Sahyadri spurs, Biligiri Rangan hills (Karnataka-TN), Nallamala.
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from NCERT, standard geography textbooks, the Census of India 2011, the India State of Forest Report, IMD, Ministry of Agriculture and other official sources. Maps are schematic teaching maps, not Survey of India maps, and zone boundaries are approximate. Figures such as production, capacity, counts of parks and ports, and census status change, so check the latest official source before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.