Divisions of the Northern Plains
The plain is divided west to east into four regions.
| Division | Rivers | States | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan Plain | Luni, Ghaggar (seasonal) | Rajasthan | Western part of desert: Marusthali (dunes) and Bagar (semi-arid, east) |
| Punjab-Haryana Plain | Sutlej, Beas, Ravi (Indus system) | Punjab, Haryana, Delhi | Doabs: Bist (Beas-Sutlej), Bari/Majha (Beas-Ravi), Rechna (Ravi-Chenab) |
| Ganga Plain | Ganga, Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi | UP, Bihar, Jharkhand (parts), West Bengal | Upper, Middle, Lower Ganga plain |
| Brahmaputra (Assam) Plain | Brahmaputra and tributaries | Assam, parts of Arunachal | Valley about 640 km long, 80-100 km wide; Majuli |
Punjab Plain
- Formed by the Sutlej, Beas, Ravi (and Chenab, Jhelum in Pakistan). "Punjab" = five rivers.
- Doabs of the Punjab: Bist-Jalandhar (Beas-Sutlej), Bari (Beas-Ravi; Majha region), Rechna (Ravi-Chenab), Chaj (Chenab-Jhelum), Sindh Sagar (Jhelum-Indus). Only the first two lie in India.
- Rich wheat-rice belt; Green Revolution heartland; canals (Bhakra, Sirhind).
- Malwa is the area south of the Sutlej.
Ganga Plain
| Part | Extent | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Ganga Plain | Haryana-UP, Doab, Rohilkhand | Ganga-Yamuna Doab; sugarcane and wheat; Delhi, Meerut |
| Middle Ganga Plain | East UP and Bihar | Large floods; Kosi, Gandak, Ghaghara; Mithila; Bhojpur |
| Lower Ganga Plain | West Bengal | Delta (largest delta in the world, with Brahmaputra); Sundarbans mangrove |
- Bundelkhand and Vindhyan edge mark the south.
- The Barind is older alluvium in North Bengal and Bangladesh.
Brahmaputra Plain
- A narrow, braided plain bounded by the Himalaya on the north and the Meghalaya and Karbi plateau on the south.
- Majuli, one of the largest river islands in the world, lies in the Brahmaputra (Assam). Floods are annual; tea and rice are the crops.
Chhattisgarh plain and others
The Chhattisgarh Plain (Mahanadi basin) is part of the Peninsula, not the Northern Plain. Do not confuse them.
Map practice
Mark Bhabar, Terai; Majha, Doaba and Malwa; the Gangetic delta; Majuli; Kosi.
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.