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Rivers and mountains of India

Travel across a map of India to meet the Himalayas, the Ghats and the Aravallis, and follow the great rivers from their source to the sea.

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The big idea

India has snowy mountains in the north, long chains of hills along its coasts and big rivers flowing through its plains. In this lesson you will learn the names of the main mountains and rivers and where they are on the map.

The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world. They stretch across the north of India like a great wall and protect the country from cold winds. The highest peak in the world, Mount Everest, lies on the border of Nepal and China. The highest peak in India is Kangchenjunga in Sikkim.

South of the Himalayas lies the flat, fertile Northern Plains. South of the plains is the Deccan Plateau, a large raised land. On its western edge are the Western Ghats and on its eastern edge the Eastern Ghats. The Aravalli range in Rajasthan is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. The Vindhya and Satpura ranges run across central India.

The Ganga is the longest river in India. It starts from the Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand, flows through the Northern Plains past cities like Haridwar, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Patna, and ends in the Bay of Bengal. The Yamuna joins the Ganga at Prayagraj. The Brahmaputra flows through Assam and meets the Ganga in Bangladesh.

In the south the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri flow eastward into the Bay of Bengal. The Godavari is the longest river of peninsular India. The Narmada and Tapi are different: they flow westward into the Arabian Sea.

Rivers give us water for drinking and farming, and the plains along the Ganga are among the most fertile farmlands in the world. Keeping rivers clean is everyone's job.

Map of India with main mountains and riversA simple outline of India, not to scale. A thick line along the top is labelled Himalayas. A ridge along the west coast is labelled Western Ghats and one along the east coast Eastern Ghats. Blue lines show the Ganga flowing from the north-west to the Bay of Bengal, the Brahmaputra from the north-east, the Narmada flowing west to the Arabian Sea and the Godavari flowing south-east. The seas around are labelled. Himalayas Western Ghats Eastern Ghats Ganga Brahmaputra Narmada Godavari Yamuna Arabian Sea Bay of Bengal Indian Ocean N
A simple map, not to scale: the Himalayas in the north, Ghats along the coasts, and rivers flowing to the seas.

Worked examples

See how it works

  1. Following the Ganga

    Start at the Gangotri glacier high in Uttarakhand. Flow down to Haridwar where the river enters the plains. Pass Kanpur, meet the Yamuna at Prayagraj, flow past Varanasi and Patna, then through West Bengal and Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal. That is a journey of about 2,500 kilometres.

  2. East or west?

    Most big rivers of peninsular India, the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, flow east into the Bay of Bengal. The Narmada and Tapi flow west into the Arabian Sea. A quick rule: Narmada and Tapi are the two that go the other way.

  3. Which is higher?

    Mount Everest is 8,849 metres high and Kangchenjunga is 8,586 metres. Everest is higher, but it is on the Nepal and China border, so the highest peak inside India is Kangchenjunga.

Try it at home

Salt-dough map of India

You will need

  • One cup of flour, half a cup of salt and some water
  • A piece of cardboard or an old plate
  • A pencil
  • Blue and brown colour if available, or a blue pen

What to do

  1. Mix the flour, salt and a little water into a soft dough.
  2. Draw a rough outline of India on the cardboard and press the dough over it in a thin layer.
  3. Pinch up a long ridge across the top for the Himalayas and two ridges along the coasts for the Ghats.
  4. Scratch lines with the pencil for the Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Narmada and Godavari, and colour them blue.
  5. Let it dry for a day, then write labels on small paper flags.

Practice sheet

Check what you learned

Write your answers in a notebook, or print this sheet and write on it. When you finish, mark your work with the answer key.

Practice sheet: Rivers and mountains of India (Classes 3-5, General knowledge)

  1. Which mountains lie along the north of India?
  2. What is the highest peak in the world, and where is it?
  3. What is the highest peak in India?
  4. Which is the longest river in India?
  5. Where does the Ganga start?
  6. At which city does the Yamuna join the Ganga?
  7. Into which sea do the Ganga, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri flow?
  8. Name two rivers that flow west into the Arabian Sea.
  9. Which old mountain range is in Rajasthan?
  10. Which hills run along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau?
  11. Which state does the Brahmaputra flow through in India?

Answer key

Answers: Rivers and mountains of India

Do the practice sheet first, then check here. If an answer is different from yours, read the lesson again and try once more.

  1. The Himalayas.
  2. Mount Everest, on the border of Nepal and China.
  3. Kangchenjunga, in Sikkim.
  4. The Ganga.
  5. From the Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand.
  6. Prayagraj.
  7. The Bay of Bengal.
  8. The Narmada and the Tapi.
  9. The Aravalli range.
  10. The Western Ghats.
  11. Assam.

What next

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General knowledge for classes 3 to 5

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