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288 Arrow-Puffin-3_Semester-1 SocialPlateausLet us look at the southern part of India. The land here is flat and uneven but higher than the surrounding plains. This kind of land is called a plateau. The plateau which looks like a triangle is called the Southern Plateau or the Deccan Plateau. It is surrounded by hills on three sides. Unlike the plains the land is hard and rocky, and not very fertile. The rivers flowing here depend on the rains for water. There are thick forests in some parts of the plateau region. The climate in plateaus is hot and dry in summer and milder and drier in winter.DesertsA desert is a large area of land covered with sand. In the north-western part of India you will find the Thar Desert or the Indian Desert. It is a very hot and dry area that lies mostly in Rajasthan. It hardly rains here. Only a few small trees, shrubs and herbs grow in this region. The camel is used as a means of transport here. The Deccan PlateauThe Thar DesertIslandsIf you look at the map of India, you will find that the southern part is surrounded by water bodies on three sides. This is called a peninsula. The Indian Peninsula has the Arabian Sea in the west, the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Indian Ocean in the south. You can see two groups of islands in these three water bodies. An island is a piece of land surrounded by water. The Andamanand Nicobar are a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal. The Lakshadweep is a group of islands in the Arabian Sea. The Deccan Plateau is one of the oldest geological formations in India.FactWhat are the characteristics of a plateau?CheckpointThe Thar Desert is the most densely populated desert in the world.FactA group of islands is called an archipelago.FactWhat is a peninsula and where is it located in India?CheckpointThe Andaman and Nicobar Islands