Describe the following physical features of Asia:

Describe the following physical features of Asia:

  1. The Northern Lowlands
  2. The Great River Valleys
  3. The Southern Plateaus

The Northern Lowlands

  • These are located in North Asia. The northern part of the lowlands is known as the Siberian Plains which is marshy and swampy.
  • Three rivers, Yenisei, Ob and Lena, drain the Siberian Plains. .
  • The Turan Plain is the lowland located around the Aral Sea. It is drained by two rivers- Amu Darya and Syr Darya. It is an area of inland drainage.

The Great River Valleys

  • The Great River Valleys are known as the ‘cradle of civilisation’ as many civilisations have developed in these valleys. This region has many famous rivers which have their origin in the snow capped mountains.
  • Four important valleys in the region are the Tigris Euphrates Valley in Iraq which is also known as the Mesopotamian Lowlands. The Indus Valley is formed by river Indus and its five tributaries- Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Chenab and Jhelum.
  • The Ganga Brahmaputra Valley has been formed by the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra and other tributaries. The Great Plains of China is formed by three large rivers, namely Hwang-Ho, Yangtze and Si Kiang.
  • Some other valleys in the region are the Mekong Valley in the Indo China, Amur Valley etc.

The Southern Plateaus

  • The Southern Plateaus lie to the south of the Central Mountain belts. The Arabian Plateau rises steeply and is a dry desert region. The Plateau of Indian Peninsula rises steeply along the coast of the Arabian Sea and becomes gentle towards the Bay of Bengal. This is a dissected plateau and is transversed by rivers like Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi and Kaveri.
  • Other plateaus are the Plateau of Shan and the Plateau of Yunnan in China (both are the parts of same plateau).