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Plains, Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India

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GeographyICSE Class 10 · Map of India

Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India (ICSE Class 10 Map Work)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Draft, not yet fact-checked

Shade plains and the Thar Desert and write the name; for rivers, draw or recognise the line and write the name along it. The Gangetic Plains lie between the Himalayas and the peninsula; the coastal plains from the west coast northwards are Konkan and Malabar and on the east are the Northern Circars and Coromandel; the Thar lies in western Rajasthan, west of the Aravalis. Himalayan rivers (Indus system, Ganga system, Brahmaputra) flow differently from peninsular rivers: the Narmada and Tapti flow west, while the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery flow east.

Understand Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India

1. Plains and the desert (shade and label).

  • Gangetic Plains: the broad, flat plain of the Ganga and its tributaries, from Delhi and Haryana through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to West Bengal, between the Himalayas and the peninsular plateau.
  • Konkan coastal plain: the western coast from around Daman and Mumbai southwards to Goa.
  • Malabar coastal plain: the south-western coast, covering most of the Kerala coast.
  • Coromandel coastal plain: the south-eastern coast, mainly along Tamil Nadu.
  • Northern Circars: the eastern coastal plain between the deltas of the Mahanadi and the Krishna (Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast).
  • Thar (Great Indian) Desert: western Rajasthan, west of the Aravalis, extending into Pakistan. Shade only the part inside western Rajasthan, and do not let it spill into Punjab.

Order along the coasts. West coast from north to south: Konkan, then Malabar (the Kanara section between them is not in the 2027 list). East coast from north to south: Northern Circars, then Coromandel.

2. Rivers of the north.

  • Indus: enters India from Tibet and flows north-west through Ladakh into Pakistan.
  • Jhelum: flows through the Kashmir valley and Wular Lake into Pakistan.
  • Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj: Punjab rivers flowing south-west. The Beas joins the Satluj in Punjab, and the Satluj enters India from Tibet through Himachal Pradesh.
  • Ganga: rises at Gangotri in Uttarakhand and flows south-east across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal to the Bay of Bengal.
  • Yamuna: rises at Yamunotri, flows past Delhi and joins the Ganga at Allahabad (Prayagraj).
  • Left-bank tributaries: Ghaghra, Gandak and Kosi come down from Nepal into Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (the Kosi in north Bihar). The Gomti flows through Lucknow and joins the Ganga in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
  • Right-bank tributaries: Chambal and Betwa flow north-east from the Malwa and Bundelkhand regions to join the Yamuna.
  • Brahmaputra: from Tibet, enters Arunachal Pradesh, flows west through Assam into Bangladesh.

3. Rivers of the peninsula.

  • West-flowing: the Narmada and Tapti flow west in rift valleys into the Gulf of Khambhat; the Narmada lies between the Vindhyas and Satpura, the Tapti south of the Satpura.
  • East-flowing: the Mahanadi flows through Chhattisgarh and Odisha; the Godavari flows from Nasik across Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh; the Krishna flows from Mahabaleshwar across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, south of the Godavari; the Cauvery rises in Coorg in Karnataka and crosses Tamil Nadu. All four end in the Bay of Bengal.

4. How to label a river. Write the name along the river line itself, not in the gap between two rivers, and never place the label so that it could belong to a neighbouring river.

Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India: key facts

Plains
GangeticDelhi-Haryana to West Bengal
KonkanDaman-Mumbai to Goa
MalabarKerala coast
CoromandelTamil Nadu coast
Northern CircarsMahanadi to Krishna deltas
Thar Desert
  • Western Rajasthan
  • West of the Aravalis
  • Do not shade Punjab
Indus and Punjab rivers
IndusLadakh to Pakistan
JhelumKashmir valley
Chenab, Ravi, Beas, SatlujPunjab
Beas joins the Satluj
Ganga system and Brahmaputra
  • Ganga: Gangotri to Bay of Bengal
  • Yamuna joins at Allahabad (Prayagraj)
  • Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi from Nepal
  • Gomti via Lucknow
  • Chambal and Betwa join the Yamuna
  • Brahmaputra: Tibet, Arunachal, Assam
Peninsular rivers
West-flowing: Narmada and Tapti into the Gulf of Khambhat | East-flowing: Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery into the Bay of Bengal

How to answer Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India questions

Place each river by its source state, direction of flow and mouth.

  1. 1Read whether you must mark, shade or identify.
  2. 2For a river, note the direction: south-west (Punjab rivers), south-east (Ganga), west (Narmada and Tapti), east (the other peninsular rivers).
  3. 3Locate its mouth: Gulf of Khambhat, Bay of Bengal or across the border into Pakistan or Bangladesh.
  4. 4For identification, check a nearby landmark: Delhi for the Yamuna, Lucknow for the Gomti, Allahabad for the Ganga-Yamuna confluence, Nasik for the Godavari.
  5. 5Write the label on the river line. For a plain, shade only its own area and label it.

Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Reading a plain from a river

Suppose a student has only a bare outline of India with the Ganga drawn in, and is asked to shade the Gangetic Plains.

How can she place the shading correctly using the river?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The plains lie along the Ganga and its tributaries between the Himalayas and the peninsular plateau.
  2. So she shades a broad band on both sides of the Ganga from Delhi-Haryana through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to West Bengal, stopping at the Himalayan foothills in the north.

Answer: A broad band along the Ganga from Delhi to West Bengal, between the Himalayas and the plateau.

Memory hook: Shade along the Ganga, between the mountains and the plateau.

Sorting rivers by where they end

Suppose a teacher lays out cards with the names Narmada, Tapti, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery and asks students to sort them by the water body in which each ends.

Show the sorting.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Narmada and Tapti flow west into the Gulf of Khambhat.
  2. Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery flow east into the Bay of Bengal.

Answer: Gulf of Khambhat: Narmada, Tapti. Bay of Bengal: Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery.

Memory hook: Two rift-valley rivers west; four east.

Tricks to remember Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • KM for the west, NC for the east

    From north to south, the west coast is Konkan then Malabar (KM); the east coast is Northern Circars then Coromandel (NC).

    Use it when: Order of coastal plains.

  • Two go west

    Only the Narmada and Tapti flow west; every other river in the syllabus list that ends in the peninsula flows east.

    Use it when: Direction of peninsular rivers.

  • Five rivers of the north-west

    Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj join the Indus system; the Beas joins the Satluj.

    Use it when: Punjab rivers.

Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Name the coastal plain · 3 marks · Map workBoard level

Name the coastal plain (a) from around Daman and Mumbai to Goa, (b) along the Kerala coast, (c) between the Mahanadi and Krishna deltas.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) Konkan coastal plain.
  2. (b) Malabar coastal plain.
  3. (c) Northern Circars.

Answer: (a) Konkan (b) Malabar (c) Northern Circars.

Example 2: Which river · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name the river that (a) flows through Lucknow, (b) joins the Ganga at Allahabad (Prayagraj), (c) flows through the Kashmir valley and Wular Lake.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) Gomti.
  2. (b) Yamuna.
  3. (c) Jhelum.

Answer: (a) Gomti (b) Yamuna (c) Jhelum.

Example 3: Peninsular rivers compared · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Distinguish between the Narmada and the Godavari on (a) the direction of flow, (b) the water body in which each ends, (c) the states each crosses (as per your syllabus list).

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) The Narmada flows west in a rift valley between the Vindhyas and Satpura; the Godavari flows east.
  2. (b) The Narmada enters the Gulf of Khambhat; the Godavari enters the Bay of Bengal.
  3. (c) The Narmada rises at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and crosses Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The Godavari rises near Nasik and crosses Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Answer: Narmada: west, Gulf of Khambhat, through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Godavari: east, Bay of Bengal, through Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Example 4: Tributaries of the Ganga and the Yamuna · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Classify the Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi, Gomti, Chambal and Betwa as (a) left-bank or (b) right-bank tributaries of the Ganga system. State where the first group come from and where the second group come from.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Ghaghra, Gandak and Kosi come down from Nepal into Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and are left-bank tributaries; the Gomti (via Lucknow) also joins the Ganga from the north in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
  2. Chambal and Betwa are right-bank tributaries: they flow north-east from the Malwa and Bundelkhand regions and join the Yamuna.

Answer: Left bank: Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi (from Nepal) and the Gomti. Right bank: Chambal and Betwa (from Malwa and Bundelkhand, joining the Yamuna).

Example 5: Spot the marking errors · 4 marks · Map workHOTS / competency

A candidate shades the Thar Desert over Punjab and Haryana as well as Rajasthan, labels the Kerala coast as Konkan, and writes the name of the Krishna in the gap between the Godavari and the Krishna. Identify each error and say how it should be done.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The Thar lies in western Rajasthan, west of the Aravalis; it must not spill into Punjab and Haryana.
  2. The Kerala coast is the Malabar plain; the Konkan plain runs from around Daman and Mumbai to Goa.
  3. A river name must be written along its own line, not in the gap between two rivers, or it could be taken for the neighbour.

Answer: Thar in western Rajasthan only; Kerala coast is Malabar; Krishna labelled along its own line.

Where students lose marks in Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Shading the Thar Desert across Punjab and Haryana

    The student shades the whole north-west.

    Do this: Confine the shading to western Rajasthan, west of the Aravalis.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Confusing Konkan and Malabar

    Both are on the west coast and are remembered together.

    Do this: Konkan from around Daman and Mumbai to Goa; Malabar along Kerala.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: River label written away from the river

    The name falls between two rivers and can be read for either.

    Do this: Write the name along the river line itself.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Reversing the Narmada and Tapti positions

    Both flow west into the Gulf of Khambhat.

    Do this: Narmada lies between the Vindhyas and Satpura; the Tapti lies south of the Satpura.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • Learn the course of each river by source state, direction and mouth, not just its name.
  • Use big landmarks as anchors: Delhi and Lucknow for the Yamuna and Gomti, Allahabad for the confluence, Nasik for the Godavari.
  • Colour or shade lightly so the labels remain readable.
  • Remember there are two parts: six items to mark and four to identify.

Practice questions on Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    The Thar Desert lies mainly in:
    (a) Punjab
    (b) Gujarat
    (c) western Rajasthan
    (d) Madhya Pradesh

    Hint

    West of the Aravalis.

    Answer

    (c) western Rajasthan.

  2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Which river rises at Gangotri in Uttarakhand?
    (a) Yamuna
    (b) Ganga
    (c) Gomti
    (d) Kosi

    Hint

    Source of the river that crosses UP, Bihar and West Bengal.

    Answer

    (b) Ganga.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Map workBoard level

    On an outline map of India, mark and label (a) the Gangetic Plains, (b) the Coromandel coastal plain, (c) the river Cauvery.

    Hint

    Shade, shade, line.

    Answer

    (a) Shade a broad band along the Ganga from Delhi and Haryana to West Bengal. (b) Shade a strip along the Tamil Nadu coast in the south-east. (c) Draw or label the river from Coorg in Karnataka across Tamil Nadu to the Bay of Bengal.

  4. Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Name the two rivers of the peninsula that flow westwards and name the water body into which they flow. State the two ranges between which the longer of them flows.

    Hint

    Rift valleys.

    Answer

    Narmada and Tapti; they flow into the Gulf of Khambhat. The Narmada lies between the Vindhyas and the Satpura.

  5. Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

    Assertion (A): The Beas should be shown joining the Satluj on an outline map.
    Reason (R): Both are rivers of Punjab flowing south-west.
    (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
    (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
    (c) A is true but R is false.
    (d) A is false but R is true.

    Hint

    Being in the same region does not by itself make rivers join.

    Answer

    (b). The Beas does join the Satluj in Punjab, and both are Punjab rivers flowing south-west, but being of the same region does not explain why they join.

  6. Q6 · 2 marks · Map workHarder board level

    A student labels the strip of east coast between the Mahanadi and the Krishna deltas as Coromandel. Correct the label and state the extent of the Coromandel plain.

    Hint

    East coast order from north to south.

    Answer

    That strip is the Northern Circars (Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast). The Coromandel plain lies to its south, mainly along Tamil Nadu.

  7. Q7 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    State the differences between the Ganga and the Brahmaputra in terms of source region, direction of flow in India and the water body into which each leads (as per the syllabus list).

    Hint

    Gangotri versus Tibet.

    Answer

    The Ganga rises at Gangotri in Uttarakhand and flows south-east across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal to the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmaputra comes from Tibet, enters Arunachal Pradesh, flows west through Assam and passes into Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra, after passing into Bangladesh, finally reaches the Bay of Bengal, as the Ganga does. The contrast therefore lies in source (Gangotri versus Tibet) and direction of flow (south-east versus west through Assam); both end in the Bay of Bengal.

  8. Q8 · 5 marks · Map workHOTS / competency

    An outline map has four rivers marked A to D: A flows through Ladakh to Pakistan from Tibet, B enters India from Tibet through Himachal Pradesh and flows south-west into Punjab, where it is joined by the Beas, C rises at Mahabaleshwar and ends in the Bay of Bengal south of the Godavari, D rises in Coorg. Identify A to D and give one error a candidate would make if C were labelled Godavari.

    Hint

    Match source or course with each name.

    Answer

    A: Indus. B: Satluj. C: Krishna. D: Cauvery. Labelling C as Godavari is wrong because the Godavari rises near Nasik and lies north of the Krishna, whereas C lies south of the Godavari.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Which river joins the Ganga at Allahabad (Prayagraj)?Show answer

    The Yamuna.

  2. 2.Name the plain on the east coast between the Mahanadi and Krishna deltas.Show answer

    The Northern Circars.

  3. 3.Which two peninsular rivers flow west?Show answer

    The Narmada and the Tapti.

  4. 4.Where does the Cauvery rise?Show answer

    In Coorg, in Karnataka.

  5. 5.Which tributaries of the Ganga come from Nepal?Show answer

    The Ghaghra, Gandak and Kosi.

Plains, the Thar Desert and Rivers on the Map of India: frequently asked questions

Which coastal plain is the Kerala coast?

The Malabar coastal plain.

Where do you write a river's name on the map?

Along the river line itself.

Which river flows through the Kashmir valley?

The Jhelum, through Wular Lake.

Which rivers join the Yamuna from the south?

The Chambal and the Betwa.