IAS NOVA Interactive Atlas · Geography Through Maps
INDIA MOUNTAIN RANGES ATLAS
Trace 110 mountain ranges, ridges and hill systems. Hover over a thin coloured line—or tap it—to examine location, alignment, highest point, formation and geographical importance.
How to read the mountain map
India’s relief is best understood as connected systems rather than one long list. The map separates the very high Trans-Himalaya, the three broad Himalayan belts and regional subranges, the folded hills of the Northeast, the old faulted and erosional ranges of Peninsular India, and the emergent parts of the Andaman–Nicobar island arc.
Trans-Himalaya · 8
Karakoram–Ladakh–Zanskar country north of the main Himalayan axis: extremely high, cold, arid and strongly glaciated.
Himalaya · 18
Parallel and regional ranges created by India–Eurasia convergence, from Kashmir and Himachal to Sikkim and Arunachal.
Northeast & Purvanchal · 23
Eastern syntaxis and Indo-Burman fold belts, plus the Meghalaya Plateau and Tripura’s parallel north–south ridges.
Peninsular India · 55
Ancient fold remnants, fault-block edges, volcanic escarpments and deeply eroded hill systems across the stable shield.
Island mountains · 6
Submerged continuation of the Arakan Yoma island arc, including Andaman–Nicobar ridges and volcanic islands.
Complete reference list
Open a card for revision details, then use Locate on map to return to the exact highlighted line. The list includes formal mountain ranges, locally named hill groups, major ridges and regional Himalayan sectors commonly used in Indian physical geography.
Test yourself
Score 0 / 10 · Answered 0Frequently asked questions
Which are the three parallel divisions of the Himalaya?
From north to south they are the Greater Himalaya or Himadri, the Lesser Himalaya or Himachal, and the Outer Himalaya or Shivalik. Regional ranges such as Pir Panjal, Dhauladhar, Nag Tibba and Mussoorie lie within or alongside these broader belts.
Are the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats continuous ranges?
The Western Ghats form a comparatively continuous western escarpment of the Deccan Plateau. The Eastern Ghats are older, lower and discontinuous because rivers such as the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri cut across them.
Where are the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills?
They occupy the Meghalaya Plateau: Garo in the west, Khasi in the centre and Jaintia in the east. They are separated from the Peninsular block by the Garo–Rajmahal gap.
Why are many lines close together in Ladakh and the Himalaya?
Several parallel ranges and shorter subranges occupy a narrow zone. The atlas therefore uses thin lines, a label switch and an index so each unit remains independently selectable.
Which Indian mountain range is the oldest?
The Aravalli is widely described in school geography as one of the world’s oldest fold-mountain systems. Its present relief is a deeply eroded remnant, unlike the much younger and still-rising Himalaya.
Does the map show exact legal or surveyed mountain boundaries?
No. Mountain ranges rarely have a single legal boundary. The coloured lines are generalised educational axes. For official international and administrative boundaries, always refer to the latest Survey of India map.
Sources and map note
- Survey of India — Political Map of India
- Survey of India — Physical Map of India
- NCERT geography textbooks — Physical Features of India
- Geological Survey of India
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change — Western Ghats report
Cartographic note: State/UT boundaries and every mountain alignment now share one coordinate-registered Mercator projection; the national extent was cross-checked against the Survey of India political map. Simplified state/UT geometry is adapted and restyled from india-map-react (MIT). Mountain alignments are educational representations of ridge trends and hill systems, not surveyed boundary lines; do not use them for navigation, surveying or legal boundary interpretation.
