IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India Earliest Times to the 8th Century A.D - India: Physical Features

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IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams


India Earliest Times to the 8th Century A.D


India: Physical Features


Structure

1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Physical Geography and History
1.2.1 Environment and Human Settlements
1.2.2 Arguing Against Geographical Determinism
1.3 Basic Physiographical Divisions
1.4 Regional Physical Features
1.4.1 The Himalayas and the Western Frontier
1.4.2 The Indus Plains
1.4.3 Gangetic Northern India
1.4.4 Eastern, Western and Central India
1.4.5 Peninsular India
1.4.6 The Extreme South
1.5 Let Us Sum Up
1.6 Key Words
1.7 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

1.0 OBJECTIVES

After reading this Unit you should be able to explain :

  • Why in the study of the history of a country an understanding of its physical features is neccessary.
  • how we look at the physical features as students of history,
  • the relationship between environment, geography and history, and
  • the uneven pattern of historical growth in the Indian sub-continent.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

History without geography is largely incomplete and devoid of its vital substance for it loses
focus in the absence of the concept of space. That is why history is regarded both as the
history of mankind and the history of environment. It is difficult to separate the two. The
history of humans and the history of environment mutually influence one another. Soil,
rainfall, vegetation, climate and environment exercise considerable influence on the evolution
of human cultures. In fact, the essence of human progress is the increasing emancipation of
human beings from the clutches of nature or control of the vagaries of nature. In this regard
technological progress helps human beings in conquering their environment. However, not
until a very late stage in history were human beings able to control their environment
effectively. Naturally, thus as we move back in time it becomes necessary to appreciate and
understand the geography, environment and physical regions that had a bearing on Indian
history.
In this Unit, we shall try to acquaint you with the physical features of the Indian subcontinent, which have had an important bearing on historical developments.

1.2 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

Variations of soils, topography, rainfall and climate have created a number of distinctly
different regions, with their separate characteristics and identities. Physical regions often

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