The Western and Eastern Ghats constitute the twin structural rims framing the Peninsular Plateau of India, presenting starkly contrasting geomorphological and ecological profiles. The Western Ghats, known locally as the Sahyadri, form an unbroken, continuous escarpment extending roughly 1,600 km from the Tapi valley to Kanyakumari. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012, the range functions as a global biodiversity hotspot and the primary hydrographic divide of peninsular India. Movement across this steep orographic barrier is facilitated by structural passes, notably the Thal Ghat linking Mumbai to Nashik, Bhor Ghat linking Mumbai to Pune, and the 30 km wide Palghat Gap separating the Nilgiris from the Anaimalai Hills. The highest elevation in Peninsular India is Anamudi (2,695 m) in Kerala's Anaimalai range. In contrast, the Eastern Ghats form a highly denuded, discontinuous chain dissected by major east-flowing rivers including the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri. Reaching its highest elevation at Jindhagada Peak (1,690 m) in the Araku Valley, the Eastern Ghats finally converge with the Western Ghats at the Nilgiri Hills, culminating at Doddabetta peak (2,637 m).
High-yield conceptual summaries for competitive exams and rapid revision.
The Western Ghats (Sahyadri) span 1,600 km as a continuous orographic barrier, hosting the highest peninsular peak, Anamudi (2,695 m) in the Anaimalai Hills.
Major structural passes through the Western Ghats include Thal Ghat (Mumbai-Nashik), Bhor Ghat (Mumbai-Pune), and the Palghat Gap (Kerala-Tamil Nadu corridor).
The Eastern Ghats form an older, highly eroded, and discontinuous chain dissected by the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri river deltas.
The highest summit of the Eastern Ghats is Jindhagada Peak (1,690 m) located in the northern Circars / Araku Valley of Andhra Pradesh.
The Western and Eastern Ghats converge geologically at the Nilgiri Hills, where Doddabetta (2,637 m) serves as the prominent junction massif.
Showing 25 Curated Questions197 Total in Bank
1ID: GK-GEOG-00592
easyPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
At which junction hills do the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats converge in southern India?
Verified Explanation
The Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats meet at the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mountains) situated at the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.
2ID: GK-GEOG-00612
mediumPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
The Cardamom Hills (Yela Mala), renowned for spice plantations, are situated in the southern extreme of the Western Ghats across which two states?
Verified Explanation
The Cardamom Hills form the southernmost portion of the Western Ghats, straddling southeastern Kerala (Idukki) and southwestern Tamil Nadu (Theni).
3ID: GK-GEOG-00506
mediumPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
The Cardamom Hills, constituting the southernmost extension of the Western Ghats, are located at the border of which two Indian states?
Verified Explanation
The Cardamom Hills (Yela Mala) form the southern ridge of the Western Ghats straddling south-eastern Kerala and south-western Tamil Nadu.
4ID: GK-GEOG-00251
easyPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
Which is the highest peak in the Western Ghats (Sahyadri) and also in South India?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi, located in the Eravikulam National Park in Kerala, has an elevation of 2,695 meters (8,842 ft) and is the highest peak in South India and the Western Ghats.
5ID: GK-GEOG-00291
hardPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
Which longitudinal gap/pass in the Western Ghats between Nilgiri Hills to the north and Anaimalai Hills to the south facilitates rail and road transit between Kerala and Tamil Nadu?
Verified Explanation
The Palghat Gap is a low mountain pass about 30 km wide in the Western Ghats that provides a crucial low-altitude transport corridor between Coimbatore and Palakkad.
6ID: GK-GEOG-00411
easyPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
Which is the highest mountain peak located in the Western Ghats and in entire South India?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi, standing at an elevation of 2,695 metres in the Anaimalai Hills of Kerala (Idukki district), is the highest peak in South India and the Western Ghats.
7ID: GK-GEOG-00431
mediumPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
Which major gap or pass in the Western Ghats provides railway and road connectivity between Palakkad in Kerala and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu?
Verified Explanation
The Palghat (Palakkad) Gap is a 32-km-wide structural break in the Western Ghats between the Nilgiri Hills to the north and the Anaimalai Hills to the south.
8ID: GK-GEOG-00755
mediumPhysiographic Divisions & Geomorphology of India
Which mountain pass situated on the crest of the Western Ghats provides a direct transport link between Mumbai and Nashik?
Verified Explanation
Thal Ghat (also known as Kasara Ghat) is a major mountain pass at an elevation of 585 metres in the Sahyadri range connecting Mumbai to Nashik and the northern Deccan plateau via National Highway 3 and the Central Railway line. Bhor Ghat connects Mumbai to Pune, while Palghat and Shencottah Gap are located in the southern Western Ghats.
9ID: GK-GEOG-00952
easyPhysiographic Divisions & Geomorphology of India
Which hill range constitutes the southernmost mountain formation of the Western Ghats along the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu?
Verified Explanation
The Cardamom Hills (also known as Yela Mala) form the southernmost extension of the Western Ghats in south-western India, spanning Idukki district in Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu. They are located south of the Palghat and Shencottah Gaps. Shevaroy, Javadi, and Nallamala hills belong to the Eastern Ghats complex.
10ID: GK-GEOG-00485
easyPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
What is the highest mountain peak in the Western Ghats and in the entire Peninsular India?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi, standing at an elevation of 2,695 metres in the Anamalai Hills of Idukki district, Kerala, is the highest peak in South India.
11ID: GK-GEOG-00532
easyPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
Which is the highest peak in the Western Ghats as well as in South India?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi, located in the Anamalai Hills of Kerala at an elevation of 2,695 metres, is the highest peak in South India.
12ID: GK-GEOG-00308
easyPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
What is the name of the narrow coastal plain strip located between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea in Goa and Maharashtra?
Verified Explanation
The western coastal plain is divided into the Konkan Coast (Maharashtra and Goa), the Kanara Coast (Karnataka), and the Malabar Coast (Kerala).
13ID: GK-GEOG-00328
mediumPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
The Cardamom Hills, representing the southernmost extension of the Western Ghats, are located at the border of which two states?
Verified Explanation
The Cardamom Hills (Yela Mala) are situated in south-eastern Kerala and south-western Tamil Nadu, joining the Anaimalai Hills near Anamudi.
14ID: GK-AGRI-00374
mediumKharif, Rabi & Cash Crop Patterns
In traditional shifting slash-and-burn cultivation in India, what is the practice locally termed in the Western Ghats region of South India?
Verified Explanation
Shifting cultivation is known by various local names in India: Jhum in Northeast India, Podu in Andhra Pradesh, Bewar/Dahiya in MP, and Kumari in the Western Ghats region of Kerala/Karnataka.
15ID: GK-AGRI-00501
hardKharif, Rabi & Cash Crop Patterns
In shifting cultivation taxonomy in India, what is slash-and-burn farming specifically termed in the Western Ghats region?
Verified Explanation
In the Western Ghats (Kerala, Karnataka, Goa), traditional shifting cultivation was historically referred to as Kumari.
16ID: GK-DMGT-00520
mediumCyclones, Floods & Glacial Lake Outburst Floods
What meteorological phenomenon, involving long, narrow corridors of intense horizontal water vapor transport in the lower troposphere, has been identified as a major driver of extreme flood events along the Western Ghats?
Verified Explanation
Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are relatively narrow, transient corridors of high integrated water vapor transport in the lower atmosphere, typically extending over thousands of kilometres with widths of several hundred kilometres. Research by IIT Gandhinagar and MoES demonstrates that intense summer monsoon atmospheric rivers channeling moisture from the southern Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, upon striking the steep orography of the Western Ghats, unleash catastrophic extreme precipitation leading to landslides and mega-floods in Kerala and Maharashtra.
17ID: GK-GEOG-00008
easyPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
The highest peak in South India and the Western Ghats is what?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi in the Cardamom/Anaimalai hills of Kerala stands at 2,695 meters.
18ID: GK-GEOG-00054
easyPhysiography
Anamudi, the highest peak in South India and the Western Ghats (2,695 m), is located in which state?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi peak is located in the Eravikulam National Park in the Idukki district of Kerala.
19ID: GK-GEOG-00087
easyPhysiography
Which mountain peak is the highest elevation point in the Western Ghats and the whole of South India?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi, situated in the Eravikulam National Park in Kerala at an altitude of 2,695 metres, is the highest peak in South India.
20ID: GK-GEOG-00092
mediumPhysiography
The famous Palghat Gap (Palakkad Gap), a prominent natural break in the Western Ghats, connects Kerala with which state?
Verified Explanation
The Palghat Gap is a 30-km low-altitude mountain pass between the Nilgiri Hills and Anaimalai Hills.
21ID: GK-GEOG-00178
mediumPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
Anamudi (2,695 m), the highest peak in Peninsular India and the Western Ghats, is located in which mountain sub-range in Kerala?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi ("Elephant's Head") stands in the Anaimalai Hills inside Eravikulam National Park in Idukki district, Kerala.
22ID: GK-GEOG-00201
easyPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
Which is the highest peak in the Western Ghats (Sahyadris) and the highest point in South India?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi, standing at an elevation of 2,695 metres (8,842 ft) in the Eravikulam National Park of Kerala, is the highest peak in peninsular India.
23ID: GK-GEOG-00248
hardPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
In peninsular geomorphology, the 'Palghat Gap' (Palakkad Gap) is a prominent low mountain pass that breaks the continuity of the Western Ghats between:
Verified Explanation
The Palghat Gap is a major geological shear zone and mountain pass about 30 km wide that separates the Nilgiri Hills from the Anaimalai Hills, connecting Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) with Palakkad (Kerala).
24ID: GK-GEOG-00358
easyPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
What is the highest peak of the Western Ghats (Sahyadris) and Peninsular India?
Verified Explanation
Anamudi, standing at an elevation of 2,695 meters in the Anaimalai Hills of Kerala, is the highest peak in south India.
25ID: GK-GEOG-00391
hardPhysiography & Mountain Ranges
The 'Palghat Gap' (Palakkad Gap), a prominent natural break in the Western Ghats, is situated between which two hill ranges?
Verified Explanation
The Palakkad Gap is a low mountain pass about 30 km wide lying between the Nilgiri Hills to the north and the Anaimalai Hills to the south, connecting Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
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