India is such an amazing country! It truly is like a mini-world on its own. With so many cultures and landscapes under one single, absolutely great Indian sky, it really is hard not to feel grateful for being a part of this super cool and awesome nation. Think about it. You have got mountains here (Himalayas among many others). Then you have plains, which is most of our country. You have got islands. Desert. Valleys. And of course, the humble plateau.
Or in this case, the mighty Deccan Plateau. Which is so cool actually that you will have a lot of fun just teaching your kids about it. No kidding.
So let us take a deep dive into the world of the Deccan Plateau! We will learn a lot about it together. Knowledge you can use to get your kids excited about knowing this plateau!
What is the Deccan Plateau?
Well, do not judge this question. Kids might actually ask you that when you tell them about this thing called the Deccan Plateau. In fact, it is going to be the first thing on their lips, just waiting to come out. So do not be surprised if you hear them go, “What is the Deccan Plateau?” in their classic curious voice.
Let us start with what a plateau is. It is basically a flat land at an elevation. It has steep sides like cliffs. At least on one side. That said, the Deccan Plateau is the plateau landform in India. The largest form of its kind in our country.
Where is the Deccan Plateau located?
And now your kid is ready with their next question. “Where is the Deccan Plateau?”, they ask, their curiosity growing.
In quite a few states and union territories actually. Let us list them all-
- Tamil Nadu
- Karnataka
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Kerala
- Maharashtra
- Lakshadweep
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands
If you kept count, that is 8 of them actually. You will find the Deccan Plateau nestled comfortably between the Eastern and Western Ghats.
What is the Deccan Plateau made up of? What type of rock?
Okay, this is a question that might come from one of your older kids. Your preschool baby might not know about rocks yet, so they might not think of this one.
Just so you are prepared for any questions being snowballed at you, dear parent, the Deccan Plateau is made up of basalt. Basalt is an igneous rock. Which is basically another way of saying rocks formed of magma or lava which has been cooled overtime to form into solid pieces of rock. You will also find a lot of granite here.
What is the formation of the Deccan Plateau like? How did it happen?
Since this can get a tad too complicated, let us focus on the simpler aspect of it.
Basically, it was all volcanic activity. The kind that lasted millions of years! That is how all the lava came! Now you know why the plateau is made up of igneous rocks. All of the volcanoes that led to the formation of the Deccan Plateau are now extinct. None are left. All that is left is solidified lava, which is the plateau.
What more is there to know about the Deccan Plateau?
Oh there is so much more, dear parents (and their kids)! There is so much more! You would love the Deccan Plateau facts we are about to share with you.
- Let us talk about the name, shall we? No matter what Shakespeare says, there is a lot to a name. And that is especially true for the Deccan Plateau as the word ‘Deccan’ is basically an anglicised version of the Hindi word ‘dakshin’. Which means south! Fascinating, right?
- You will find a lot of rivers. And we mean a LOT! The Deccan Plateau is chock-a-block with rivers, among which Godavari, Krishna, Tungabhadra, Pennar and Kaveri are the major ones.
- Did you know that a mountain range borders the Deccan Plateau up north? It is the Satpura Mountain Range! Which is actually joined by the Mahakal and Mahadeo Ranges as well. If you ever plan to visit the Deccan Plateau with your kids, make sure you check out its borders. They make for some really beautiful scenery. Unforgettable, really.
- The next thing you need to know about the Deccan Plateau is who is its neighbour in the south? And the answer to that is Cape Comorin! If you guess that right, parents, based on your rusty school geography, give yourself a pat on the back. That is some sharp memory you have there.
- Did you know that 43% of India’s landmass is actually made up of the Deccan Plateau? That is such a huge chunk that is crazy!
- Oh, here is one super interesting fact! Guess the shape of the Deccan Plateau! Give up? It is a triangle! That is right! Since the southern part of our country is basically a peninsula, where the Deccan is, it is no surprise that triangle is the shape the plateau takes.
- Remember how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west? It is the opposite for the Deccan Plateau. No, not the sun’s direction, but the elevation. There is a rise in elevation in the western part of the Deccan Plateau, which gradually declines as the plateau moves east.
- There is something called Deccan Traps in this plateau, which were formed 66 million years ago! Deccan Traps are huge, mammoth-sized, craggy plateaus, which basically formed because of very intense volcanic activity deep within the earth. The eruption was so intense that it came right up to the surface of the earth, giving us the unique Deccan Traps!
Oh by the way, ‘dakshin’ itself comes from the Prakrit term ‘dakkhin’, which comes from the Sanskrit ‘dakia’, which all mean south. So there really is a lot to a name!
We have just scratched the surface so you would have some facts up your sleeve to entertain your kids with and obviously teach them about this plateau. If you want your kids to know more, you have to put them in a good school. And that includes the preschool you choose because that is the very foundation of their education! We can safely say that our preschool, EuroKids, is an excellent choice. We have a great teaching staff and an awesome interactive syllabus to prove that! So come on by at any of our branches to know more.
