The large, ancient tableland that forms the core of southern India, made of old igneous and metamorphic rocks, the oldest and most stable landmass in the country.
- One of the oldest landmasses on Earth, a part of the former Gondwana, geologically stable (a craton) and not seismically active like the Himalayas.
- Two broad parts: the Central Highlands (north of the Narmada, including the Malwa Plateau and Bundelkhand) and the Deccan Plateau (south of the Narmada).
- Bounded by the Western Ghats (west) and Eastern Ghats (east), which meet in the Nilgiri Hills; rivers like the Godavari and Krishna drain eastwards.
- The Deccan Trap is a vast region of basaltic lava flows (from Cretaceous volcanic eruptions) that weathers into black cotton (regur) soil.
- Rich in minerals; the Chota Nagpur plateau is India's mineral heartland (coal, iron ore, mica).
The Gondwana origin, the Central Highlands versus Deccan split, the Deccan Trap and black soil, and the Chota Nagpur mineral belt are recurring physical-geography facts.
The Peninsular Plateau is old, stable, and block-faulted, unlike the young, rising Himalayas; the Narmada roughly separates the Central Highlands from the Deccan.
Ancient stable Gondwana tableland of south India; Deccan Trap basalt, black cotton soil, and Chota Nagpur minerals.