Geography of Rajasthan — physiographic divisions, climate, soils, rivers and lakes

Rajasthan is best remembered through four broad physiographic divisions: the Western Desert, the Aravalli range, the Eastern Plain and the South-Eastern Plateau. The Western Desert covers the sandy and arid west around Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Churu, Nagaur and adjoining districts. It has dunes, weak surface drainage, saline depressions and sparse vegetation. Objective questions often connect this belt with low rainfall, sandy soil, salt lakes and seasonal streams. The desert is not uniform: canal-irrigated northern pockets differ sharply from the drier Marusthali core.

The Aravalli range runs roughly north-east to south-west and forms the state's most important watershed. It separates the western and internal drainage from the Chambal-Banas and southern river systems. The Eastern Plain lies to the east of the Aravalli and is built mainly by alluvial deposits of Banas, Banganga, Chambal and their tributaries. The South-Eastern Plateau, especially Hadoti around Kota, Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar, is linked with the Chambal valley, black cotton soil and a stronger network of dams and canals. In district-based questions, Hadoti should be separated from Mewar: both are in the south-eastern half of the map, but their soils and river associations differ. This regional separation prevents most map-label traps. Use that separation before memorising facts.