The Central Highlands can be divided into North Central Highlands and South Central Highlands. The North Central Highlands can be divided into (a) the
Aravalli Range, (b) Eastern
Rajasthan Upland, (c) Madhya Bharat Plateau, and (d)
Bundelkhand Upland. The South Central Highland can be divided into (a) Malwa Plateau, (b) Vindhya Scraplands, (c)
Vindhya Range, and (d)
Narmada Valley. The Aravalli range extends from
Delhi south-west to near
Ahmedabad for a distance of about 800 km. To the east of the Aravalli range lies the East Rajasthan Upland that ranges in height from 250 to 500 m. The
Chambal River enters the
State of Rajasthan near the northern end of the
Gandhi Sagar Reservoir and flows for 360 km in Rajasthan. The Madhya Bharat Plateau area has a rocky surface and dense forests to the east of the Chambal. The other part of the northern part of the Central Highlands is that part of
Bundelkhand which lies between the
Yamuna and the northern arcuate scrap of the Vindhyan plateau. As already noted, the southern part of the Central Highlands comprises the Malwa plateau, the Vindhya scraplands, the Vindhya range, and the Narmada Valley. The Vindhya range "is really an
escarpment which varies in character and height, depending on the structure and
lithology of the underlying rocks. For the first 100 km from its western terminus, Gomanpur peak (554 m) in the
Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, the Vindhya range runs in curve, its convex side facing the Narmada valley and following a 300 m contour line. It is heavily forested and sparsely populated. For the next 160 km a more open type of country prevails and the escarpment, still built of basalt, becomes more prominent near Hoshangabad the rock type changes; the Vindhya mountain comes down very close to the Narmada river and presents a terraced slope built of hard sand stones alternating with shales." To the north of the Vindhya range lies the Malwa plateau in Madhya Pradesh with a general northward slope, good drainage, and black soil. The strong sandstones of the
Kaimur,
Rewa, and
Bhander are the principal makers of the Vindhyan scraplands and also form the surface of the three constituent plateaus descending in steps from west to east. To the extreme south of the Central Highlands lies the Narmada Valley. == See also ==