Consider the following clues about a State of India: It is known as

Consider the following clues about a State of India:

  • It is known as ‘land of red river and blue hills’.
  • It contains three of the six physiographic divisions of India.
  • It covers about 2.39 percent of total area of the country.

Identify the State on the basis of the given clues.

Karnataka
Andhra Pradesh
Assam
Chhattisgarh
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-1 – 2023
The correct answer is C) Assam. The clues accurately describe the State of Assam: it is known as the ‘land of red river and blue hills’ (referring to the Brahmaputra and the surrounding hills), it encompasses parts of the Northern Mountains, Northern Plains (Brahmaputra Valley), and the Peninsular Plateau (Karbi Anglong/Meghalaya Plateau extension), and its area (approx. 78,438 sq km) constitutes about 2.39% of India’s total area (approx. 3.287 million sq km).
– ‘Land of red river and blue hills’ is a popular epithet for Assam, referencing the Brahmaputra river and the Eastern Himalayas and hills.
– India’s major physiographic divisions include the Northern Mountains, Northern Plains, Peninsular Plateau, Coastal Plains, Islands, and the Great Indian Desert. Assam has portions of the first three.
– Area calculation: (Area of State / Total Area of India) * 100. For Assam, (78438 / 3287263) * 100 โ‰ˆ 2.386%.
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh are significant states but do not match all three clues, particularly the ‘red river and blue hills’ description and the area percentage. Karnataka is known for the Western Ghats and Plateau region. Andhra Pradesh is primarily known for its coastal plains and Eastern Ghats. Chhattisgarh is part of the Peninsular Plateau region.