Landforms and Life Class 6 Soial science Chapter 3 CBSE Notes 2025-26

The surface of the Earth is covered by different types of landforms that shape the way humans, animals, and plants live. Three main categories of landforms are mountains, plateaus, and plains. Each has unique features, climates, and effects on lifestyle, culture, and economic activity. Understanding these landforms helps us appreciate how people adapt to challenges and use the opportunities provided by nature.

Mountains are high landforms with steep slopes, broad bases, and narrow summits. They are often found in long chains called ranges, such as the Himalayas in Asia or the Andes in South America. Due to their altitude, some mountains remain snow-capped throughout the year, providing a vital source of water for rivers when the snow melts in summer.

Examples include Mount Everest (the world’s highest peak, in the Himalayas), Kanchenjunga (also in the Himalayas), Mount Aconcagua (the tallest in the Andes), and Mount Kilimanjaro (an isolated mountain in Africa). Indian mountains like Anamudi (Kerala) are also significant, being the highest in south India.

‘Young’ mountains like the Himalayas are sharp and tall, while ‘old’ ranges such as the Aravallis are lower and have rounded tops because of erosion. Mountains may still be rising even today due to natural forces inside the Earth.

Coniferous forests grow on mountain slopes, with trees like pines, deodar, and spruce adapted to cold, steep terrain. At higher altitudes, you will find only grass, moss, and lichens. Mountain regions support unique wildlife such as the snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, yak, black bear, golden eagle, and many others.

Mountain regions are often rugged, and farming is limited to valleys or slopes where terrace farming is used. Herding livestock is common, and many families depend on tourism for their livelihood, as people visit for the scenery, fresh air, and sports like hiking and skiing. However, too many tourists can create environmental challenges.

People in the mountains face dangers like landslides, avalanches, sudden floods, and cloudbursts. Nonetheless, mountain communities display resilience and have rich cultural and spiritual traditions. Many mountains are sacred, such as Mount Everest (Chomolungma, Sagarmatha) and Mount Kailash, important in several religions.

Indian examples of achieving in mountain environments include Bachendri Pal (first Indian woman to climb Everest) and Arunima Sinha (first woman amputee to scale Everest and all continents’ highest peaks).

Plateaus are raised landforms with flat or gently sloping tops and at least one steep side, standing above the nearby land. The Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest in the world and is called the ‘Roof of the World’ with an average altitude of 4,500 metres. The Deccan Plateau in India is an old plateau formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago.

Plateaus often have rocky soils that are not as fertile as the soils of plains, except for lava plateaus, which have very fertile black soil. These regions are rich in minerals, so mining for iron, coal, gold, and diamonds is an important activity in places like the Chhota Nagpur Plateau or East Africa.

Many of the world’s famous waterfalls are found on plateaus, such as Victoria Falls (Africa), Jog Falls (Western Ghats), Hundru Falls, and Nohkalikai Falls (Cherrapunji, Meghalaya).

Plains are vast stretches of flat or gently rolling land, rarely higher than 300 metres above sea level. Most river plains, called floodplains, are formed by rivers depositing layers of rock, sand, and rich silt (sediment) as they flow from higher ground. These deposits make the soil of plains highly fertile.

Examples of major world plains include the Ganga Plain in India, Nile Plain in Africa, Amazon Plain in South America, and Mississippi Plain in North America. The Ganga plain is the most densely populated region in India, home to about 40 crore people. People here grow crops such as rice, wheat, maize, cotton, jute, and more.

The river systems not only help agriculture but also support fishing, transport, and trade in these regions. Rivers are culturally important, with many sources and confluences regarded as sacred and used for religious rituals.

With irrigation through canals and groundwater, food production has improved, but issues like groundwater depletion, pollution, and overpopulation are notable concerns in plains regions.

Apart from mountains, plateaus, and plains, there are also deserts, which are dry areas with very little rainfall, such as the Sahara, Thar, Gobi, and even icy Antarctica. Despite tough conditions, deserts have unique plants and animals, and people have developed rich cultural traditions suited to their environment, as seen in folk songs of the Thar desert.

Human beings everywhere show resilience and adaptability, changing their lifestyle, food, shelter, clothing, and work to suit their surroundings.

Ancient Tamil Sangam poetry classified landscapes (tiṇais) into five types: mountainous (Kuriñji – hunting/gathering), grasslands and forests (Mullai – cattle rearing), agricultural plains (Marudam – farming), coastal (Neydal – fishing/seafaring), and arid regions (Pālai – journeying/fighting). This shows how landforms have always been linked to livelihoods.

• Mountains are high, steep, and usually in ranges; provide water, unique habitats, and are often sacred places.
• Plateaus have flat tops, steep sides, are mineral-rich, and support mining and waterfalls.
• Plains are fertile, flat areas formed by rivers; best for farming and most populated.
• Deserts are dry, with unique life and human practices.
• Landforms have shaped cultures, livelihoods, and even religious beliefs over time.

1. Identify which type of landform your town or village is located in, and list the features you observe based on this chapter.
2. Describe the three main landforms encountered while traveling from Chhota Nagpur (plateau) to Prayagraj (plain) and Almora (mountain region).
3. List famous pilgrimage places of India and the landforms they are found in, such as Kedarnath (mountains), Varanasi (plain), etc.
4. True or False: Plateaus usually have at least one steep side; Deserts have diverse flora and fauna; Melting snow feeds rivers.
5. Match terms like Mount Everest–Himalayas, Ganga–river, Yamuna–tributary, and more.

CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes Chapter 3 – Landforms and Life (HTML 4.01) Quick Revision

These CBSE Class 6 Social Science Chapter 3 notes on Landforms and Life provide an easy summary covering all important points, terms, and examples. Every section highlights how mountains, plateaus, and plains influence life, culture, and environment. This resource is structured in simple language for fast, stress-free last-minute revision.

Use these revision notes to quickly grasp definitions, characteristics, and examples of landforms, along with their challenges and opportunities. Important questions and practice activities help in smart preparation for exams and class discussions. Reviewing these points ensures you cover the entire NCERT chapter efficiently.