Rajasthan Geography

The Aravali Hills, one of the oldest mountain systems in the world run across the state stretching from Mount Abu in the east. Although the average altitude of the state varies between 100-350 m, in some places the hill is over 750 m high.

In the south, the average elevation is higher and the area of Mewar is hilly. Towards the north-west is the great Thar Desert known for its shifting sand-dunes. Jaisalmer and Bikaner are the two important settlements on routes to the west whereas Jodhpur lies on the edge of this arid zone. The arid zone also includes the north-west region of Barmer, the western part of Nagaur and Churu districts and the southern section of Sri Ganganagar district. 

The Thar Desert also encompasses the neighbouring state of Gujarat right across the international border into Pakistan. The semi arid zone area extends westwards from the Aravali, encompassing the parts of the Shekhawati and the Luni River basin. The eastern part adjoins Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and has fertile table lands with places like Bharatpur, Kota and Bundi plateau intensively cultivated. 

The Mewar plain area under the eastern part encompasses regions of Bhilwara, Bundi, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, Dholpur, Kota and Jaipur drained by the Banas River and its tributaries which ultimately join the Chambal River on the border of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. 

The other region comprises districts Banswara and Dungarpur drained by the Mahi eventually flow into the Arabian Sea. The east and the south-east is the area characterized by hill folds and ridges, the most notable among this being the area around Chittorgarh, Bundi and Ranthambhore. 

The Hadoti is the major catchments area for Chambal. Chambal is the only perennial river in the state at the eastern border between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The other river is Luni, in fact a seasonal river in western Rajasthan. Mahi River drains the southern part of Rajasthan.