Rivers and where they rise

Sort them by which way they flow, and the map does the remembering.

The question

Which is the longest river in India, and where does it rise?

The trick

Split India's rivers into two families: Himalayan rivers, which are snow-fed and flow all year, and peninsular rivers, which are rain-fed and flow only in season.

Worked example

1Himalayan: Ganga (Gangotri glacier), Yamuna (Yamunotri), Indus and Brahmaputra (both rise in Tibet)
2Peninsular flowing east into the Bay of Bengal: Godavari (Trimbakeshwar), Krishna (Mahabaleshwar), Kaveri (Talakaveri)
3Peninsular flowing west into the Arabian Sea: Narmada and Tapti — the two odd ones out

So: The Ganga, rising at the Gangotri glacier

Remember it like this

Only Narmada and Tapti go west. **N** and **T** — 'Not The usual direction.'

In the exam

The Godavari is the longest peninsular river and is called the Dakshina Ganga, the Ganga of the South. That nickname is itself a common question.

Why it works

Almost every peninsular river runs east because the Western Ghats are higher than the Eastern Ghats, so the land tilts eastward. One fact about the land explains a dozen river directions.

Explain this to my childGet the words to teach it, in your language

Try it yourself

0/4 correct

1
Which is the longest river in India?
Which is the longest river in India?
2
Name a river that flows west into the Arabian Sea.
Name a river that flows west into the Arabian Sea.
3
Which is the longest peninsular river?
Which is the longest peninsular river?
4
Where does the Yamuna rise?
Where does the Yamuna rise?