EAST RAJASTHAN UPLANDS

highlands in southeastern Rajasthan state, northwestern India, with an area of about 23,200 square miles (60,000 square km), east of the Aravali (Aravalli) Range. The uplands range in height from 820 feet (250 m) in the northeast to 1,620 feet (495 m) in the southwest and form the northern part of the Central Highlands. The East Rajasthan Uplands, formed by past fluvial erosion and by geologically recent desert erosion, are bounded by the Indo-Gangetic Plain on the north, the Malwa region on the south, the Madhya Bharat Plateau on the east, and the Aravali Range on the west. The uplands are wide and stony, with a sandy central region. The valleys between the hill ranges are wide and stretch for many miles; flattened hilltops form small plateaus. Teak, sal (Shorea robusta), and acacia trees and bamboo grow on the lower slopes of hills, and grasslands and pastures are found on the hilltops. The Banas River, rising in the eastern flank of the Aravali, is the main waterway in the highlands; the Kari, Kathari, and Banganga rivers flow eastward. Agriculture provides the main occupation of the uplands population; cereals, pulses (legumes), oilseeds, cotton, peanuts (groundnuts), sugarcane, and tobacco are grown. Most industries in the region are cottage industries.