Deccan Plateau, region in India, extending south of the Narmada River to the NÄ«lgiri and Palni hills, and bordered by the Western and Eastern Ghats mountain ranges. The Deccan Plateau has an undulating terrain, with elevations averaging about 600 m (about 2,000 ft). However, some hills reach 1,200 m (4,000 ft). At the plateau\'s margins in the Western Ghats, a steep escarpment drops sharply to the narrow Malabar Coast on the Arabian Sea. To the east the plateau descends more gradually to a broader alluvial plain extending into Andhra Pradesh and Orissa states. Several major rivers, including the KÄveri (Cauvery), GodÄvari, Krishna, and Penner, flow across the eastward-tilting plateau before reaching the Bay of Bengal. The Deccan Plateau has a dry season that lasts six to nine months. Much of its surface is covered by thorn scrub forest interspersed with small areas of deciduous broadleaf forest. The term “Deccan” comes from the Sanskrit word dakshina, meaning “the south.” It is also applied more generally to the entire Indian Peninsula.

The cities of Bangalore, HyderÄbÄd, SholÄpur, and Hubli (Hubli-Dharwar) are important manufacturing, industrial, and agricultural processing centers on the Deccan Plateau. These activities are supported by numerous hydroelectric stations and large deposits of iron, manganese, chromium, and copper.