- The Eastern Ghats run almost parallel to the east coast of India leaving broad plains between their base and the coast.
- It is a chain of highly broken and detached hills starting from the Mahanadi in Odisha to the Vagai in Tamil Nadu. They almost disappear between the Godavari and the Krishna.
- They neither have structural unity nor physiographic continuity. Therefore, these hill groups are generally treated as independent units.
- It is only in the northern part, between the Mahanadi and the Godavari that the Eastern Ghats exhibit true mountain character. This part comprises the Maliya and the Madugula Konda ranges.
- The peaks and ridges of the Maliya range have a general elevation of 900-1,200 m, and Mahendra Giri (1,501 m) is the tallest peak here.
- The Madugula Konda range has higher elevations ranging from 1,100 m and 1,400 m with several peaks exceeding 1,600 m. Jindhagada Peak (1690 m) in Araku Valley Arma Konda (1,680 m), Gali Konda (1,643 m) and Sinkram Gutta (1,620 m) are important peaks.
- Between the Godavari and the Krishna rivers, the Eastern Ghats lose their hilly character and are occupied by Gondwana formations (KG Basin is here).
- The Eastern Ghats reappear as more or less a continuous hill range in Cuddapah and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh where they are called as Nallamalai Range (Naxalite hideout in AP) with a general elevation of 600-850 m.
- The southern part of this range is called the Palkodna range.
- To the south, the hills and plateaus attain very low altitudes; only Javadi Hills and the Shevroy-Kalrayan Hills form two distinct features of 1,000 m elevation.
- The Biligiri Rangan Hills in Coimbatore district attain a height of 1,279 m.
- Further south, the Eastern Ghats merge with the Western Ghats.
