Eastern Coastal Plains | |
|---|---|
Geographical region | |
      Clockwise from top left:Godavari in Andhra plains;Mahanadi inUtkal Plains;Kaveri delta;Chilika Lake;Coromandel Coast inChennai;Krishna River | |
 Physical map of India, showing the different topographical regions | |
| Coordinates:15°N80°E / 15°N 80°E /15; 80 | |
| Country | India |
| State(s) | |
| Largest city | Chennai |
| Languages | |
| • Major | Odia,Tamil,Telugu |
| Time zone | Indian Standard Time |
TheEastern Coastal Plains is a stretch of landmass lying between the eastern part of theDeccan Plateau and theBay of Bengal in India. The plains stretch from theMahanadi delta toKaniyakumari at the southern tip of theIndian peninsula with theEastern Ghats forming its rough western boundary. It is wider and leveled than theWestern Coastal Plains and traverses the states ofOdisha,Andhra Pradesh, andTamil Nadu.
The plains are broadly divided into three subdivisions–Utkal Plains in the north,Andhra plains in the center, andTamil Nadu plains in the south. The plains are fertile as it forms part of thedeltas of major peninsular rivers such asGodavari,Krishna, Mahanadi, andKaveri.
The Eastern Coastal Plains is a stretch ofcoastal land lying between the eastern edge of theDeccan Plateau and theBay of Bengal in the west.[1][2] The disjointed mountain range ofEastern Ghats forms a rough western boundary of the plains. The plains stretch from theMahanadi delta toKaniyakumari at the southern tip of theIndian peninsula and traverses the states ofOdisha,Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu and theunion territory ofPuducherry.[3][4] It is wider and leveled than theWestern Coastal Plains and both the coastal plains meet at Kaniyakumari.[5]
The average width of the plains vary between 35–200 km (22–124 mi) with an average width of 120 km (75 mi).[3] The plains are broadly divided into three subdivisions–Utkal Plains in the north,Andhra plains (Circars) in the center, andTamil Nadu plains (Coromandel) in the south.[3][5]
TheUtkal Plains form a major part ofOdisha and stretch from the southern end of theIndo-Gangetic plains to the Andhra plains in the south. The region is drained by rivers such asMahanadi,Brahmani,Baitarani, andSubarnarekha. The region consists of fertilered andblack soil interspersed withgneiss andsandstone rock formations formed during thepaleogene andneogene eras. The sands in the beaches consists of smallgranites andzircon. The vegetation consists oflittoral forests on the coasts andtropical moist deciduous forests inland.[3]Chilika Lake, the largest lake in the region is abrackishlagoon.[5]
TheAndhra Plains (Circars) extend from the south of the Utkal Plain toPulicat Lake, north ofChennai. The coastal plains are widest in the region with a significant portion formed by the deltas of the largest peninsular riversGodavari andKrishna.[4][3] The two river deltas form a contiguous single physiographic unit and cut across a 160 km (99 mi) wide gorge in theEastern Ghats.[6] The deltas have advanced towards theBay of Bengal, which has pushed theKolleru Lake inwards. The Pulicat Lake is interrupted by a sand spit which forms the island ofSriharikota.[3] The region is very fertile due to thealuvium deposited by the rivers and supportsagriculture.[5][7][8]
TheTamil Nadu Plains (Coromandel) stretches for 675 km (419 mi) from the south of Pulicat Lake toKanniyakumari at the southern end of theIndian peninsula. The average width is about 100 km (62 mi) with the plains widest at theKaveri delta at 130 km (81 mi).[3] The fertile soil andirrigation facilities have made the Kaveri delta region as one of the major centers of agriculture. The coast itself has sparse vegetation with marshlands dotted withcoconut andpalm trees.[4][3]