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Kathiyawar Saurashtra | |
|---|---|
 Kathiawar peninsula as seen from theNASA Earth Observatory | |
 Location of Saurashtra in India | |
| Coordinates:22°N71°E / 22°N 71°E /22; 71 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Gujarat |
| Languages | |
| • official | Gujarati |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Kathiawar ([kɑʈʰijɑʋɑɽ]) is apeninsula, near the far north ofIndia's west coast, of about 61,000 km2 (23,500 sq mi) bordering theArabian Sea. It is bounded by theGulf of Kutch in the northwest and by theGulf of Khambhat in the east. In the northeast, it is connected to the rest ofGujarat and borders on the low, fertile hinterland ofAhmedabad. It is crossed by two belts of hill country and is drained radially by nine rivers which have little natural flow aside from in monsoon months, thus dams have been built on some of these. Kathiawar ports have been flourishing centres of trade and commerce since at least the 16th century.[1]
The name Kathiawad seems to have been derived from the early settlements of Kathikas orKathis who enteredGujarat fromSindh in early centuries of theCommon Era.[2][3]
The state of the region in the early nineteenth century is shown inLetitia Elizabeth Landon's poetical illustration, "Scene in Kattiawar", to an engraving of a painting byClarkson Frederick Stanfield.[4]
The natural vegetation on most of the peninsula isxeric scrub. A range of low hills known as the Gir Hills occupies the south-central portion of the peninsula. The highest of these isGirnar. The hills are home to an enclave oftropical dry broadleaf forest.[5]
Gir National Park and its surroundings host the last remainingAsiatic lion population.[6][7] Other national parks in Kathiawar areBlackbuck National Park, Velavadar on the Gulf of Cambay, andMarine National Park, Gulf of Kutch, near Jamnagar.[citation needed]
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| Regions of Gujarat | ||
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