Western Coastal Plains | |
|---|---|
Geographical region | |
 Physical map of India, showing the different topographical regions | |
| Country | India |
| State(s) | |
| Largest city | Mumbai |
| Languages | |
| • Major | Gujarati,Kannada,Konkani,Marathi,Malayalam,Tulu |
| Time zone | Indian Standard Time |
TheWestern Coastal Plains is a narrow stretch of landmass lying between the western part of theDeccan Plateau and theArabian Sea in India. The plains stretch from theKutch region in the Western India toKaniyakumari at the southern tip of theIndian peninsula, with theWestern Ghats forming its eastern boundary. It traverses the states ofGujarat,Maharashtra,Goa,Karnataka, andKerala.
The plains are broadly divided into six subdivisions–Kutch andKathiawar along with the Gujarat Plains in the north,Konkan Coast andCanara in the center, andMalabar in the south. Due to the presence of Western Ghats, which blocks the rain-bearing winds, the region from the south of Gujarat experiences heavy rainfall during themonsoons. Unlike theEastern Coastal Plains, very few rivers cut across the region due to the steeper gradient of theIndian peninsula moving from east to west and the major rivers includeNarmada andTapti.
The Western Coastal Plains is a stretch ofcoastal land lying between the western edge of theDeccan Plateau and theArabian Sea in the west.[1][2] The plains stretch from theRann of Kutch region to Kaniyakumari at the southern tip of theIndian peninsula. The average width of the plains vary between 50–100 km (31–62 mi). It traverses the states ofGujarat,Gujarat,Maharashtra,Goa,Karnataka,Kerala and theunion territories ofDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, andPuducherry (Mahe).[3][4] It is narrower than theEastern Coastal Plains and both the coastal plains meet at Kaniyakumari.[5]
The mountain range ofWestern Ghats forms a rough eastern boundary of the plains. The Western Ghats extend from theSatpura Range south of theTapti River in the north and runs approximately 1,600 km (990 mi) toKaniyakumari.[6][7] There are three gaps in the mountain range which connect the plains to the Deccan plateau: the northernmostGoa Gap, the oldest and widest Palghat Gap, and the southernmost, narrowest Shencottah Gap.[8]
The Western Ghats serves as one of the major sources of many perennial rivers in India. The major river systems originating in the Western Ghats are theGodavari,Kaveri, andKrishna. However, most of the rivers flow eastwards towards theBay of Bengal owing to the steeper gradient moving from east to west. The region consists of only smaller streams, which often carry a large volume of water during the monsoon months.[9] The largest rivers areNarmada andTapti which flow north of the Western Ghats in the Gujarat plains.[10]
The northern region of Kutch is relatively dry and arid.[3] The Western Ghats play an important role in determining the climate and seasons of the region. During the dry summer months of April – May, heat builds up on the land, which draws air from the sea. The air, which picks up moisture along the way and flows eastward from the Arabian Sea, is blocked by the Western Ghats.[11] The rising air cools and brings aboutorographic precipitation along the western coast.[12] This signifies the onset of themonsoon season in June. By the time the air rises above the mountains, it becomes dry, having brought heavy rainfall to the coast.[13]
The region experiences a warm and humidtropical climate throughout the year. Mean temperatures range from 20 °C (68 °F) in the south to 24 °C (75 °F) in the north. Subtropical or temperate climates, and occasional near-zero temperatures during winter are experienced in regions with higher elevations. The coldest period in the region are the wettest monsoon period in the southern part of the mountain range. Annual rainfall in this region averages 100 cm (39 in) to 900 cm (350 in), with an average rainfall of 250 cm (98 in). The total amount of rain does not depend on the spread of the area; areas in northern Maharashtra receive heavy rainfall followed by long dry spells, while regions closer to the equator receive lower annual rainfall and have rain spells lasting several months in a year.[14]
The plains are broadly divided into six subdivisions–Kutch andKathiawar along with the Gujarat Plains in the north,Konkan Coast andCanara in the center, andMalabar in the south.[3]
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TheKutch Peninsula occupies an area of 45,612 km2 (17,611 sq mi) and forms the western most part of the Indian mainland, borderingPakistan. The 352 km (219 mi) long coastline stretches from theIndus River delta in the north to theGulf of Kutch.[3] TheRann of Kutch occupies most of the region and is semi-arid and dry.[15] The region has a long history of human settlements dating back to theIndus valley civilization in 3000 BCE.[3]
TheKathiawar region (also called as Saurashtra), extends from the Gulf of Kutch in the north to theGulf of Khambhat in the south inGujarat. The northeast of the peninsular consists of a largesandstone formation extending for 60,000 km2 (23,000 sq mi). The vegetation of this section is dry, with thorn forests. It is surrounded byalluvial soil supportingagricultural crops such aswheat,millet, andpeanut. Isolatedmangroves occur along the coast. Most of the region has an altitude lower than 600 ft (180 m) with the exception ofGirnar Hills andGir Range. The region hosts theGir National Park, the only remaining abode of wildAsiatic lions anywhere in the world.[3]
The Gujarat Plains extend from theThar Desert in the north to the border withMaharashtra. It forms the central part of Gujarat and lies to the east of the Kathiawar peninsula. The area extends for about 33,000 km2 (13,000 sq mi) and has an average elevation of 24 m (79 ft). It is an extension of theIndo-Gangetic Plain and is drained by rivers such asNarmada,Tapti,Sabarmati, andMahi. Most of the region consists ofalluvium deposited by the rivers withblack soil occurring to the west. The region is prone to heavy flooding duringmonsoons. Sparse forests occur in the region with hardwood trees likeacacia, andteak. Agriculture is the major contributor to the economy with crops grown includingcereals, peanuts,oil seeds, andtobacco.Dairy farming andcotton farming are other major industries. The region which encompassed the city ofAhmedabad, is also heavily industrialised.[3]
TheKonkan Coast (also called Aparanta) extends theDaman Ganga River in the north ofMaharashtra to theTerekhol River along the border with theGoa in the south. The narrow region stretches between 28–47 mi (45–76 km) in width and forms the northern part of the linear coast between theWestern Ghats and theArabian Sea. The region consists of uneven topography formed by the erosion of rivers with alternating bays. Most of the population is concentrated around the city ofMumbai and smaller fertile river valleys. The region receives heavy rainfall during themonsoons, which gives rise to many seasonal rivers. Only one third of the land is cultivable with major crops includingrice,pulses, andcoconuts.Fishing,mining, andsalt manufacturing are other major economic activities.[3]
TheCanara or theKarnataka Coastal Plain extends about 225 km (140 mi) fromGoa in the north toMangalore in the south. The region has an average width of 30–50 km (19–31 mi), and is widest at 70 km (43 mi) near Mangalore. The region is composed of numerous spurs and projections from theWestern Ghats, which narrows the coastal region to almost 5 km (3.1 mi) in certain areas. These spurs rise to about 600 m (2,000 ft) and give rise to numerous streams, which form variouswaterfalls across the region. TheJog Falls onSharavati River is the second highest plunge waterfall in India at 271 m (889 ft) high.[3]
TheMalabar Coast forms the southern end of the plains stretching about 480 km (300 mi) across the entire coast ofKerala tillKanniyakumari. The width varies between 19–97 km (12–60 mi) and is narrower in the north. The region covers an area of 28,000 km2 (11,000 sq mi) and is interspersed with a number oflagoons. The average altitude is below 10 m (33 ft) with sandy beaches on the west. Many streams and inland waterways cut across the region with the major rivers beingPeriyar River in the southern part of Kerala.Coconut palms are grown across the region.[3]