The coastline of Andhra Pradesh is located on the southeastern coast of the Indian Peninsula in the Bay of Bengal and is part of the Northern Circars. With a length of 975 km (606 mi), it has the second longest coastline in India after Gujarat (third as per some estimates). The coastal corridor boasts several ports, harbors, vast stretches of sandy beaches, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, as well as fresh water lakes and estuaries. [1] [2]
The coast extends from Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district to Tirupati district and lies geographically between the coasts of Orissa and Tamil Nadu. Coastal wetlands cover an area of 1,140.7 km2 (440.4 sq mi). [1]
Andhra Pradesh has a total of 12 districts that are situated along its coastline. Among these districts, 4 in the Uttaraandhra region, 7 are located in the Kostaandhra region, and 1 in the Rayalaseema region. The list of these districts is as follows:
These district's has beaches to promote tourism in the state, such as Bheemili Beach, Rushikonda Beach, Bhavanapadu Beach, Ramakrishna Mission Beach, Yarada Beach, Vodarevu Beach, Suryalanka Beach, and Narsapur. Visakhapatnam district, in particular, is home to many beaches.
Farmers in coastal areas predominantly engage in fishery, aquaculture, mollusc, and shrimp production as their primary occupations. The geographical location of the state allows for both marine fishing and inland fish production, which is often more profitable than traditional agriculture due to the cultivation of fresh water and brackish water aquaculture. [3] [4]
The coastal corridor of Andhra Pradesh is rich in minerals such as beach sand, heavy mineral deposits like ilmenite, leucoxene, and monazite. An estimated 241 million tonnes of mineral reserves are present in the beach sand along the state coast. [5]
Silica sand reserves are found in the coastal areas of Prakasam, Nellore, and Guntur districts, and are used for various purposes such as moulding sand, sodium silicate, ceramic, and glass production. Quartzites are found in Orvakal of Kurnool district. [6]
During the medieval period, the British and the Dutch engaged in trade along the coast of India, with the Andhra Pradesh coast being one of their destinations. Evidence of this can be found in some coastal towns, such as Bheemunipatnam. The coastline is home to major, intermediate, and minor ports as well as fishing harbours for sea trade with other countries. Visakhapatnam Port is the largest port on the east coast, and there are several other ports located between Srikakulam district and Krishnapatnam Port in Nellore district. [7]
The Bay of Bengal is known for the frequent occurrence of severe cyclones, with 71 cyclones recorded in the coastal region during 1892-1997. Nellore district leads with 11 severe and 21 normal cyclones. Several factors, such as the lack of flood protection, irrigation systems, drains, and embankments, contribute to severe damage to property in the coastal zone. [8] [9]
Andhra Pradesh is a state in the southern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state and the tenth-most populous in the country. Telugu, one of India's classical languages, is the primary official language and the most widely spoken language in state and as well as in South India. Amaravati is the state capital, while the largest city is Visakhapatnam. The state shares borders with Odisha to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the north, Telangana to the northwest, Karnataka to the southwest, Tamil Nadu to the south and the Bay of Bengal to the east. It has the second-longest coastline in India at about 974 km (605 mi).
Coastal Andhra, also known as Kosta Andhra, is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, comprising the coastal districts of the state between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, from the northern border with Orissa to Rayalaseema in the south. It includes major cities such as Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada as well as the state capital Amaravati and is recognized for its fertile lands, rich cultural heritage, and economic importance. Coastal Andhra plays a significant role in the state's agricultural output, particularly in rice and tobacco production, supported by abundant water resources from the Godavari, Krishna, and Penna rivers.
Rayalaseema is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises four southern districts of the State, from prior to the districts reorganisation in 2022, namely Kurnool, Anantapur, YSR, and Chittoor. Four new districts were created from these, namely Sri Sathya Sai, Nandyal, Annamayya, and Tirupati. As of 2011 census of India, the western four districts of the region had a population of 15,184,908 and cover an area of 77,424 km2 (29,894 sq mi).
Machilipatnam, also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the mandal headquarters of Machilipatnam mandal in Machilipatnam revenue division of the district. The ancient port town served as the settlement of European traders from the 16th century, and it was a major trading port for the Portuguese, British, Dutch and French in the 17th century.
Nellore district, officially known as Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district in Coastal Andhra Region, is one of the 26 districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. According to the 2011 Census, the district's population was 2,963,557 of which 29.07% was urban. Its administrative headquarters are located in Nellore city. Located in the Coastal Andhra region, the district is bordered by the Bay of Bengal to the east, Kadapa district and Annamayya district to the west, Prakasam district to the north, and Tirupati district to the south.
Prakasamdistrict is one of the twelve districts in the coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was formed in 1970 and reorganised on 4 April 2022. The headquarters of the district is Ongole. It is located on the western shore of Bay of Bengal and is bounded by Bapatla district and Palnadu districts in the north, Nandyal district in the west, Kadapa and Nellore districts in the south. A part of north west region also borders with Nagarkurnool district of Telangana. It is the largest district in the state with an area of 14,322 km2 (5,530 sq mi) and had a population of 22,88,026 as per 2011 Census of India.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, officially Andhra Pradesh Raastra Roadu Ravaana Samstha, is the state-owned road transport corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its headquarters is located at NTR Administrative Block of RTC House in Pandit Nehru bus station of Vijayawada. Many other Indian metros & towns in Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha and Chhattisgarh are also linked with the APSRTC services.
North Andhra or Uttara Andhra, also known as Kalinga Andhra, is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is between the Eastern Ghats and the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It comprises six northern districts of the state, Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitharama Raju and Anakapalli. As of 2011 census of India, the region with six districts has a population of 9,338,177.
The recorded history of Andhra Pradesh, one of the 28 states of 21st-century India, begins in the Vedic period. It is mentioned in Sanskrit epics such as the Aitareya Brahmana. Its sixth-century BCE incarnation Assaka lay between the Godavari and Krishna Rivers, one of sixteen mahajanapadas. The Satavahanas succeeded them, built Amaravati, and reached a zenith under Gautamiputra Satakarni.
Andhra Pradesh is a state in India. Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is a state government agency which promotes tourism in Andhra Pradesh, describing the state as the Koh-i-Noor of India. Andhra Pradesh has a variety of tourist attractions including beaches, hills, caves, wildlife, forests and temples.
The economy of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is primarily dependent on agriculture, which directly and indirectly employs 62% of the population. GSDP as per the first revised estimate, for the year 2023-24 is ₹15,40,000 crore. The state is ranked 1st in the country for the year 2021-22 in terms of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth at constant prices with growth rate of 11.43%. The state GSDP is expected to grow at a rate of 17% for the year 2023-24.
Andhra Pradesh lies between 12°41' and 19.07°N latitude and 77° and 84°40'E longitude, and is bordered by Telangana to the north and west, Chhattisgarh to the north-west, Orissa to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, Tamil Nadu to the south and Karnataka to the southwest and west. Andhra Pradesh has a coastline of around 974 km, which gives it the second longest coastline in the nation. Two major rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna run across the state. A small enclave 12 sq mi (30 km²), the Yanam district of Puducherry, lies in the Godavari Delta in the north east of the state. The state includes the eastern part of Deccan plateau as well as a considerable part of the Eastern Ghats.
Sribagh Pact is an agreement between the political leaders of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions during the separate Andhra on 16 November 1937. Historically, the Sribagh Agreement has been an important subject matter to the people of the Rayalaseema region regarding developmental issues due to the attitude of the then-Andhra leaders.
The Polavaram Project is an under construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in the Eluru District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. The project has been accorded National project status by the Central Government of India. Its reservoir back water spreads up to the Dummugudem Anicut and approx 115 km on Sabari River side. Thus back water spreads into parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha States. It gives major boost to tourism sector in Godavari Districts as the reservoir covers the famous Papikonda National Park, Polavaram hydro electric project (HEP) and National Waterway 4 are under construction on left side of the river. It is located 40 km to the upstream of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in Rajamahendravaram City and 25 km from Rajahmundry Airport.
Relli is a social group of South Indians who reside in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh. They are classified as a Scheduled Caste.
Cyclonic Storm Nilam was a weak, but deadly tropical cyclone that became the deadliest tropical cyclone to directly affect South India since Cyclone Jal in 2010. The second named Cyclonic Storm of the rather quiet 2012 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Nilam originated from an area of low pressure over the Bay of Bengal on October 28, 2012. The system began as a weak depression 550 km (340 mi) northeast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. Over the following few days, the depression gradually intensified into a deep depression, and subsequently a cyclonic storm by October 30. It made landfall near Mahabalipuram on October 31 as a strong cyclonic storm with peak winds of 85 km/h (55 mph). In Chennai's Marina Beach, strong winds pushed piles of sand ashore and seawater reached nearly a 100 m (330 ft) inland. Schools and colleges in the city remained closed for more than three days.
The state of Andhra Pradesh has a coastline of 970 km2 (370 sq mi) and hence, there exist many beaches. The seacoast extends along the Bay of Bengal from Srikakulam district to Nellore district.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Andhra Pradesh: