Coastline of Tamil Nadu

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The coastline of Tamil Nadu is located on the southeast coast of Indian Peninsula, and forms a part of Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. It is 1,076 km long and is the second longest coastline in the country after Gujarat. [1] Chennai, the capital of the state and an important commercial and industrial center in the country is located in the northern part of the coast with Kanniyakumari, forming the southern tip where Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea meet. It also shares maritime border with Sri Lanka across the Palk strait in Gulf of Mannar. The coastal corridor consists of 14 districts with 15 major ports and harbors, sandy beaches, lakes and river estuaries. Tamil Nadu is the only state in India with territory on both the eastern and western coastlines.

Contents

Geography

The coastal stretch extends for 1,076 km (669 mi) from Pazhaverkadu of Thiruvallur district to Ezhudesam of Kanniyakumari district. Kanniyakumari, forms the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent where Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea meet. [2] Pamban Island forms part of Ramanathapuram district separating Gulf of Mannar and Palk strait with the Ram Setu connecting it with Sri Lanka. [3] There are 14 districts that share the coastline namely Thiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayildathurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.

History

Chola conquests during Rajendra Chola I Rajendra map new.svg
Chola conquests during Rajendra Chola I

The coast of Tamil Nadu was a part of ancient silk route and played an important role in spice trade with western empires. Roman and Greek traders frequented the ancient Tamil country securing trade with the seafaring Tamil states of the Pandyan, Chola and Chera dynasties and establishing trading settlements which secured trade with South Asia by the Greco-Roman world since the time of the Ptolemaic dynasty a few decades before the start of the Common Era and remained long after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. [4] Major ports included Uraiyur, Korkai, Poompuhar and Kaveripattinam. The ancient city of Poompuhar was destroyed by the sea around 300 BCE. [5] [6] [7]

During the reign of Raja Raja Chola I and his successors Rajendra Chola I, Virarajendra Chola and Kulothunga Chola I the armies of the Chola Dynasty invaded Sri Lanka, Maldives and some parts of Southeast Asia like Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern Thailand [8] of the Sri Vijaya Empire in the 11th century. Raja Raja Chola I launched several naval campaigns that resulted in the capture of Sri Lanka, Maldives and the Malabar Coast. [9] In 1025, Rajendra Chola, the Chola king from Coromandel in South India, launched naval raids on ports of Srivijaya in Southeast Asia and against the Burmese kingdom of Pegu, [10] [11] and conquered parts of Srivijaya in Malaysia and Indonesia and the Tambralinga Kingdom in Southern Thailand and occupied it for some time. [12] A second invasion was led by Virarajendra Chola of the Chola dynasty who conquered kedah in Malaysia of Sri Vijaya in the late 11th century. [13] [14] [15] [16]

Sea-trade

Container terminal at Chennai port Madras Port In 1996.jpg
Container terminal at Chennai port
Seashore in Tiruchendur Tiruchendur beach.JPG
Seashore in Tiruchendur

Tamil Nadu has major seaports at Chennai, Ennore, Tuticorin and Nagapattinam. There are 11 other minor ports. [17] Chennai Port is an artificial harbor and is India's second busiest container hub. [18]

Because of its shallow waters, Sethusamudram—the sea separating Sri Lanka from India—presents a hindrance to navigation through the Palk Strait. Though trade across the India-Sri Lanka divide has been active since at least the first millennium BCE, it has been limited to small boats and dinghies. Larger oceangoing vessels coming from the West have had to navigate around Sri Lanka to reach India' eastern coast. [19] The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project is a proposed project to create a shipping route in the shallow straits between India and Sri Lanka which would provide a continuously navigable sea route around the Indian Peninsula. [20]

Fishing and aquaculture

The state has a fishermen population of 1.05 million and the coast consists of 3 major fishing harbors, 3 medium fishing harbors and 363 fish landing centers. The marine fishing output from the state contributes to 10-12 % of the total marine fish production in India and is estimated at 0.72 million tonnes. Aquaculture include shrimp, sea weed, mussel, clam and oyster farming. [21]

There have been several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel firing on Indian fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait, where India and Sri Lanka are only separated by 12 nautical miles. [22] Indian Government protests periodically against Sri Lankan navy for its alleged involvement in attacks on Indian fishermen. [23] The incidents continue to happen and over 530 fishermen have been killed in the last 30 years. [24]

Countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake Indian Ocean Earthquake2004.png
Countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

Weather patterns

The Bay of Bengal is responsible for the formation of some of the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclones in the world. The basin is mostly affected by tropical cyclones.

According to official estimates, more than 10,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless when a tsunami triggered by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra struck the southern coast of Tamil Nadu on 26 December 2004. The earthquake registered 9.1–9.3 Mw, and was the largest in five decades. [25]

View of marina beach from the lighthouse Marina Beach as seen from Light house..JPG
View of marina beach from the lighthouse

Beaches

There are numerous beaches along the coast. Marina Beach in Chennai [26] covering a distance of 13 km (8.1 mi), [27] is the longest natural urban beach in the country [28] and the world's second longest. [29]

Flora and fauna

The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a protected area of India consisting of 21 small islands (islets) and adjacent coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar. It lies between Thoothukudi and Dhanushkodi. It is the core area of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve which includes a 10 km buffer zone around the park, including the populated coastal area. [30] The park has a high diversity of plants and animals in its marine, intertidal and near shore habitats. [31] About 510 (23%) of the 2,200 fin fish species in Indian waters are found in the Gulf, making it the most highly diverse fish habitat in India.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhanushkodi</span> Former town in Tamil Nadu, India

Dhanushkodi is an abandoned town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is south-east of Pamban and is about 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone and remains uninhabited in the aftermath. Today only a few vendors and restaurants can be seen at Dhanushkodi during the day along with the ruins of the long destroyed town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam's Bridge</span> Chain of shoals between India and Sri Lanka

Adam's Bridge, also known as Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu, is a chain of natural limestone shoals between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka. Geological evidence suggests that the bridge was formerly a land connection between India and Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanyakumari</span> Town in India

Kanniyakumari, also known as Cape Comorin, is a city in Kanniyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent and the southernmost city in mainland India, and thus referred to as "The Land's End". The city is situated 90 kilometres (56 mi) south of Thiruvananthapuram city, and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Nagercoil, the headquarters of Kanniyakumari district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palk Strait</span> Strait between Tamil Nadu, India and Sri Lanka

The Palk Strait is a strait between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Jaffna District of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka. It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with Palk Bay in the southwest. With a maximum depth of less than 9.1 m, it is 40 to 85 miles wide and 85 miles long. Several rivers flow into it, including the Vaigai River of Tamil Nadu. The strait is named after Robert Palk, who was a governor of Madras (1755–1763) during the Company Raj period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rameswaram</span> Pilgrimage centre and a town in Tamilnadu, India

Rameswaram is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about 40 kilometres from Mannar Island, Sri Lanka. It is in the Gulf of Mannar, at the tip of the Indian peninsula. Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, is connected to mainland India by the Pamban Bridge. Rameswaram is the terminus of the railway line from Chennai and Madurai. Together with Varanasi, it is considered to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus and is part of the Char Dham pilgrimage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf of Mannar</span> Gulf of the Indian Ocean between India and Sri Lanka

The Gulf of Mannar is a large shallow bay forming part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean with an average depth of 5.8 m (19 ft). It lies between the southeastern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka, in the Coromandel Coast region. The chain of low islands and reefs known as Adam’s Bridge or Rama Setu, which includes Mannar Island, separates the Gulf of Mannar from Palk Bay, which lies to the north between India and Sri Lanka. The estuaries of Thamirabarani River and Vaippar River of South India and the Malvathu Oya of Sri Lanka drain into the Gulf. The dugong is found here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thoothukudi</span> City in Tamil Nadu, India

Thoothukudi is a port city, a municipal corporation, and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and headquarters of Thoothukudi district. It is located about 590 kilometres southwest of Chennai, 190 kilometres northeast of Thiruvananthapuram, and 580 kilometres southeast of Bengaluru. According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Thoothukudi has the second highest Human Development Index in Tamil Nadu, next to Chennai. Thoothukudi City serves as the headquarters of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited, one of the leading private sector banks in India. Major educational establishments in the city include the Government Thoothukudi Medical College, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Maritime Academy, V.O. Chidambaram College, Kamaraj College, Anna University, and Government Polytechnic College. The V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority is one of the major ports in India. Thoothukudi is an emerging energy and industrial hub of South India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project</span> Canal between India and Sri Lanka

Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project is a proposed project to create a shipping route in the shallow straits between India and Sri Lanka. This would provide a continuously navigable sea route around the Indian Peninsula. The channel would be dredged in the Sethusamudram sea between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, passing through the limestone shoals of Rama Sethu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laccadive Sea</span> A body of water bordering India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.

The Laccadive Sea, also known as the Lakshadweep Sea, is a body of water bordering India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. It is located to the southwest of Karnataka, to the west of Kerala and to the south of Tamil Nadu. This warm sea has a stable water temperature through the year and is rich in marine life, the Gulf of Mannar alone hosting about 3,600 species. Mangaluru, Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Ponnani, Kochi, Alappuzha, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Tuticorin, Colombo, and Malé are the major cities on the shore of the Laccadive Sea. Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of peninsular India, also borders this sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palk Bay</span>

Palk Bay is a semi-enclosed shallow water body between the southeast coast of India and Sri Lanka, with a water depth maximum of 13 m. Palk Bay is located between 8° 50′ and 10° North latitudes and 78° 50′ and 80° 30′ East longitudes. The width of Palk Bay ranges from 57 to 107 km and the length is around 150 km. It is one of the major sinks for sediments along with the Gulf of Mannar. Sediments discharged by rivers and transported by the surf currents as littoral drift settle in this sink. Few scientists have tried to understand the wave characteristics within the Palk Bay.

Puhar is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri Poompattinam, which is described in Post Sangam literature like Silappadikaram, Manimekalai, Paṭṭiṉappālai and Akananuru as the capital of the Early Chola kings in Tamilakam. Puhar is located near the mouth of the Kaveri river, on the sea coast. It is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park</span> Protected area of India

The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a protected area of India consisting of 21 small islands (islets) and adjacent coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar in the Indian Ocean. It lies 1 to 10 km away from the east coast of Tamil Nadu, India for 160 km between Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) and Dhanushkodi. It is the core area of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve which includes a 10 km buffer zone around the park, including the populated coastal area. The park has a high diversity of plants and animals in its marine, intertidal and near shore habitats. Public access inside the park is limited to glass-bottom boat rides. It was established as a National Park in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramanathapuram district</span> District of Tamil Nadu in India

Ramanathapuram District, also known as Ramnad District, is one of the 38 districts an administrative districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The old Ramanathapuram District consists of Present day Virudhunagar and Sivagangai districts, it touches the Western ghats and bordered with the state of Kerala and east by Bay of Bengal. It was the largest district on that time. The town of Ramanathapuram is the district headquarters. Ramanthapuram District has an area of 4,123 km2. It is bounded on the north by Sivaganga District, on the northeast by Pudukkottai District, on the east by the Palk Strait, on the south by the Gulf of Mannar, on the west by Thoothukudi District, and on the northwest by Virudhunagar District. The district contains the Pamban Bridge, an east–west chain of low islands and shallow reefs that extend between India and the island nation of Sri Lanka, and separate the Palk Strait from the Gulf of Mannar. The Palk Strait is navigable only by shallow-draft vessels. As of 2011, Ramanathapuram district had a population of 1,353,445 with a sex-ratio of 983 females for every 1,000 males. The district is home to the pilgrimage center of Rameswaram.

The Marakkars are a South Asian Muslim community found in parts of the Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. The Marakkars speak Malayalam in Kerala and Tamil in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katchatheevu</span> Uninhabited island administered by Sri Lanka

Katchatheevu is a 163-acre uninhabited island administered by Sri Lanka. It was a disputed territory between India and Sri Lanka until 1974. It was never demarcated by the Indian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Tamil Nadu</span> Overview of tourism in Tamil Nadu, India

Tamil Nadu has the largest tourism industry in India with a percentage share of 21.31% and 21.86% of domestic and foreign tourist visits in the country. According to the 2020 Ministry of Tourism report, the number of domestic arrivals was at 494.8 million making the state the second most popular tourist destination in the country, and foreign arrivals numbered 6.86 million, the highest in the country, making it the most popular state for tourism in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mannar District</span> Administrative District in Northern, Sri Lanka

Mannar District is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is Mannar, which is located on Mannar Island.

Kulasekharapatnam is a town in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India.

Manthai is a coastal town and an ancient harbor situated in the Mannar district, of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Manthai functioned as the main port of the Anuradhapura Kingdom throughout its history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coral reefs in India</span>

Coral reefs in India are one of the most ancient and dynamic ecosystems of India. The coral reefs not only provide a sanctuary to a myriad of marine life but also play a key role in protecting the coastline from erosion. India has about 7517 km of coastline including islands but mainland coast is 6100 km.

References

  1. ↑ "Centre for Coastal Zone Management and Coastal Shelter Belt". Institute for Ocean Management, Anna University Chennai. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Cape Comorin". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Detailed map of Rameswaram taluka Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Curtin 1984: 100
  5. ↑ Gaur A. S. and Sundaresh, Underwater Exploration off Poompuhar and possible causes of its Submergence, 1998, Puratattva, 28: 84-90. Available online at
  6. ↑ Marine archaeological explorations of Tranquebar-Poompuhar region on Tamil Nadu coast, Rao, S.R.. Journal of Marine Archaeology, Vol. II, July 1991, pp. 5–20. Available online at Archived 24 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "Indian town sees evidence of ancient tsunami", Associated Press report, Poompuhar,1/14/2005. Available online at
  8. ↑ Between 2 Oceans (2nd Edn): A Military History of Singapore from 1275 to 1971 by Malcolm H. Murfett, John Miksic, Brian Farell, Chiang Ming Shun p.16
  9. ↑ South India by Stuart Butler,Jealous p.38
  10. ↑ Munoz, Paul Michel (2006). Early Kingdoms of the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsula. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet. ISBN   981-4155-67-5.
  11. ↑ Asia: A Concise History by Arthur Cotterell p.190
  12. ↑ The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World by Lincoln Paine p.866
  13. ↑ History of Asia by B.V. Rao p.211
  14. ↑ Singapore in Global History by Derek Thiam Soon Heng,Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied p.40
  15. ↑ Aryatarangini, the Saga of the Indo-Aryans, by A. Kalyanaraman p.158
  16. ↑ India and Malaya Through the Ages: by S. Durai Raja Singam
  17. ↑ "Tamil Nadu - States and Union Territories - Know India: National Portal of India". India.gov.in. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  18. ↑ "India's major ports see rise in container volumes". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  19. ↑ Francis Jr., Peter (2002). Asia's Maritime Bead Trade: 300 B.C. to the Present . University of Hawaii Press. ISBN   0-8248-2332-X.
  20. ↑ Singh, Gyanant (23 February 2013). "Centre will go ahead with Sethusamudram project". India Today.in. Living Media India Limited. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  21. ↑ "Tamil Nadu fisheries department". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  22. ↑ Rumley et al. 2009:166
  23. ↑ "Indian fisherman killed in Lankan firing". IndiaVoice. 13 January 2011. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  24. ↑ "Second TN fisherman killed by Lankan Navy". The Times of India . 22 January 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  25. ↑ "Magnitude 9.1 earthquake hits Indonesia". U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  26. ↑ "Marina Beach in Chennai, Tamilnadu". Tamilnadu.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  27. ↑ "Beaches in Tamilnadu". Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation. Retrieved 8 May 2007.
  28. ↑ Marina Beach – One of the popular beaches of India, IndiaTravelTo, archived from the original on 16 September 2011, retrieved 28 September 2011
  29. ↑ EARSeL (2002). Observing our environment from space: new solutions for a new millennium ... A. A. Balakema. ISBN   90-5809-254-2 . Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  30. ↑ UNDP (1994). "Conservation and Sustainable-use of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve's Coastal Biodiversity" (PDF). UNDP, Project Brief, New York. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  31. ↑ Shaunak B Modi (2011). "Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park - Tamil Nadu Forest Dept. (GOMNP)". Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust. Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2007.

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