Eastern Coastal Plains

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Eastern Coastal Plains
Geographical region
Konaseema.jpg
Mahanadi River.JPG
Krishna River Vijayawada.jpg
Kollidam river.jpg
Chennai - bird's-eye view.jpg
Chilika Lake - Rambha.jpg
Clockwise from top left: Godavari in Andhra plains; Mahanadi in Utkal Plains; Kaveri delta; Chilika Lake; Coromandel Coast in Chennai; Krishna River
Physical Map of India.jpg
Physical map of India, showing the different topographical regions
Coordinates: 15°N80°E / 15°N 80°E / 15; 80
CountryIndia
State(s)
Largest city Chennai
Languages
  Major Odia, Tamil, Telugu
Time zone Indian Standard Time

The Eastern Coastal Plains is a stretch of landmass lying between the eastern part of the Deccan plateau and the Bay of Bengal in India. The plains stretch from the Mahanadi delta to Kaniyakumari at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula with the Eastern Ghats forming its rough western boundary. It is wider and leveled than the Western Coastal Plains and traverses the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

Contents

The plains are broadly divided into three subdivisions Utkal Plains in the north, Andhra plains in the center, and Tamil Nadu plains in the south. The plains are fertile as it forms part of the deltas of major peninsular rivers such as Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi, and Kaveri.

Geography

The Eastern Coastal Plains is a stretch of coastal land lying between the eastern edge of the Deccan plateau and the Bay of Bengal in the west. [1] [2] The disjointed mountain range of Eastern Ghats forms a rough western boundary of the plains. The plains stretch from the Mahanadi delta to Kaniyakumari at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula and traverses the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. [3] [4] It is wider and leveled than the Western 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, and Tamil Nadu plains (Coromandel) in the south. [3] [5]

Utkal plains

The Utkal Plains form a major part of Odisha and stretch from the southern end of the Indo-Gangetic plains to the Andhra plains in the south. The region is drained by rivers such as Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, and Subarnarekha. The region consists of fertile red and black soil interspersed with gneiss and sandstone rock formations formed during the paleogene and neogene eras. The sands in the beaches consists of small granites and zircon. The vegetation consists of littoral forests on the coasts and tropical moist deciduous forests inland. [3] Chilika Lake, the largest lake in the region is a brackish lagoon. [5]

Andhra plains

The Andhra Plains (Circars) extend from the south of the Utkal Plain to Pulicat Lake, north of Chennai. The coastal plains are widest in the region with a significant portion formed by the deltas of the largest peninsular rivers Godavari and Krishna. [4] [3] The two river deltas form a contiguous single physiographic unit and cut across a 160 km (99 mi) wide gorge in the Eastern Ghats. [6] The deltas have advanced towards the Bay of Bengal, which has pushed the Kolleru Lake inwards. The Pulicat Lake is interrupted by a sand spit which forms the island of Sriharikota. [3] The region is very fertile due to the aluvium deposited by the rivers and supports agriculture. [5] [7] [8]

Tamil Nadu plains

The Tamil Nadu Plains (Coromandel) stretches for 675 km (419 mi) from the south of Pulicat Lake to Kanniyakumari at the southern end of the Indian peninsula. The average width is about 100 km (62 mi) with the plains widest at the Kaveri delta at 130 km (81 mi). [3] The fertile soil and irrigation facilities have made the Kaveri delta region as one of the major centers of agriculture. The coast itself has sparse vegetation with marshlands dotted with coconut and palm trees. [4] [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of India</span>

India is situated north of the equator between 8°4' north to 37°6' north latitude and 68°7' east to 97°25' east longitude. It is the seventh-largest country in the world, with a total area of 3,287,263 square kilometres (1,269,219 sq mi). India measures 3,214 km (1,997 mi) from north to south and 2,933 km (1,822 mi) from east to west. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km (9,445 mi) and a coastline of 7,516.6 km (4,671 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deccan Plateau</span> Region and plateau in India

The Deccan is a plateau which forms the southern part of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats on the sides, which separate the region from the Western and Eastern Coastal Plains respectively. It covers most of the Indian States of Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh excluding the coastal regions.

The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches 1,750 km (1,090 mi) along the eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of 75,000 km2 (29,000 sq mi), it traverses the states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The range forms a discontinuous chain of mountains along the eastern edge of the Deccan Plateau, stretching from north of the Mahanadi River in Odisha to Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu at the southern end of the Indian peninsula. The Eastern Ghats meet with the Western Ghats at Nilgiris. The average elevation is around 600 m (2,000 ft) and Arma Konda is the highest peak in the mountains at 1,680 m (5,510 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coromandel Coast</span> Coastal region in South East India

The Coromandel Coast is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, bounded by the Utkal Plains to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Kaveri delta to the south, and the Eastern Ghats to the west, extending over an area of about 22,800 square kilometres. The coast has an average elevation of 80 metres and is backed by the Eastern Ghats, a chain of low lying and flat-topped hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnatic region</span> Geographic region of southern India

The Carnatic region is the peninsular South Indian region between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, in the erstwhile Madras Presidency and in the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and southern coastal Andhra Pradesh. During the British era, demarcation was different and the region included current-day Karnataka and the whole region south of the Deccan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal Andhra</span> Geographic region of Andhra Pradesh, India

Coastal Andhra or Kosta Andhra is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Vijayawada is the largest city in this region followed by Guntur. The region share borders with Rayalaseema region and North Andhra region of the state and Telangana. It was a part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. According to the 2011 census, it has an area of 91,915 square kilometres (35,489 sq mi) which is 57.99% of the total state area and a population of 34,193,868 which is 69.20% of Andhra Pradesh state population. This area includes the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh on the Circar Coast between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, from the northern border with Uttarandhra to Rayalaseema in the south.

The Utkal Plain is part of the East Coastal Plain of India. It is a coastal plain in the Odisha state of eastern India. It includes the delta of the Mahanadi River, Brahmani River, Baitarani River. The most prominent physiographic feature of this plain is the Chilka Lake. It is the biggest lake in the country and its area varies between 780 km2 in winter to 1,144 km2 in the monsoon months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Godavari–Krishna mangroves</span> Mangrove ecoregion of Indias eastern coast

The Godavari–Krishna mangroves are a mangrove ecoregion of India's eastern coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayalu Seeme</span>

Bayaluseemé or Bayalu Seemé is the area lying to the east of Malenadu, a region of Karnataka state in India. The area is largely open plain, with few hillocks. It includes the districts of Bangalore, Bangalore Rural, Ramanagara, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Vijayanagara, Ballari, Kalaburagi, Dharwad, Koppal, Kolar, Gadag, Hassan, Bidar, Haveri, Belgaum, Mandya, Chikkaballapur, Mysore, Yadgir, Raichur and Tumkur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Karnataka</span>

The Indian State of Karnataka is located between 11°30' North and 18°30' North latitudes and between 74° East and 78°30' East longitude.It is situated on a tableland where the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats converge into the complex, in the western part of the Deccan Peninsular region of India. The State is bounded by Maharashtra and Goa States in the north and northwest; by the Lakshadweep Sea in the west; by Kerala in the south-west and Tamil Nadu in the south and south-east, Andhra Pradesh in the south-east and east and Telangana in the north-east. Karnataka extends to about 850 km (530 mi) from north to south and about 450 km (280 mi) from east to west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghat Roads</span> Access routes into the mountainous Western and Eastern Ghats in India

Ghat Roads are access routes into the mountainous Western and Eastern Ghats, mountain ranges of the Indian subcontinent. These roads are remarkable feats of engineering, and most were constructed during the British Raj. Ghat Roads were built to connect to the hill stations established in the mountains for residents to avoid summer heat. They generally served to connect coastal areas with the upper Deccan Plateau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Coastal Plains</span> Coastal plain in Western India

The Western Coastal Plains is a narrow stretch of landmass lying between the western part of the Deccan plateau and the Arabian in India. The plains stretch from the Kutch region to Kaniyakumari at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula with the Western Ghats forming its eastern boundary. It traverses the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of South India</span>

The Geography of South India comprises the diverse topological and climatic patterns of South India. South India is a peninsula in the shape of a vast inverted triangle, bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea, on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the north by the Vindhya and Satpura ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Odisha</span>

Odisha is one of the 28 states in the Republic of India. Odisha is located in the eastern part of the Indian peninsula and the Bay of Bengal lies to its East while Chhattisgarh shares its border in the west and north-west. The state also shares geographic boundaries with West Bengal in the north-east, Jharkhand in the north and Andhra Pradesh in the south. The state is spread over an area of 1,55,707 km2 and extends for 700 km from north to south and 500 kilometres from east to west. Its coastline is 450 km long. The state is divided into 30 districts which are further subdivided into 314 blocks called tahasil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Andhra Pradesh</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garhjat Hills</span> Mountain range in India

The Garhjat Hills is a mountain range formed by a series low-lying hills, plateaux, ridges and meadows that stretch into Odisha from the Utkal Plains in the Chotanagpur region of Jharkhand and the Chhattisgarh Plains. The range, also known as the Odisha Highlands, runs in a north east to south west direction for about 382 km along the Odisha coast, covering 76,800 km2 (29,700 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biogeographic classification of India</span>

Biogeographic classification of India is the division of India according to biogeographic characteristics. Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species (biology), organisms, and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. India has a rich heritage of natural diversity. India ranks fourth in Asia and tenth in the world amongst the top 17 mega-diverse countries in the world. India harbours nearly 11% of the world's floral diversity comprising over 17500 documented flowering plants, 6200 endemic species, 7500 medicinal plants and 246 globally threatened species in only 2.4% of world's land area. India is also home to four biodiversity hotspots—Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Eastern Himalaya, Indo-Burma region, and the Western Ghats. Hence the importance of biogeographical study of India's natural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howrah–Chennai main line</span> Railway route in India

The Howrah–Chennai main line is a railway line connecting Chennai and Kolkata cutting across Eastern Coastal Plains of India. It covers a distance of 1,661 kilometres (1,032 mi) across, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section</span> Railway section in India

The Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section is a railway line connecting Khurda Road in the Indian state of Odisha and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The main line is part of the Howrah–Chennai main line.

References

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  2. Population of India. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations. 1982. p. 2.
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  4. 1 2 3 "Eastern coastal plains". Jagran Prakashan . Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Eastern and Western Coastal Plains". Unacademy . Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  6. "Ghats". Britannica . Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  7. Basu, D.N.; Guha, G.S.; Kashyap, S.P. (1996). Agro-climatic Regional Planning in India: Concept and applications. Concept Publishing Company. p. 128. ISBN   978-8-170-22582-9.
  8. Raj, A.J.; Lal, S.B. (2014). Agroforestry Theory and Practices. Scientific Publisher. p. 185. ISBN   978-9-386-10296-6.