Geography of Karnataka

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Topographic map of Karnataka. Western Ghats are parallel to the coast. Karnataka topo deu.png
Topographic map of Karnataka. Western Ghats are parallel to the coast.

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.

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Karnataka is situated in the Deccan Plateau and is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast and east, Telangana to the east, Tamil Nadu to the south and southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. It is situated at the angle where the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of South India converge into the Nilgiri hills. The highest point in Karnataka is the Mullayanagiri hill in Chikkamagaluru district which has an altitude of 1,929 metres (6,329 ft) above sea level. [1]

Physiography

The state is divisible in to three distinct geomorphic zones: [2]

Karnataka has one of the highest average elevations of Indian states, at 1,500 feet (460 m). The highest recorded temperature was 45.6 °C (114.08 °F) at Raichuru on 23 May 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 °C (37.04 °F) at Bidar on 16 December 1918. [3]

Area and population

Karnataka has a total land area of 191,791 km² and accounts for 5.83% of the total area of the country (measured at 3,288,000 km²). This puts it in seventh place in terms of size. With a population of 6,11,30,704, it occupies eighth place in terms of population. The population density which stands at 319 persons per km² is lower than the all-India average of 382.

Mineral resource

Karnataka is rich in mineral wealth which is distributed fairly evenly across the state. Karnataka's Geological Survey department started in 1880 is one of the oldest in the country. Rich deposits of asbestos, bauxite, chromite, dolomite, gold, iron ore, kaolin, limestone, magnesite, Manganese, ochre, quartz, and silica sand are found in the state. Karnataka is also a major producer of felsite, molding sand (63%), and fuchsite quartzite (57%) in the country.

Karnataka has two major centers of gold mining in the state Kolar and Raichur. These mines produce about 3000  kg of gold per annum which accounts for almost 84% of the country's production. Karnataka has very rich deposits of high-grade iron and manganese ores to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes. Most of the iron ores are concentrated around the Ballari-Hosapete region. Karnataka with a granite rock spread of over 4200  km² is also famous for its Ornamental Granites with different hues.

Geology

According to Radhakrishnan and Vaidyanadhan (1997), there are four main types of geological formations in Karnataka: [4]

Soil types

Soil map Karnataka soil map NBSS.png
Soil map

Eleven groups of soil orders are found in Karnataka. Entisols, Inceptisols, Mollisols, Spodosols, Alfisols, Ultisols, Oxisols, Aridisols, Vertisols, Andisols and Histosols. [4] Depending on the agricultural capability of the soil, the soil types are divided into six types., Red, lateritic (lateritic soil is found in bidar and kolar district), black, alluvio-colluvial, forest and coastal soils. [5] The common types of soil groups found in Karnataka are: [5]

Water Resources

With a surface water potential of about 102 kilometers (63 mi), Karnataka accounts for about six percent of the country's surface water resources. Around 60% of this is provided by the west flowing rivers while the remaining comes from the east flowing rivers. There are seven river basins in all formed by the Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna, the west-flowing rivers, Penna, Ponniyar, and Palar. [6]

Waterfalls in Karnataka

East flowing rivers

30 East-flowing rivers.

West flowing rivers

12 West-flowing rivers, providing 60% of state's inland water resources.

Reservoirs

Lakes

Climate

Karnataka has the following four seasons in the year:

The post-monsoon (period of retreating) and winter seasons are generally pleasant over the entire state. The months April and May are hot, very dry and generally uncomfortable. Weather tends to be oppressive during June due to high humidity and temperature. The next three months (July, August and September) are somewhat comfortable due to reduced day temperature although the humidity continue to be very high. The highest recorded temperature was 45.6  °C (114  °F ) at Raichuru on 23 May 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 °C (37 °F) C at Bidar on 16 December 1918. [7]

Karnataka is divided into three meteorological zones:

Rainfall

The southwest monsoon accounts for almost 80% of the rainfall that the state receives. The annual rainfall across the state ranges from low 50 cm (20 in) to copious 350 cm (140 in). The districts of Vijapura, Raichuru, Ballari, Yadagiri and Southern half of Kalaburagi experience the lowest rainfall ranging from 50 to 60 cm (24 in) while the west coastal region and Malenadu enjoy the highest rainfall.

The following were the top 5 places that peaked in rainfall statistics [2010-2017] [10] [11] [12] [13]

RankHobli/VillageDistrictTalukYearRainfall in mmElevation in metres
1 Amagavi Belagavi district Khanapura 201010,068785
2Mundrote Kodagu district Madikeri 20119,974585
3 Hulikal Shivamogga district Hosanagara 20139,383614
4 Agumbe Shivamogga district Thirthahalli 20138,770643
5Kokalli/Kakalli Uttara Kannada district Sirsi 20148,746780

Forests

About 38724 km² (or 20% of Karnataka's geographic) are covered by forests. The forests are classified as reserved (28,611 km²) protected (3,932 km²), unclosed (5,748 km²), village (124 km²) and private (309 km²) forests. The percentage of forests area to Geographical area in the State is less than the all-India average of about 23%, and 33% prescribed in the National Forest Policy. The area under protected forests in the neighboring States is as follows: Andhra Pradesh 62,000 km² (9% of the total area of the country), Maharashtra 54,000 km² (8%), Tamil Nadu 22,000 km² (3%) and Kerala 11,000 km² (2%).

Karnataka is known for its valuable timbers from the evergreen forests in the Western Ghat region, notably Teak and Rosewood, the richly ornate panels of which adorn the beautiful chambers of the Two Houses of Karnataka Legislature.

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">Kalaburagi</span> City in Karnataka, India

Kalaburagi, formerly known as Gulbarga, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kalaburagi district and is the largest city in the region of North Karnataka (Kalyana-Karnataka). Kalaburagi is 568 km north of the state capital city of Bangalore. It was incorporated into the newly formed Mysore State through the States Reorganisation Act in 1956.

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

The Deccan is a large plateau and region of the Indian subcontinent located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada River. This definition is sometimes expanded to include the entire peninsular region. To the north, the plateau is bounded by the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges. It covers the modern-day Indian States of Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bijapur</span> City in Karnataka, India

Bijapur is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of the Adil Shahi dynasty. It is also well known for the popular Karnataka premier league team, the Bijapur Bulls. Bijapur is located 519 km (322 mi) northwest of the state capital Bangalore and about 550 km (340 mi) from Mumbai and 210 km (130 mi) north east of the city of Belgaum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penna River</span> River in India

Penna is a river of southern India. This is a unique river in world where after originating from Nandi hills, it flows as two different streams, one in North and South directions. The Penna rises in the Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur District of Karnataka state, and runs north and east through the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to empty into bay of bengal in Andhra Pradesh. It is 597 kilometres (371 mi) long, with a drainage basin covering 55,213 km2: 6,937 km2 in Karnataka and 48,276 km2 in Andhra Pradesh. Along with this main stream there is another stream south towards Tamilnadu with the name Then Pennai or south Pennar which further moves towards the east to empty into the Bay of Bengal. The Penna river basin lies in the rain shadow region of Eastern Ghats and receives 500 mm average rainfall annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharavati</span> River in India

Sharavati is a river which originates and flows entirely within the state of Karnataka in India. It is one of the few westward flowing rivers of India and a major part of the river basin lies in the Western Ghats. The famous Jog Falls, located about 25 km from Siddapura, is formed by this river. The river itself and the regions around it are rich in biodiversity and are home to many rare species of flora and fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chikmagalur</span> City in Karnataka, India

Chikmagalur is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri peak of the Western Ghats, the city attracts tourists from around the world for its pleasant and favourable hill station climate, tropical rainforest and coffee estates. The pristine Baba Budangiri lies to the north of Chikmagalur where it's believed Baba Budan first introduced coffee to India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidar district</span> District in Karnataka, India

Bidar district is the northernmost part of the Karnataka state in India. The administrative headquarters of district is Bidar city. Geographically, it resembles the "Crown of the State", occupying its northeastern end. It is bounded by Kamareddy and Sangareddy districts of Telangana state on the eastern side, Latur and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra state on the western side, Nanded district of Maharashtra state on the northern side and Kalaburagi district on the southern side.

Bangalore is situated in the southeast of the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is positioned at 12.97° N 77.56° E and covers an area of 2,190 square kilometres (850 sq mi). A landlocked city, Bangalore is located in the heart of the Mysore Plateau at an average elevation of 920 metres (3,020 ft). Bangalore district borders with Kolar and Chikkaballapur in the northeast, Tumkur in the northwest, and Mandya and Ramanagaram in the southeast.

The Mysore plateau, also known as the South Karnataka plateau, is a plateau that is one of the four geographically unique regions of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has many undulations and is bounded on the west and south by the Western Ghats. Most of the river Kaveri flows through Karnataka in the Mysore Plateau. The average elevation in the region is between 600 and 900 meters. The plateau covers the districts of Bangalore, Bangalore Rural, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Kodagu, Kolar, Mandya, Mysore and Tumkur.

<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.

Siruguppa is a town and headquarters of the Siruguppa taluk and second largest city in Ballari district after Hospete carved out of Ballari district of Indian state of Karnataka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Karnataka</span>

Karnataka, the sixth largest state in India, has been ranked as the third most popular state in the country for tourism in 2014. It is home to 507 of the 3600 centrally protected monuments in India, second only to Uttar Pradesh. The State Directorate of Archaeology and Museums protects an additional 752 monuments and another 25,000 monuments are yet to receive protection.

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

The word Maharashtra, the land of the mainly Marathi-speaking people, appears to be derived from Maharashtri, an old form of Prakrit. Some believe that the word indicates that it was the land of the Mahars and the Rattas, while others consider it to be a corruption of the term 'Maha Kantara', a synonym for 'Dandakaranya'. Maharashtra is the third largest state in India after Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. It covers an area of 307,713 km2 and is bordered by the states of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Telangana to the southeast, Karnataka to the south and Goa to the southwest. The state of Gujarat lies to the northwest, with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli sandwiched between the borders. Maharashtra has coastline of 720 km.The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtra's west coast. Maharashtra consists of two major relief divisions. The plateau is a part of the Deccan tableland and the Konkan coastal strip abutting on the Arabian Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Karnataka</span>

Karnataka, a state in South India has a well-developed transport system. Its capital city, Bengaluru is well-connected by air to domestic and international destinations and the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the city is one of the busiest airports in India. It was also the headquarters of the airlines Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines. The road transport is also well developed in the state with many National and State highways providing means for fast transportation. The headquarters of the South-Western Railway division of Indian Railways is located at Hubballi and this division governs most of the railway network in the state. Konkan Railway which passes along the coastal region of the state is considered one of the toughest engineering projects being undertaken in India till date. Buses, cars and trains are the means of transport for moving across distant places in Karnataka. For transportation within the city or town limits; motorbikes, cars, autorickshaws and buses are used. With the advent of low-cost airlines, many people are choosing to travel via air as well.

<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">Outline of Karnataka</span> Overview of and topical guide to Karnataka

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Karnataka:

The Electricity Supply Companies, also known as ESCOMs, are responsible for electric power distribution in state of Karnataka. Its origin was in Karnataka Electricity Board. This distribution entity was incorporated to provide efficient and reliable electric power supply to the people of Karnataka state

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devimane Ghat</span> Village and hill station in Malenadu, Karnataka, India

Devimane is a hill station and high-altitude village in Sirsi taluk of Malenadu region in Karnataka, India. The road to reach the village is named Devimane Ghat, and lies in NH 766E ultimately connecting Malenadu city Sirsi and Karavali town Kumta. Being under the lush forest zone in Uttara Kannada District, it consists of 10 hairpin curves with a well-engineered road that reduces the risk of accidents. The road's elevation ranges from 25 to 567 metres. A temple of Goddess Durga Devi is at the beginning of the road at elevation 429m. The ghat section was named after the temple, "Devimane", meaning "the home of goddess Devi". There are 5 hairpins curves between Devimane Temple and Sampakhanda.

References

  1. Bala Chauhan. "The coffee-flavoured hills beckon". Online Webpage of the Deccan Herald, dated 2006-01-22. © 2005, The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
  2. "Environment Database - Fish". Online Webpage of the Department of Ecology and Environment. Government of Karnataka. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
  3. "Karnataka Temperatures". Karnataka.com Website. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 20 July 2005.
  4. 1 2 Detailed description of the geology of Karnataka is provided byRamachandra TV and Kamakshi G. "Bioresource Potential of Karnataka" (PDF). Technical Report No. 109, November 2005. Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Retrieved 5 May 2007.
  5. 1 2 National Informatics Centre. "Traditional Soil Groups of Karnataka and their Geographic Distribution". Official Website of the Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Karnataka. Govt. of Karnataka. Archived from the original on 6 May 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
  6. "River Systems of Karnataka".
  7. "Karnataka Temperatures". Karnataka.com Website. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 20 July 2005.
  8. 1 2 3 Average Rainfall of the zones in Karnataka are mentioned by "Rainfall in different sub-divisions of the country during 1-1-2003 to 31-12-2003" (PDF). Online Webpage of Central Water Commission. Government of India. Retrieved 5 May 2007.
  9. Pushpa Narayan (20 October 2005). "October's rain highest in 49 yrs". Online Webpage of the Times of India, dated 2005-10-20. © 2007 Times Internet Limited. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
  10. "Rainfall Statistics for Kokalli (Ajjimane)" (PDF). DES Karnataka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  11. "Rainfall Statistics for Amagavi" (PDF). DES Karnataka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  12. "Rainfall Statistics for Mundrote" (PDF). DES Karnataka.
  13. "Rainfall Statistics for Agumbe and Hulikal" (PDF). DES karnataka.

Further reading