Coastal Plains in India

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coastal plains in India

Western Coastal Plains of India

It extends from Rann of Kutch in the north to Cape Comorin (Kanniyakumari).
Western coastal plains in India are an example of a submerged coastal plain.
Because of this submergence, it is a narrow belt with an average width of about 65 km
It provides natural conditions for the development of ports and harbors.
Kandla, Mazagaon, JLN port Navha Sheva, Marmagao, Mangalore, Cochin, etc. are some important natural ports located along the west coast.
Western coastal plains of India are narrow in the middle and get broader towards the north and south.
Rivers flowing through this coastal plain do not form any delta but a few estuaries.
The estuaries of the Narmada and the Tapi are important.

Kutch Coast is an extension of the Peninsular plateau (made of the Deccan Lava).
It is treated as part of the Western coastal plains of India as they are now levelled down.
The Kutch Peninsula was an island surrounded by seas and Kutch lagoons.
These seas and lagoons were later filled by sediment brought by the Indus River which used to flow through this area.
Lack of rains in recent times has turned it into an arid and semi-arid landscape.
Salt-soaked plain to the north of Kutch is the Great Rann.
Its southern continuation, known as the Little Rann lies on the coast and southeast of Kutch.
The Kathiawar Peninsula lies to the south of the Kutch.
The Gir Range is located in the southern part of the Kathiawar peninsula.
It is covered with dense forests and is famous as the home of the Gir lion.
Mt. Girnar (1,117 m) is the highest point and is of volcanic origin.

The Gujarat Plain lies east of Kutch and Kathiawar and slopes towards the west and south-west.
Formed by the rivers Narmada, Tapi, Mahi and Sabarmati
The plain includes the southern part of Gujarat and the coastal areas of the Gulf of Khambat.
The eastern part of this plain is fertile enough to support agriculture

The Konkan coast is located in the south of the Gujarat plain.
Konkan coast extends from Daman to Goa.
It is a 720 km long coastline.
This is the most submerged coastal plains of India.
Konkan coast has some features of marine erosion including cliffs, shoals, reefs and islands in the Arabian Sea.
The Thane creek around Mumbai is an important coastline of India which provides an excellent natural harbour.

Coast of Goa and Karnataka
It is the narrowest coastal plain with an average width of 8-25 km, the maximum being 70 km near Mangalore.
Sharavati river makes Gersoppa (Jog) Falls which is 271 m high.

The Kerala Plain is also known as the Malabar Plain.
Between Mangalore and Kanniyakumari.
It is a wider and low-lying plain.
The existence of lakes, lagoons, backwaters, spits, etc. is a significant characteristic of the Malabar coast.
The backwaters, locally known as kayals are the shallow lagoons
Largest among these is the Vembanad Lake
Every year the famous Nehru Trophy Vallamkali (boat race) is held in Punnamada Kayal in Kerala.

The Eastern coastline is extended from the Subarnarekha river along the West Bengal-Odisha border to Kanniyakumari.
The Eastern coastal plain of India is broader and is an example of an emergent coast.
There are well-developed deltas on the eastern coastline of India
Deltas formed by the rivers flowing eastward into the Bay of Bengal, include Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri
The Eastern coastline of India is emergent in nature and the continental shelf extends up to 500 km into the sea.
It makes it difficult for the development of good ports and harbours.
This plain is known as
- Northern Circars – Mahanadi to Krishna river
- Carnatic – Krishna to Cauvery river

The Utkal Plain comprises coastal areas of Odisha.
It includes the Mahanadi river delta.
The most prominent physiographic feature of this plain is Chilika Lake.
It is the biggest lake in the country and its area varies between 780 sq km in winter to 1,144 sq km in the monsoon months.

South of the Utkal Plain and extends up to Pulicat Lake.
Pulicat lake has been barred by a long sand spit known as Sriharikota Island
The two deltas of Godavari and Krishna have merged with each other and formed a single physiographic unit.
The combined delta has advanced by about 35 km toward the sea in recent years.
Kolleru Lake which was once a lagoon at the shore but now lies far inland.
This coastline of India lacks good harbours except for Vishakhapatnam and Machilipatnam.

Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu Plain stretches from Pulicat lake to Kanniyakumari.
Pulicat Lake is the 2nd largest brackish water lagoon in India.
The fertile soil and large-scale irrigation facilities have made the Cauvery delta (Thanjavur) the granary of South India.
Coromandel Coast or Payan Ghat plain stretches from Krishna delta to Kanyakumari

Large parts of the coastal plains in India are covered by fertile soils on which different crops are grown.
Coconut trees grow all along the coastline of India.
The entire length of the coastline of India is dotted with big and small ports which help in carrying out trade.
The sedimentary rocks of these plains are said to contain large deposits of mineral oil (KG Basin).
Sands of Malabar coast have large quantities of Monazite sand, which can be used for nuclear power.
Fishing is an important occupation of the people living in the coastal plains of India.
Low-lying areas of Gujarat are famous for producing salt.
Kerala’s backwaters are important tourist destinations.
Goa provides good beaches. This is also an important tourist destination.