Coastal Plains in India

• Key concept: Coastal Plains in India • Essential for UPSC CSE Prelims, State PSCs, SSC CGL & Railway exams. • Comprehensive analytical coverage and factual pointers provided below.

coastal plains in India

• The coastline of India is about 7517 Km long.
• 6100 km of mainland coastline and 1417 km of Indian islands.
• 13 States and UTs have coastal plains in India
• The coastline of the India States & UTs wise:
  • Gujarat – 1215 Km
  • Andhra Pradesh – 974Km
  • Tamil Nadu – 907 Km
  • Maharashtra – 652.6 Km
  • Kerala – 569.7 Km
  • Odisha – 476.4 Km
  • Karnataka – 280 Km
  • Goa (with Daman & Diu) – 160.5 Km
  • West Bengal – 157.5 Km
  • Puducherry – 30.6 Km (UT)

Western Coastline of India

• Kutch and Kathiawar coast
• Gujarat Plain
• Konkan coast
• Goan coast
• Malabar coast

Eastern Coastline of India

• Utkal Plain
• Andhra Plain
• Coromandel Coast

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 & Kathiawar Coast

• 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.

Gujarat Plain

• 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

Konkan Coast

• 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.

Goan Coast

• 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.

Malabar Coast

• 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.

Eastern Coastal Plains of India

• 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

Utkal Plain

• 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.

Andhra Plain

• 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

• 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

Significance of the Coastal Plains in India

• 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.

Some Important Beaches

• Marina, TN – The longest beach in India
• Kovalam, Kerala – Monazite and Limonite found here
• Girgaum Chowpatti, MH – Famous for Ganesh Chaturthi
• Alappuzha, Kerala – Venice of the East