Western Ghats And Eastern Ghats Flashcards
Western Ghats
● The Western Ghats stretch from the Tapti River to Kanyakumari, covering about 1600 km.
● In Maharashtra, they’re called Sahyadri hills; in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, they’re the Nilgiris; and in Kerala, they’re the Cardamom hills.
● These aren’t typical mountains. They formed when the land near the Arabian Sea went underwater long ago.
● The highest peak of Western Ghats is Anaimudi (2,695 m).
● Mahabaleshwar (1438m), Kalsubai (1646m) are the major peaks and Harishchandra is a mountain range of the Western Ghats.
● Kalsubai (1646m) is the highest peak in Maharashtra.
● The Western Ghats are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place with lots of different plants and animals.
● Kerala’s ‘Silent Valley National Park’ is part of the Western Ghats.
Eastern Ghats
● The Eastern Ghats range extending from Odisha to Tamil Nadu in India, is presently dissected by large rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri Mahanadi) into a discrete chain.
● The Erosion of Eastern Ghats is more as compared to Western Ghats.
● Malaygiri, Galikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Mahendragiri, Sinkram Gatta (Orissa) are the major mountain peaks of the Eastern Ghats.
● There are two hills parallel to the Eastern Ghats, in which the Velikonda range is called the Eastern Hills and the Palakonda range is called the Western Hills.
● One of the largest tiger reserves in India, the Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is located in the Nallamala Hills of the Eastern Ghats.
● Borra caves are located in the Ananthagiri Hills of Andhra Pradesh
West Coast Plain
● This plain is situated between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats.
● It extends from Surat in Gujarat to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
● The western coastal plain is widest in Gujarat and gradually decreases in width as it goes south, though it widens again near Kerala
West coastal plain are divided into 4 parts:-
Kathiawar coast
Konkan coast
Kannada coast
Malabar Coast
Kathiawar Coast
● This plain is also called the Coastal Plain of Saurashtra. The extension of this coast is in Gujarat.
● The world’s largest ship breaking yard Alang is situated on this coast.
● The Kandla (tidal) port is situated on this coast.
Konkan Coast
● It extends from Surat to Goa.
● Ports like Mumbai (natural port) and Nhava Sheva (also known as Jawaharlal Nehru port) are located on this coast.
Kannada Coast
● This plain extends from Goa to Mangalore.
● Coconut, betel nut and garam masala are cultivated in this coastal plain
Malabar Coast
● This coastal plain extends from Mangaluru to Kanyakumari.
● There is a large number of coastal lagoons, which are called ‘Kayal’.
● Kayal is also used for fishing, inland water transport as well as tourism.
● The ‘Nehru Trophy Vallamkali’ competition is organized every year at Punnamada Kayal in Kerala.
● Kochi (Queen of the Arabian Sea) and Thiruvananthapuram are major ports here
Eastern Coastal Plain
● The Eastern Coastal Plain is situated between the Bay of Bengal and the Eastern Ghats.
● The expansion of this plain is from Subarnarekha river to Kanyakumari.
● The width of the eastern coastal plain is greater than that of the western coastal plain.
● The eastern coastal plain is marked by deltas formed by the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri rivers
The Eastern Coastal Plain is Divided into three parts
Utkal Beach
North Sarkar Beach
Coromandel Coast
Utkal Beach
● The extension of this beach is wide from Subarnarekha river to Mahanadi.
● It includes the delta of the Mahanadi River, Brahmani River, Baitarani River. The most prominent physiographic feature of this plain is the Chilka Lake.
● Paradip and Kolkata (tidal) ports come under this coast.
North Sarkar Beach
● This beach extends from Mahanadi to the mouth of Krishna
river.
● Chilka Lake, Kolleru Lake and Visakhapatnam (best natural
harbour) come under port location
Coromandel Coast
● Coromandel Coast extends from Krishna River to Kanyakumari.
● The main feature of this coastal plain is that it receives rainfall from both the south-west monsoon and the north-east monsoon.
● Pulicat Lake comes under this coast. Tuticorin, Ennore (Natural Port), Chennai (Artificial Port) are located here.
Andaman Nicobar Islands
● There are 204 islands in the Bay of Bengal called Andaman and Nicobar islands.
● The Andaman & Nicobar islands extend from north to south in the Bay of Bengal.
● Port Blair is the capital of Andaman Nicobar Islands located in South Andaman. Here is the famous Cellular Jail, where India’s great freedom fighter V D Savarkar was kept.
● The 10 Degree channel has to be crossed while moving towards the mainland of India from Port Blair.
● The 10 degree channel separates the Andaman Islands from the Nicobar Islands.
● Andaman is a group of the following islands-
➔ North Andaman
➔ Middle Andaman
➔ South Andaman
➔ Little Andaman
● Saddle Peak (Palyan Shikhar) is the highest peak of the Andaman Islands located in North Andaman. Its height is 732 meters.
● Barren Island, An active volcano is located in the Andaman & Nicobar group of islands (Located east of Middle Andaman).
➔ Little Nicobar
➔ Great Nicobar
● Mount Thulier (642 m) is the highest peak of the Nicobar Islands.
● The Southernmost part of India is the ‘Indira Point’ is located in the South of Great Nicobar.
● Another name for Indira Point is Pygmalion Point.
● Jarawas, Onges, Sentenlese are the tribes who live in this islands.
● In December 2018, three islands of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ross Island, Neil Island and Havelock Island were renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Shaheed Island and Swaraj Island respectively
Lakshadweep Islands
● Lakshadweep is a group of 36 islands located in the Arabian Sea.
● Lakshadweep islands are located near Malabar Coast. They cover an area of 32 sq km.
● Kavaratti is the capital of Lakshadweep.
● These islands are formed by corals (Organic Rocks of micro-organism-organisms living in the sea have caves of limestone, After their deaths only their limestone shell remains, and a hard structure called Coral Reefs formed) and endowed with a variety of flora and fauna.
● ‘Andarat’ is the largest island of Lakshadweep.
● Southernmost Island of LAKSHADWEEP is MINICOY.
● The 8 degree channel separates Lakshadweep from Maldives.
● The 9 degree channel separates Minicoy from
Lakshadweep.
● The 10 degree channel separates the Andaman Islands from the Nicobar Islands.
