THE INDIAN COASTAL PLAINS

THE COASTAL PLAINS OF INDIA:

The Peninsular plateau is flanked by stretch of narrow coastal strips, running along the Arabian sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east. There are two coast can be seen across the western and eastern regions of India:

1.THE WESTERN COAST OF INDIA:

• The Western Coastal Plains is a thin strip of coastal plain 50 kilometres (31 mi) in width between the west coast of India and the Western Ghats hills, which starts near the south of river Tapi.
• The Western Coast, sandwiched between Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, is a narrow plain. 
• The plains begin at Gujarat in the north and end at Kerala in the south. It also includes the states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.
• It consists of three sections: 

1. The northern part of the coast is called the Konkan(Mumbai-Goa),
2. The central stretch is called the Kannad Plain 
3. The southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar Coast.

• On its northern side there are two gulfs: the Gulf of Khambhat and the Gulf of Kachchh.The rivers here end up forming estuaries and therefore it is ideal for pisciculture.

2.THE EASTERN COAST OF INDIA:

• The plain along the Bay of Bengal are wide and level.
• In the Northern part,it is referred to northern Circar between Mahanadi and Krishna rivers and Coromandel Coast in the southern part between Krishna and Kaveri rivers. 
• The Southern part is known as the Coromandel Coast. Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri have formed extensive Delta on this coast. 
• Lake Chilka is an important feature along the Eastern Coast.
• The Chilka lake is the largest saltwater lake in India. It lies in the state of Orissa, to the south of The Mahanadi River.
• The region receives both the Northeast & Southwest monsoon rains with its annual rainfall averaging between 1,000 mm CIRCAR(40 in) and 3,000 mm (120 in). The width of the plains varies between 100 to 130 km (62 to 80 miles).