The Coastal Plains – Structure and Physiography of India
India is a country on the coastal plains on the south-western fringe of Asia. The Indian subcontinent lies on a thin slice of land between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. On the basis of the location and active geomorphological processes, it can be broadly divided into two: fi) the western coastal plains: (ii) the eastern coastal plains.
The western coastal plains
The western coastal plains includes the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The region consists of three sections: the Northern part of the coast is called the Konkan, the central stretch is called the Kanara or the “Karavali”, while the southern stretch is referred to as the Malabar Coast.
It is believed that the city of Dwaraka which was once a part of the Indian mainland situated along the west coast is submerged under water.
Because of this submergence it is a narrow belt and provides natural conditions for the development of ports and harbours. Kandla, Mazagaon, JLN port Navha Sheva, Marmagao, Mangalore, Cochin, etc. are some of the important natural ports located along the west coast.
western coast may be divided into following divisions —1- the Kachchh and Kathiawar coast in Gujarat, 2- Konkan coast in Maharashtra, 3- Goan coast and Malabar coast in Karnataka and Kerala respectively. The rivers flowing through this coastal plain do not form any delta.
The Malabar coast has got certain distinguishing features in the form of Kayals (backwaters), which are used for fishing, inland navigation and also due to its special attraction for tourists. Every year the famous Nehru Trophy Vallamkali (boat race) is held in Punnamada Kayal in Kerala.
The eastern coastal plain
Is broader and is an example of an emergent coast. There are well- developed deltas here, formed by the rivers flowing eastward in to the Bay of Bengal. These include the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri.
Because of its emergent nature, it has less number of ports and harbours. (The continental shelf extends up to 500 km into the sea, which makes it difficult for the development of good ports and harbours.
It is locally known as Utkal Plains in the Northern part between Cossye and Rushikulya Rivers, Northern Circars in the Central part between Rushikulya and Krishna Rivers and, as Coromandel Coast in the Southern part from the south of river Krishna till the Southern tip of Mainland India at Cape Comorin where it merges with the Western coastal plains.