Western Coastal Plains are divided into Four Parts
A. Kathiawar and Kutch Coast:
The Kutch Peninsula was an island surrounded by oceans and lagoons. The material brought by the Indus River, which used to flow through this area, filled these seas and lagoons and formed it as an integral part of coastal plains. To the south of the Kutch is the Kathiawar Peninsula, which is home to Gir range. It is famous for the Gir lion and is surrounded by lush forests. The Tapti, Narmada, Sabarmati, and Mahi rivers all deposit large amounts of sediment in the Gulf of Cambay, forming estuaries. Kutch region is famous for the large scale production of salt.
B. Konkan Coast:
Konkan plains lie between Daman and Goa. It is a rocky and uneven terrain and encompasses the southern beaches of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. Kashid beach, Murud beach, Juhu beach, Versova beach, Manori beach, Alibaug beach, and Harihareshwar beach are most prominent Konkan beaches. The Konkan coast is home to India’s major oil fields, Mumbai High oilfield located 170 km away from the Konkan Coast.
C. Kannada Coast:
Kannada coast runs between Madgaon and Mangalore. The plain is narrow, with a maximum width of 70 km near Mangalore, and an average width of 30-50 km. Streams that originate in the Western Ghats sometimes down steep hillsides and form waterfalls. The Sharavati creates a magnificent waterfall known as Jog Falls, which is 271 meters high.
D. Malabar Coast:
The Malabar coast is the southernmost section of India’s western coastal lowlands and runs between Mangalore and Kanyakumari. It is more than 500 km long and has a breadth ranging from 40 to 80 km. The Kerala Coast is known for its lakes, backwaters, lagoons, spits, and other natural features. The Vembanad Lake in Kerala is India’s longest lake and located on the Kerala coast. Ashtamudi lake and Sasthamcotta lake are the other two popular lakes.
Western And Eastern Coastal Plains Of India
India is surrounded by water on three sides with a total sea boundary of 7516 km, including both mainland and island coastline. From the Rann of Kutch in the west to West Bengal in the east, the mainland coastline stretches for around 6,150 km. Nine states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal) and four union territories (Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands) make up India’s coastline. The Arabian Sea runs along the western coastal plains, while the Bay of Bengal runs parallel to the eastern coastal plains. Western coastal plains are submerged plains and provide ideal conditions for the development of ports and harbors while Eastern coastal plains are emerged plains forming long continental shelves which are not suitable for the formation of harbors. At Kanyakumari, the western and eastern coastal plains meet with each other.