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THE
COASTAL
PLAINS
THE COASTAL PLAINS

Coastal plains are
characterized by an
area of flat low lying
land that is situated
adjacent to a water
body often a sea or
ocean. It is also of
note that coastal
plains are separated
from the interior of the
larger land mass by
other unique features.
THE COASTAL PLAINS

The total coast line of India is around 4500 km.
THE COASTAL PLAINS

The great peninsular plateau is flanked by narrow
coastal strips on both the western and the eastern
sides along the Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal
respectively. They are known as the coastal plains
THE COASTAL PLAINS
The Coastal Plains
Western coastal plains
Eastern coastal plains
THE COASTAL PLAINS
Western coastal plains :
The western coastal plains consist of a narrow strip
of land in the western part of India between the
Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
The Western Coastal Plains



They extend from Gujarat in the north to the south in
Kerala.
It is a narrow plain whose width varies from 50 to 80 km.
The western coastal plains are smaller than the eastern
coastal plains and the region is divided into four parts.
1) Gujarat coastal plains.
2) Konkan coastal plains.
3) Kannad coastal plains.
4) Malabar coastal plains.
The Western Coastal Plains
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
Numerous rivers and backwaters inundate the region.
Originating in the Western Ghats, the rivers are fast-flowing
and mostly perennial, leading to the formation of estuaries.
Major rivers flowing into the sea are the Tapi, Narmada,
Mandovi and Zuari.
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water
with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and
with a free connection to the open sea.
The Western Coastal Plains

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The western coastal plains are characterized by numerous
backwaters or lagoons.
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water
separated from the sea by some form of barrier.
The storm activity here is considerably less than on the
eastern coastal plains.
THE COASTAL PLAINS
The Eastern Coastal Plains :The Eastern Coastal Plain is a wide stretch of land lying
between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal.
The Eastern Coastal Plains



It stretches from Tamil Nadu in the south to West
Bengal in the north.
The width of the plains varies between 100 and 130 km.
The eastern coastal plains are wider and leveled than the
western coastal plains and the region is divided into two
parts.
1) The Northern Circa.
2) The Coromandel Coast.
The Eastern Coastal Plains
1) The Northern Circar.
The region between the
Mahanadi river and the
Krishna river.
2) Coromandel Coast.
The region between the
Krishna river and the
Kavery river.
The Eastern Coastal Plains


Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the
Krishna and the Kavery have formed extensive delta on
this coast. Lake Chilika is an important feature along the
eastern coast. It is the largest salt water lake in India.
A delta is a low triangular landform
of alluvial deposits at the mouth of a
river where that river flows into an
ocean or a large body of water.