Page 306 - New Medley 4 Semester 1

The Western Coastal Plain can be divided into three parts. The extreme northern

part is called the Gujarat Coast. It has a chain of saline marshes near the coast.
The middle part is called the Konkan Coast. It extends up to Goa and has a

number of sand beaches. The southern part is called the Malabar Coast. It lies
mostly in Karnataka and Kerala.

Most of the rivers coming from the Western Ghats are short and swift. The

Malabar Coast in Kerala is well-known for lagoons or backwaters. These are
locally called kayals. The Vembanad Lake is the largest among them. The lagoons
are saltwater lakes, mostly lying parallel to the coast. The Western Coastal Plain

has many beaches.

The Eastern Coastal Plain

The Eastern Coastal Plain extends from West Bengal in the north to Kanniyakumari

in the south. It is wider than the Western Coastal Plain.

The Eastern Coastal Plain is formed by the alluvium brought by the Mahanadi,
the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers. The northern part along West

Bengal and Odisha is called the Northern Circars. The southern part along the
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is called the Coromandel Coast.

The rivers have formed large deltas along the Eastern Coastal Plain. This region
is very fertile.

Importance of Coastal Plains

The coastal plains have rich fertile soil. The main crop is rice and coconut
plantation. Many ports have developed along the coastal areas. The main ports

along the west coast are Kandla, Mumbai, Marmagao, Mangaluru and Kochi,
and along the eastern coast are Tuticorin, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Paradeep

and Kolkata. The marshy areas along the Gujarat coast produce common salt.
Fishing is very important here. The Western and the Eastern Coastal Plains are

spread over the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. The Union Territories of Daman and Diu and

Puducherry are also along the coastal plains.

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