A coast is a region where the land meets the the sea.

The beautiful Indian coastline stretches around

peninsular India.

The Indian coastal plains are divided into:

The Western Coastal Plains

The Eastern Coastal Plains

The total length of India’s coastline is about 7,516km. Both the western and the eastern coastlines meet
at Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. Many seaside towns pm the two coastlines are popular
tourist destination. The ports along the coastlines are import ant for import and export, as well as inland
trade. Fishing is one of the main occupations along the coast.

The Wester Coastal Plain is a narrow strip of land between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.,
ranging from 50 to 100 km in width. It eextends from Gujarat in the north, running through Mharasthra,
Goa, down to Karnataka and Kerala. The Western Coastal Plains have many rivers and backwaters . The
rivers that originate in the Western Ghats are fast flowing, mostly non-perennial and end in estuaries.
The major rivers that flow into the sea here are the Tapi, Narmada, Mandovi and Ziuari.

The climate along the Western coast is hot and humid throughout the year. During the monsoon season,
the area receives heavy rainfall. The main crops that grow in this region are tobacco, sugarcane,
groundnuts, coconuts, rice and cashew nuts..

The western coastline is divided into the following:

The Gujarat Coast

The Kokan COAST Maharashtra, Goa and the northern parts of Karnatka

The Malabar Coast in Kerala

Notice on a map of India, hgow the Gujarat Coiast us tge briadesr between the Gulf of Kachchh and the
Gulf of Khambhat.

The Konkan Coast, which exte nds up to Goa , is uneven rocky and relatively narrow. Light housesline the
coastline to guide the ships along the rocky coast. It has rich reserves of natural oil and gas. The biggest
commmerical port on the swestern coast is Mumbai. There are many lagoon on the Malabar Coqast. The
lagoons or the backwaters of kerala are an important tourist . kochi is and important port on the
Malabar Coast.

The western coast has some of the best beaches, namely, Baga and calangute beaches in Goa, Devka
Beach in Daman, Kappad Beach near Calicut and the beaches in Kanyakumari.

The Eastern Coastal Plain is the area between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, starting from
West Bengal and Odisha, down to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The Eastern Coastal Plain is broader
than the western one.
The northern part of the coast consists mostly of the plains lying in the upper courses of the rivers,
knownas the Northern Circars.

The Southern part of the coastline consists of the deltas of rivers and is known as the Coroma ndel
Coast.

The eastern coast is a very fertile. There is plenty of water available for growing sugar cane and rice.
Jute, cotton and coconut are also grown in plenty.

Visakhapatnam and Chennai are the largest ports on the east coast.

The Bay of Bengal is rougher than the Arbian Sea and experience cyclones from time to time. Odisha
and its neighbouring states were hit by Cyclone Phailin on 12 October 2013. The western coast, by
comparison , is much calmer and does not experience rough weather as often.