Eastern Coastal Plains

The Eastern Coastal Plains refer to a wide stretch of landmass of India, lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. It stretches from Tamil Nadu in the south to West Bengal in the north. Its average width is 120 km.

Deltas of many of India's rivers form a major portion of these plains. The Mahanadi, Godavari, Kaveri and Krishna rivers drain these plains. The region receives both the Northeast and Southwest monsoon rains with its annual rainfall averaging between 1,000 mm (40 in) and 3,000 mm (120 in). The width of the plains varies between 100 to 130 km (62 to 80 miles) ^[1].

It is locally known as Northern Circars between Mahanadi and Krishna rivers and Carnatic between Krishna and Kaveri rivers.

Divisions

It has three broad divisions:-

(i) Utkal Plains:- It is the coastal track of Orissa and includes Mahanadi delta. Most prominent feature is Chilka Lake to the south of Mahanadi Delta. It is the largest lake in India.

(ii) Andhra Plains:- It extends from Utkal Plains in the North of the Pulicat Lake in south (Sriharikota Island is in this lake). Its most important feature is the delta formation of R. Godavari and R. Kaveri. It also has Lakana Lake.

(iii) Tamil Nadu Plains:- It extends from Pulicat Lake to Kanyakumari. Most important feature is Kaveri delta whose fertile soil and irrigation facilities make it a granary of South India where rice is the major crop.

These plains can also be divided into seven regions: The Mahanadi delta; the southern Andhra Pradesh plain; the Krishna Godavari deltas; lier coast; Coromandel Coast and Sandy littoral.

See also

• Western Coastal Plains