Western Ghats

The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri, is a mountain range that stretches 1,600 km (1,000 mi) along the west coast of India. Covering an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 mi2), it traverses the Indian states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. The range forms an almost continuous chain of mountains along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, from the Tapti River to Swamithoppe in Kanyakumari district at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. The Western Ghats meet with the Eastern Ghats at Nilgiris before continuing south. Geologic evidence indicates that the mountains were formed during the break-up of the supercontinent of Gondwana. The mountains arose along the west coast of India somewhere in the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods when India separated from the African continent. The mountains can be roughly divided into three parts: the northern section with an elevation ranging from 900–1,500 m (3,000–4,900 ft), the middle section starting south of Goa with a lower elevation of less than 900 m (3,000 ft), and the southern section where the altitude rises again. The Western Ghats have several peaks that rise above 2,000 m (6,600 ft), with Anamudi (2,695 m (8,842 ft)) being the highest peak. The average elevation is around 1,200 m (3,900 ft). The Western Ghats form one of the major watersheds of India, feeding many perennial river systems that drain almost 40% of the land area of the country. Because of the higher elevation of the Deccan Plateau on the west, most rivers flow eastwards towards the Bay of Bengal, resulting in chiselled eastern slopes and steeper western slopes facing the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats play an important role in determining the climate and seasons in India. They block the rain-bearing monsoon winds flowing eastward from the...