The Indian Desert, Coastal Plains and Islands

The Indian Desert

The Great Indian Desert is a rolling sandy plain filled with sand dunes, the majority of which are crescent-shaped sand dunes known as Barchans or longitudinal dunes. If the wind direction changes, seif dunes are said to form from barchans. The average annual rainfall in this area is less than 150 mm.

During the rainy season, certain streams form, but since they do not contain enough water to reach the sea, they gradually dissolve under the sand. The river Luni, which is a big river, is the lone exception. The plateau is bounded by thin coastal strips beyond the Western and Eastern Ghats. The western stretch parallels the Arabian Sea, while the eastern strip parallels the Bay of Bengal.

It’s in the Aravali Mountains’ northwest corner. During the Mesozoic era, this area was submerged.This theory supports evidence from the Akal Wood Fossil Park and marine deposits near Brahmsar, near Jaisalmer.The desert environment is characterised by mushroom rocks, shifting dunes and an oasis (mostly in its southern part).The desert can be separated into two parts based on their orientation:In the north, the slopes lead to Sindh.Slopes heading south to the Rann of Kachchh.The bulk of rivers is ephemeral.The Luni River, which flows across the southern portions of the desert, is notable.By linking to a lake or playa, this area exhibits inland drainage.Brackish water, which can be found in lakes and playas, is the principal source of salt.

The Eastern Coastal Plains

From West Bengal in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south, the eastern coastal plains pass through Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The East Coast is divided into three categories once more:

The Utkal coast, which runs between Chilika Lake and Kolleru Lake, is much wider than the western coastal plains and receives a lot of rain. Rice, coconut, and banana are just a few of the crops grown here.The Andhra coast, which runs between Kolleru Lake and Pulicat Lake, serves as a basin for the Krishna and Godavari rivers.

In Tamil Nadu, the Coromandel coast stretches from Pulicat Lake to Kanyakumari. Due to the north-east monsoons, this Indian coastline remains dry in the summer and receives rainfall during the winter.

The Western Coastal Plains

It’s a partially submerged coastal plain.

Due to submergence, it forms a narrow band that gives ideal conditions for the construction of ports and harbors such as Kandla, Mazagaon, JLN port Navha Sheva, Marmagao, Mangalore and Cochin.

It is divided into the following subsections:Gujarat’s Kutch and Kathiawar beaches.The Konkan coast of Maharashtra.

The Goan and Malabar coasts are located in Karnataka and Kerala, respectively.They start narrow and gradually widen as they travel north and south.The Malabar coast has distinct characteristics, such as ‘Kayals’ (backwaters) used for fishing and internal transit.The legendary Nehru Trophy Vallamkali (boat race) is held every year in Punnamada Kayal, Kerala.

The Malabar Coast is separated into three sections: Konkan, Kannad Plain, and Malabar Coast.The eastern coast, which extends along the Bay of Bengal, features large and flat areas with various local names. People in the north refer to this coastal region as the Northern Circars, while those in the south refer to it as the Coromandel Coast.Large rivers such as the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri create a broad delta on the eastern coast. The eastern coast’s Lake Chilika is claimed to be India’s biggest salt water lake. It lies in the Indian state of Orissa, south of the Mahanadi delta.

The Islands of the Arabian Sea:

It includes Lakshadweep and Minicoy.

Between 8°N and 12°N latitude and 71°E and 74°E longitude, they can be found.Between 280 and 480 kilometres off the coast of Kerala, several islands can be found.Coral deposits cover the entire collection of islands.There are 36 islands, with 11 of them being inhabited.With 453 square kilometres, Minicoy is the largest island.The Ten-degree canal splits the entire islands, with Amini island to the north and Cannanore island to the south. Storm beaches composed of unconsolidated pebbles, shingles, cobbles and boulders can be found on the archipelago’s eastern seaboard islands.The nation is divided into two sets of islands or archipelagos: the Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Lakshadweep islands

The Lakshadweep Islands are made up of tiny coral islands. Coral polyps are small aquatic animals that live for a brief time. Coral reefs are made up of a hard rock-like secretion secreted by coral polyps and their skeletons.

Reefs are classified into three types: barrier reefs, fringing reefs, and atolls.

A barrier reef is one that is isolated from a mainland or island coast by a deep lagoon, such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. An atoll is a ring-shaped barrier reef. There is no centre island, and the reef wraps around the lagoon in the shape of a horseshoe. A fringe reef is one that is immediately connected to the beach. The Lakshadweep Islands were once known as Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindive. 

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a lengthy series of islands in the Bay of Bengal that extends from north to south. The whole collection of islands is separated into two groups: the northern islands are known as the Andaman, while the southern islands are known as the Nicobar. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are home to India’s only active volcano, which is situated on Barren Island.