In India, there are coastal plains on both the sides of Deccan Plateau. The formation of both the coastal plains has been done either by the rising up of the coastal pasts above the sea level or by the deposit of sand brought by the rivers.
The coastal plains of India are divided into two parts:
1. Western Coastal Plains: This is a strip of coastal plain 50 km in width spread from the Gulf of Khambat up to Cape Comorin between the west coast of India and the Western ghats hills, which starts near the south of Tapti River. The rivers along the coast form estuaries and provide ideal conditions for Pisciculture.
The Plains begin from Gujarat in the north and from Kerala in the south. It also includes the states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. It consists of three sections. The Northern Part of the coast is called Konkan coast. The central stretch is called Kannada Plain, while the southern stretch is reffered to as the Malabar Coast. On its northern side, there are two gulfs – Gulf of Khambat and Gulf of Kutch.
2. Eastern Coastal Plains: It refers to the wide stretch of landmass of India, lying between the Eastern Ghats and Bay of Bengal. These plains are wider and leveled as compared to the western coastal plains. It stretches from Tamil Nadu in the south up to Bengal in the north. Lake Chilka is an important feature along the eastern coast. Deltas of many of Indian rivers form a major portion of these plains. The Mahanadi, Godavari, and Krishna rivers drain these plains.
The region receives both the North – eastern and south – west monsoon rains with annual rainfall averaging from 100 cm to 300 cm. The width of the plains varies between 100 to 130 km. It is locally known as Northern Circar Coast in the northern part Between Mahanadi and Krishna rivers and between Krishna and Kaveri Rivers there is Coromandel Coast.
