the coastal plains

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• The Indian peninsular plateau is surrounded by narrow coastal plains of varying width running north to south.
• These coastal plains are called the Western Coastal Plains and the Eastern Coastal Plains.
• These coastal plains were formed by the actions of rivers, sea waves through erosion and deposition.
  Indian coastal plains can be divided into two major divisions:

1. Western Coastal Plain
2. Eastern Coastal Plain

Western Coastal Plain:

• The Western Coastal Plain lies between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
• It extends from Rann of Kutch in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, with a width ranging from 10 km to 80 km.
• This plain features landscapes such as sandy beaches, coastal sand dunes, estuaries, lagoons, residual hills, and gravel ridges.
• The northern part of the western coast is called the Konkan Coast, and the central part is called the Kanara Coast.
• The southern part, known as the Malabar Coast, is 20-100 km wide and 550 km long.
• Shallow lagoons, backwaters, and terraces are found in this coastal area.
• Vembanad Lake is an important lake in this region.

Eastern Coastal Plain:

• The Eastern Coastal Plain lies between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, extending across West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
• This plain is formed by sedimentary deposits from east-flowing rivers.
• It has a well-defined coastline formed by new alluvial deposits.
• The area between Mahanadi and Krishna rivers is called Northern Circars, and the area between Krishna and Cauvery rivers is called the Coromandel Coast.
• Marina Beach in Chennai is the second-largest beach in the world.
• Chilika Lake, southwest of the Mahanadi Delta, is India’s largest lagoon.
• Kolleru Lake is located between the Godavari and Krishna rivers.
• Pulicat Lake is situated on the border of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
• These are the major lakes found in the Eastern Coastal Plain.