Western Ghats From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Sahyadri" redirects here. For other uses, see Sahyadri (disambiguation). Western Ghats Sahyadri सहहदररद Western Ghats as seen from Gobichettipalayam, Tamil Nadu Highest point Peak Anamudi (Eravikulam National Park) Elevation 2,695 m (8,842 ft) Coordinates 10°10′N 77°04′E Coordinates: 10°10′N 77°04′E Dimensions Length 1,600 km (990 mi) N–S Width 100 km (62 mi) E–W Area 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) Geography The Western Ghats lie roughly parallel to the west coast of India Country India States List[show] Settlements List[show] Biome Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Geology Period Cenozoic Type of rock Basalt and Laterite UNESCO World Heritage Site Official name: Natural Properties - Western Ghats (India) Type Natural Criteria ix, x Designated 2012 (36th session) Reference no. 1342 State Party India Region Indian subcontinent The Western Ghats are a mountain range that runs almost parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, located entirely in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight "hottest hotspots" of biological diversity in the world.[1][2] It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India.[3] The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain, called Konkan, along the Arabian Sea. A total of thirty nine properties including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests were designated as world heritage sites - twenty in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.[4][5] The range starts near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, south of the Tapti river, and runs approximately 1,600 km (990 mi) through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu ending at Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of India. These hills cover 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) and form the catchment area for complex riverine drainage systems that drain almost 40% of India. The Western Ghats block southwest monsoon winds from reaching the Deccan Plateau.[6] The average elevation is around 1,200 m (3,900 ft).[7] The area is one of the world's ten "Hottest biodiversity hotspots" and has over 7,400 species of flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species, 179 amphibian species and 288 freshwater fish species; it is likely that many undiscovered species live in the Western Ghats. At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats.[8][9][10] Contents 1 Significance of Western Ghats 2 Geology 3 Mountain ranges o 3.1 Sahyadhris o 3.2 Nilgiris o 3.3 Anaimalai Hills 4 Peaks 5 Lakes and reservoirs 6 Rivers 7 Climate 8 Ecoregions 9 Biodiversity protection 10 UNESCO World Heritage Site 11 Fauna 12 Flora 13 Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel 14 See also 15 Notes 16 References 17 External links Significance of Western Ghats Western Ghats is one of the 33 recognised ecologically sensitive zones in the World. India has four such sensitive zones. They are the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas, the Himalayan Range between Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh and the Andaman Islands. The Andamans along with the islands of Malaysia are an important sensitive zone. The significance of the Western Ghats is that along with its rich biodiversity, it also supports a rich environment-dependant civilisation of several thousand years. Geology The Western Ghats are the mountainous faulted and eroded edge of the Deccan Plateau. Geologic evidence indicates that they were formed during the break-up of the supercontinent of Gondwana some 150 million years ago. Geophysical evidence indicates that the west coast of India came into being somewhere around 100 to 80 mya after it broke away from Madagascar. After the break-up, the western coast of India would have appeared as an abrupt cliff some 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation.[11] Basalt is the predominant rock found in the hills reaching a thickness of 3 km (2 mi). Other rock types found are charnockites, granite gneiss, khondalites, leptynites, metamorphic gneisses with detached occurrences of crystalline limestone, iron ore, dolerites and anorthosites. Residual laterite and bauxite ores are also found in the southern hills. Mountain ranges A view of Anamudi, the highest peak of the Western Ghats 2,695 metres (8,842 ft) from Eravikulam National Park, Kerala. The Western Ghats extend from the Satpura Range in the north, go south past Maharashtra, Goa, through Karnataka and into Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Major gaps in the range are the Goa Gap, between the Maharashtra and Karnataka sections, and the Palghat Gap on the Tamil Nadu and Kerala border between the Nilgiri Hills and the Anaimalai Hills. The mountains intercept the rain-bearing westerly monsoon winds, and are consequently an area of high rainfall, particularly on their western side. The dense forests also contribute to the precipitation of the area by acting as a substrate for condensation of moist rising orographic winds from the sea, and releasing much of the moisture back into the air via transpiration, allowing it to later condense and fall again as rain. The northern portion of the narrow coastal plain between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea is known as the Konkan Coast or simply Konkan, the central portion is called Kanara and the southern portion is called Malabar region or the Malabar Coast. The foothill region east of the Ghats in Maharashtra is known as Desh, while the eastern foothills of the central Karnataka state is known as Malenadu.[12] The largest city within the mountains is the city of Pune (Poona), in the Desh region on the eastern edge of the range. The Biligirirangan Hills lie at the confluence of the Western and Eastern Ghats. Sahyadhris The major hill range starting from the north is the Sahyadhri (the benevolent mountains) range. This range is home to many hill stations, including Matheran, Lonavala-Khandala, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Amboli Ghat, Kudremukh and Kodagu. The range is known as Sahyadri in Maharashtra and Karnataka and as Sahya Parvatam in Kerala. Nilgiris The Nilgiri mountains are in northwestern Tamil Nadu and are home to the town of Ooty. The Bili giri rangana Betta southeast of Mysore in Karnataka, meet the Shevaroys (Servarayan range) and Tirumala range farther east, linking the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats. Anaimalai Hills South of the Palghat Gap are the Anaimalai Hills, located in western Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Smaller ranges are further south, including the Cardamom Hills. In the southern part of the range is Anamudi peak 2,695 metres (8,842 ft) in Kerala the highest peak in Western Ghats. Chembra Peak 2,100 metres (6,890 ft), Banasura Peak 2,073 metres (6,801 ft), Vellarimala 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) and Agasthya mala 1,868 metres (6,129 ft) are also in Kerala. Doddabetta in the Nilgiri Hills is 2,637 metres (8,652 ft). Mullayanagiri is the highest peak in Karnataka 1,950 metres (6,398 ft). The Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu is home to many tea and coffee plantations. Shola Grasslands and forests in the Kudremukh National Park, Western Ghats, Karnataka. Poomparai village in the foothills of Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. Peaks Following is a list of some of the highest peaks of the Western Ghats: Elevation Rank Name Location (m) 01. Anamudi 2695 Eravikulam National Park, Kerala 02. Meesapulimala 2640 Eravikulam National Park, Kerala 03. Doddabetta 2637 Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu 04. Kolaribetta 2629 Mukurthi National Park, Tamil Nadu 05. Mukurthi 2554 Mukurthi National Park, Tamil Nadu Palani Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, 06. Vandaravu Peak 2553 Tamil Nadu 07. Kattumala 2552 [13] Eravikulam National Park, Kerala 08. Anginda peak 2383 Silent Valley National Park, Kerala 09. Vavul Mala 2339 [14] Vellarimala, Kerala 10. Kodaikanal 2133 Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu 11. Chembra Peak 2100 Wayanad, Kerala 12. Elivai Mala 2088 [15] Palakkad, Kerala 13. Banasura Peak 2073 Wayanad, Kerala 14. Kottamala 2019 Periyar National Park, Kerala 15. Mullayanagiri 1930 Chikmagalur, Karnataka 16. Devarmala 1923 Achenkovil, Kerala 17. Baba Budangiri 1895 Chikmagalur, Karnataka 18. Kudremukh 1894 Chikmagalur, Karnataka 19. Agasthyamala 1868 Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 20. Biligiriranga Hills 1800 Chamarajanagar, Karnataka 21. Velliangiri Mountains 1778[16] Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 22. Tadiandamol 1748 Kodagu, Karnataka 23. Kumara Parvata 1712 Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka 24. Pushpagiri 1712 Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka 25. Kalsubai 1648 Ahmednagar, Maharashtra 26. Brahmagiri 1608 Kodagu, Karnataka 27. Salher 1567 Nashik, Maharashtra 28. Madikeri 1525 Kodagu, Karnataka Himavad Gopalaswamy 29. 1450 Chamarajanagar, Karnataka Betta 30. Torna Fort 1405 Pune, Maharashtra 31. Purandar fort 1387 Pune, Maharashtra 32. Raigad fort 1346 Raigad, Maharashtra 33. Kodachadri 1343 Shimoga, Karnataka. 34. Paital Mala 1343 Kudiyanmala, Kerala 35. Kote Betta 1620 Kodagu, Karnataka Lakes and reservoirs View from Varandha Pass showing the numerous waterfalls As seen from Silent Valley National Park, Palghat The Western Ghats have several manmade lakes and reservoirs. The well known lakes are the Ooty (2500 m altitude, 34.0 ha) in Nilgiris, and the Kodaikanal (2285 m, 26 ha) and the Berijam in the Palani Hills. The Pookode lake of Wayanad in Kerala at Lakkadi is a beautiful scenic one with boating and garden arrangements. Most of the bigger lakes are situated in the state of Tamil Nadu. Two smaller lakes, the Devikulam (6.0 ha) and the Letchmi Elephant (2.0 ha) are in the Munnar range. The majority of streams draining the Western Ghats are joining the rivers Krishna and Kaveri carry water during monsoon months only and have been dammed for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes. The major reservoirs are: Lonavala and Walwahn in Maharashtra; V.V.