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Encyclopedia > Geography of Karnataka

The State of Karnataka is located within 11.5 degree North and 18.5 degree North latitudes and 74 degree East and 78.5 degree east longitude. It is situated on a tableland where the Western and Eastern Ghat ranges converge into the Nilgiri hill complex, in the Western part of the Deccan Peninsular region of India. The State is bounded by Maharastra and Goa States in the North and North-West; by the Arabian Sea in the West; by Kerala and Tamilnadu States in the South and by the States of Andhra Pradesh in the East. Karnataka extends to about 750 km from North to South and about 400 km from East to West.


Karnataka is situated in the Deccan Plateau and is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the east and southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. It is situated at the angle where the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of South India converge into the Nilgiri Hills. Map of the Arabian Sea. ... Goa   (Konkani: गोंय goṃya; Marathi: गोवा govā; Portuguese: Goa) is Indias smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population (after Sikkim, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh). ... Maharashtra   (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र , English: , IPA: ) is Indias third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. ... Andhra Pradesh  : (Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్, Urdu: آندھرا پردیش, IPA: ), is a state in southern India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... The Agasthiyamalai range of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India. ... The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains, eroded and cut through by the four major rivers of southern India, the Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri. ... Map of The Nilgiris district The Nilgiris or Blue Mountains are a range of mountains and a district in the south-Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. ...

Contents

Landforms of Karnataka

The state has three principal physical zones;

  • The coastal strip, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, which is lowland, with moderate to high rainfall levels. This strip is around 320 km in length and 48-64 km wide.
  • The Western Ghats, a mountain range inland from the Arabian Sea, rising to about 900 m average height, and with moderate to high rainfall levels.
  • The Deccan Plateau, comprising the main inland region of the state, which is drier and verging on the semi-arid. The humidity in these plains or maidans never exceeds 50%.

Karnataka has one of the highest average elevations of Indian states at 1,500 feet. The highest recorded temperature was 45.6 C (114.08 F) at Raichur on May 23, 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 C (37.04 F) at Bidar on December 16, 1918.[1] The Agasthiyamalai range of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India. ... The Agasthiyamalai range of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India. ... The Deccan Plateau is a vast plateau in India, encompassing most of Central and Southern India. ... Image:NONE Monte Roraima In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat rural area. ... Raichur, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, is the capital of the Raichur district, an administrative district in the state of Karnataka (formerly Mysore) in India. ... Bidar is a city in Karnataka state, India. ...


Area and population

Karnataka has a total land area of 1,91,791 sq.km and accounts for 5.83 percent of the total area of the country(measured at 32.88 lakh sq.km). This puts it in eighth place in terms of size. With a population of 527 lakhs, it occupies ninth place in terms of population. The population density which stands at 275 persons per sq.km is considerably lower than the all-India average of 324.


Mineral resources

Karnataka is rich in its mineral wealth which is distributed fairly evenly across the state. Karnataka's Geological Survey department started in 1880 is one of the oldest in the country. Rich deposits of asbestos, bauxite, chromite, dolomite, gold, iron ore, kaolin, limestone, magnesite, Manganese, ochre, quartz and silica sand are found in the state. Karnataka is also a major producer of felsite, moulding sand (63%) and fuchsite quartzite (57%) in the country.


Karnataka has two major centers of gold mining in the state at Kolar and Raichur. These mines produce about 3000 kg of gold per annum which accounts for almost 84% of the country's production. Karnataka has very rich deposits of high grade iron and manganese ores to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes. Most of the iron ores are concentrated around the Bellary-Hospet region. Karnataka with a granite rock spread of over 4200 Sq.kms is also famous for its Ornamental Granites with different hues.


Geology

The common types of soil groups found in Karnataka are:[2]

  • Red soils: Red gravelly loam soil, Red loam soil, Red gravelly clay soil, Red clay soil
  • Lateritic soils: Lateritic gravelly soil, Lateritic soil
  • Black soils: Deep black soil, Medium deep black soil, Shallow black soil
  • Alluvio-Colluvial Soils: Non-saline, saline and sodic
  • Forest soils: Brown forest soil
  • Coastal soils: Coastal laterite soil, Coastal alluvial soil

Laterite is a red-colored clay rich soil found in the tropics and subtropics. ... Chernozem, or Black Earth (from Russian: ), is a kind of soil. ...

Water Resources

See also: Rivers of Karnataka

With a surface water potential of about 1.02 lakh million cubic meters (Mcum), Karnataka accounts for about six percent of the country's surface water resources. Around 60% of this is provided by the by the west flowing rivers while the remaining comes from the east flowing rivers. There are seven river basins in all formed by the Godavari, Cauvery, Krishna, the West flowing rivers, South Pennar, & Palar.


Climate

Meteorologically, the State can be divided into three divisions namely (a) Coastal Karnataka (Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada Districts), (b) North Interior Karnataka (Belgaum Bidar, Bijapur, Dharwad, Gulbarga and Raichur Districts) and (c) South Interior Karnataka (the remaining Districts of Bangalore Rural, Bangalore, Bellary, Chikmagalur, Chitradurga, Kodagu, Hassan, Kolar, Mysore, Mandya, Shimoga and Tumkur Districts).


The State experiences three distinct climates. The year starts with a spell of winter in January and Febraury followed by about four months of summer until June. The months April and May are especially hot and dry. June is marked by hot weather and a rise in humidity.


The months between October to March is generally marked by pleasant weather all over the state. There are sporadic spells of rain associated with the north-east monsoon during this period which is limited to very few areas in the south-eastern parts of the stateduring October to December.


Rainfall

The South-west monsoon accounts for almost 80% of the rainfall that the state receives. The annual rainfall across the state ranges from low 50 cm to copious 350cm. The districts of Bijapur, Raichur, Bellary and Southern half of Gulbarga experience the lowest rainfall rangin from 50 to 60 cm while the west coastal region and Malenadu enjoy the highest rainfall. Agumbe in the western ghats experiences the heaviest rainfall in the country next only to Cherrapunji.


Waterfalls

Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ...

Mountains

Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ...

References

  1. ^ Karnataka Temperatures. Karnataka.com Website. Retrieved on July 20, 2005.
  2. ^ Soil distribution in Karnataka state is discussed in a webpage by National Informatics Centre. Traditional Soil Groups of Karnataka and their Geographic Distribution. Official Website of the Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Karnataka. Govt. of Karnataka. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.

July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ...

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