Malabar Coast
Southwestern coast of the India / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Malabar Coast is the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. It generally refers to the western coastline of India stretching from Konkan to Kanyakumari. Geographically, it comprises one of the wettest regions of the subcontinent, which includes the Kanara region of Karnataka and all of Kerala.[3]
Malabar Coast | |
|---|---|
Region | |
 Ponnani Lighthouse near Ponnani | |
| Nickname(s): | |
 Map showing the Malabar Coast | |
| Coordinates: 12.0167°N 75.2833°E / 12.0167; 75.2833 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| • Density | 816/km2 (2,110/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, Tulu, Kannada, English, Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KL, IN-TN and IN-KA |
| No. of districts | 18 (4 in Kerala, 3 in Karnataka, and 1 in Tamil Nadu) |
| Climate | Tropical (Köppen) |
Kuttanad, which is the point of the lowest altitude in India, lies on the Malabar Coast. Kuttanad, also known as The Rice Bowl of Kerala, is among the few places in the world where cultivation takes place below sea level.[4][5] The peak of Anamudi, which is also the point of highest altitude in India outside the Himalayas, lies parallel to the Malabar Coast on the Western Ghats.
The region parallel to the Malabar Coast gently slopes from the eastern highland of Western Ghats ranges to the western coastal lowland. The moisture-laden winds of the Southwest monsoon, on reaching the southernmost point of the Indian subcontinent, because of its topography, divide into two branches; the "Arabian Sea Branch" and the "Bay of Bengal Branch".[6] The "Arabian Sea Branch" of the Southwest monsoon first hits the Western Ghats,[7] making Kerala the first state in India to receive rain from the Southwest monsoon.[8][9] The Malabar Coast is a source of biodiversity in India.