Western Ghats

Western Ghats
Western Ghats
Sahyadri
	Anamudi, the highest peak in the Western Ghats
Highest point
Peak	Anamudi, Eravikulam National Park and Doddabetta
Elevation	2,695 m (8,842 ft)
Coordinates	10°10′11″N 77°03′40″E / 10.16972°N 77.06111°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
	Satellite imagery showing the Western Ghats running parallel to the west coast of India
Country	India
Region	Western and Southern India
States	Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
Biome	Tropical rainforests and Marsh
Geology
Age of rock	Cenozoic
Type of rock	Basalt, Laterite and Limestone
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Natural: ix, x
Reference	1342
Inscription	2012 (36th Session)
Area	795,315 ha

The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadris, is a mountain range that stretches 1,600 km (990 mi) along the western coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of 160,000 km² (62,000 sq mi), it traverses the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The range forms an almost continuous chain of mountains along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau from the Tapti river to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula at Kanniyakumari. The Western Ghats meets with the Eastern Ghats at Nilgiris before continuing south.

Geologic evidence indicates that the mountains were formed during the break-up of the supercontinent of Gondwana. The mountains came along the west coast of India somewhere in the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous period when India separated from the African continent. The mountains can be roughly divided into three parts, northern section with elevation ranging from 900–1,500 m (3,000–4,900 ft), middle section starting from south of Goa with a lower elevation of less than 900 m (3,000 ft) and the southern section where the altitude rises again. The Western Ghats have several peaks that rise above 2,000 m (6,600 ft), with Anamudi (2,695 m (8,842 ft)) being the highest peak. The average elevation is around 1,200 m (3,900 ft).

The Western Ghats form one of the major watersheds of India, feeding many perennial river systems that drain almost 40% of the land area of the country. Because of the higher elevation of the Deccan plateau on the west, most rivers flow from eastwards towards the Bay of Bengal, resulting in chiselled eastern slopes and steeper western slopes, facing the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats plays an important role in determining the climate and seasons in India. It blocks the rain bearing monsoon winds flowing eastward from the Arabian Sea, resulting in rainfall along the western coast. By the time the air rises above the mountains, it becomes dry, forming a rain shadow region with very less rainfall on the leeward side towards the interior of the Deccan plateau.

The Western Ghats region is a biodiversity hotspot. It contains a large number of different species of flora and fauna, significant of which are endemic to this region. At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats. The region was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012.