Key Concepts & Self-Assessment15 Key Facts
Review key Coastal Plains & Island Groups of India: Konkan to Andaman-Nicobar exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.
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#1
The submerged Western Coastal Plain is subdivided into Konkan, Kanara, and Malabar coasts, featuring distinctive lagoon backwaters called kayals.
#2
The emergent Eastern Coastal Plain contains the Northern Circars and Coromandel Coast, accommodating extensive river deltas and Chilika Lake.
#3
The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago consists of elevated tectonic summits separated by the Ten Degree Channel at 10° N latitude.
#4
Barren Island in the Andaman Sea is the only active volcano in South Asia, while Saddle Peak is the archipelago's highest summit.
#5
Lakshadweep is a cluster of 36 coral atolls in the Arabian Sea, separated from Minicoy by the Nine Degree Channel and Maldives by the Eight Degree Channel.
#6
The Malabar Coast of Kerala features Vembanad Lake, India's longest wetland spanning 96 kilometres, designated as a Ramsar site in 2002.
#7
The Coromandel Coast receives substantial winter precipitation from October to December during the retreating Northeast monsoon season.
#8
Chilika Lake in Odisha is Asia's largest brackish water lagoon, separated from the Bay of Bengal by a 60-kilometre-long sandy barrier spit.
#9
Pulicat Lake, straddling Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, is India's second-largest brackish water lagoon, sheltered by the barrier island of Sriharikota.
#10
The Great Nicobar island contains Indira Point (6°45' N latitude), the southernmost point of Indian territory, submerged partially during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
#11
Narcondam Island in the northern Andaman Sea is a dormant volcanic island known for the endemic Narcondam hornbill.
#12
The Andaman archipelago is home to four indigenous Negrito tribal groups: the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and the uncontacted Sentinelese.
#13
The Nicobar Islands are inhabited by two Mongoloid tribal communities: the Nicobarese and the nomadic Shompen hunters of Great Nicobar.
#14
Kavaratti serves as the administrative capital of Lakshadweep, where Pitti Island is declared a dedicated bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act.
#15
Pamban Island (Rameswaram) is linked to mainland Tamil Nadu across the Palk Strait by the historic 2-kilometre Pamban railway sea bridge constructed in 1914.
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
India's coastline features contrasting coastal plains and two major offshore island groups. The Western Coastal Plain is narrow and submerged, marked by natural ports, estuaries, and backwater lagoons known as kayals in Kerala. In contrast, the Eastern Coastal Plain is broad and emergent, defined by large river deltas and lakes like Chilika. Offshore, the volcanic Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in the Bay of Bengal contrasts with the Arabian Sea's Lakshadweep, an archipelago made entirely of coral atolls.
Maritime channels and coastal features are frequent scoring areas in UPSC and State PSC exams. Memorize the channel degrees: the Ten Degree Channel separates the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, while the Nine Degree Channel separates Minicoy from northern Lakshadweep. A common prelims trap involves rainfall: the Coromandel Coast receives most rainfall during winter from the retreating Northeast monsoon, unlike the western Malabar coast. In test revision, remember that Barren Island hosts South Asia's only active volcano.
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