Karnataka Coast

Karnataka Coast, India

Karnataka Coast, coastal lowlands in western Karnataka state, southwestern India. Constituting an area of about 4,000 square miles (10,000 square km), it is bounded by Konkan to the north, the Western Ghats to the east, the Kerala Plains to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. It stretches from north to south for about 140 miles (225 km) and has a maximum width of about 40 miles (64 km) in the south.

The coastline is sandy, and in places rocky cliffs overhang the sea. Sloping from east to west, it comprises a narrow belt of coastal sand dunes, marshes, and valley plains backed by a higher erosional platform, in turn succeeded by isolated hills that are 300 to 1,000 feet (90 to 300 metres) high farther inland. Coconuts and casuarinas grow on the saline sandy beaches, mangroves live in the marshes and estuaries, and bamboo and scrub are found on the hills. The coast is drained by the Kali Nadi, Gangavali, Bedti, Tadri, Sharavati, and Netravati rivers, which have carved out narrow valleys with steep gradients and generally flow in a westerly direction. Alluvial soils occur in the south. The rest of the coast has infertile red soils that are often gravelly and sandy.

The region forms a transitional zone between Maharashtra (north) and Kerala (south) states. The southern region, focused on Mangaluru (Mangalore) city, has plantations of coconut palms and beefwood trees (genus Casuarina), and the northern region, in the vicinity of Udipi, produces rice and pulses (legumes). Industries are mostly located at Mangaluru, an important regional centre and major coffee port of India, and at Udipi. The ports of Karwar, Kumta, Honavar, and Malpe have lost their importance with the development of railways in the interior. Mangaluru and Karwar have been developed as deepwater ports for the export of mineral ores.

Historically, the coast was a contact zone between Indian merchants and European and African traders. It was successively ruled by the Kadambas, Rattas, Chalukyas, Yadavas, and Hoysalas until it passed to the Mughals (c. 16th century)—with short interludes of Maratha supremacy. The British annexed the coast in 1789 and retained the region until Indian independence in 1947.