Physical Geography of TAMILNADU

Location and Size:

    Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India, located in the southern most part of the country.  It extends from 8°4'N to 13°35'N latitudes and from 76°18'E to 80°20'E longitudes. Its extremities are 

•  in eastern - Point Calimere 
•  in western - hills of Anaimalai 
•  in northern - Pulicat lake 
•  in southern - Cape Comorin 

    It covers an area of 1,30,058 sq.km and is the 11th largest state in India. It covers 4% of the area of our country.

Boundaries and Neighbours:

    Tamil Nadu is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, Kerala in the west, Andhra Pradesh in the north, Karnataka in the northwest and Indian Ocean in the south. Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait separate Tamil Nadu from the Island of Sri Lanka, which lies to the southeast of India. The state has 906.9 km long coastline, the third-longest in India after Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. 

Administrative Divisions: 

    Already we have learnt that the state of Tamil Nadu had only 13 districts at the time of its formation. After that, the state was reorganised several times for the administrative convenience.  

    All districts of Tamil Nadu except the Chennai, The Nilgiris and Kanyakumari were bifurcated at different points of time.

Physiographic Divisions:

    Tamil Nadu is located on the Peninsular Plateau, known as Deccan Plateau. It is also a part of the ancient Gondwana land that broke away 135 million years ago during Cretaceous Period. 

    Tamil Nadu is divided into the physical divisions of 

• Western Ghats, 
• Eastern Ghats, 
• Plateaus, 
• Coastal and 
• Inland plains.

    In this topic will discuss about western ghats and eastern ghats and surrounding hills over there. 

WESTERN GHATS

•     Western Ghats extend from the Niligris in the north to Marunthuvazh Malai at Swamithope      in Kanyakumari district in the south. 
•     Height of the Western Ghats ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 metres. 
•     It covers an area of about 2,500 sq.km. 
•    Though the Western Ghats is a continuous range, it has some passes. The passes are Palghat, Shencottah, Aralvaimozhi, and Achankoil. The Niligris, Anaimalai, Palani hills, Cardamom hills, Varusanadu, Andipatti and Pothigai hills are the major hills of Western Ghats .

Nilgiri Hills 

    The Nilgiri hills is located in the Northwestern part of Tamil Nadu. It consists of 24 peaks with more than 2,000 metres height. Doddabetta is the highest peak (2,637 metres) of this hills followed by Mukkuruthi (2,554 metres). Ooty and Coonoor are the major hill stations located on this hills. It has more than 2,700 species of flowering plants and the state animal Nilgiri Tahr is found in this hill.

Anaimalai 

    Anaimalai is located in the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is located to the south of Palghat Gap. Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, Aliyar Reserved Forest, Valparai hill station, Kadamparai hydroelectric Power Plant are located on this hills. Aliyar and Tirumurthy dams are located at the foothills of this range. 

Palani Hills

     Palani hills are the eastward extension of the  Western Ghats. These hills are located in Dindigul district. Vandaravu (2,533 metres) is the highest peak in the Palani hills. Vembadi Shola (2,505 metres) is its second highest peak. The hill station of Kodaikanal (2,150 metres) lies in the south central portion of the range. 

Cardamom Hills

    These hills are also known as Yela Mala hills located in the southwestern part of Tamil Nadu. It acquires its name from the cardamom spice, which is commonly grown here. Pepper and coffee are the other crops cultivated over the hills. They meet the Anaimalai hills in the northwest, the Palani hills in the northeast and Varusanadu and Andipatti hills in the southeast. 

Varusanadu and Andipatti Hills 

    Another eastward extension of Western Ghats is Varusanadu and Andipatti hills. Megamalai (the highway mountain), Kalugumalai, Kurangani hill station, and Suruli and Kumbakarai waterfalls are found on these hills. Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wild life Sanctuary is located in the southern slope of these hills in Virudhunagar district. Vaigai river and its tributaries originate in this region.

Pothigai Hills 

    Its major part lies in Tenkasi district with its southern slope in the Kanyakumari district. Pothigai hills are called with different names such as the Shiva Jothi Parvath, Agasthiyar hills and Southern Kailash. These hills feature richest biodiversity in the Western Ghats. This area is known for its rich evergreen forest, waterfalls and ancient temples. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve is located in this region. 

Mahendragiri Hills 

    This continous range is situated along the border of Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts and is a part of the southern range of the Western Ghats. Its average height is 1,645 metres. 

EASTERN GHATS

•     Unlike Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats is a discontinuous and irregular one.     
•     It is dissected at many places by the rivers, which drain into the Bay of Bengal. 
•     Its height ranges from 1,100 to 1,600 metres. 
•    These hills separate the plains from plateaus. Javadhu, Servarayan, the Kalrayan, Kollimalai and Pachaimalai are the major hills of the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu and are located in northern districts of the state.

Javadhu Hills 

    Javadhu hills are an extension of the Eastern Ghats spread across parts of Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts and separates these two districts. Many peaks with the height of 1,100–1,150 metres are located in this range. Melpattu is its highest peak. Many parts of this range are covered with bluish grey granites. It is noted for its fruit bearing trees, medicinal herbs and sandalwoods. Due to illegal logging, sandalwood trees are disappeared now. 

Kalvarayan Hills 

    The name ‘Kalvarayan’ comes from the word ‘Karalar’, the ancient name of the present tribes. It is another major range of hills in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. This range, along with the Pachaimalai, Aralvaimalai, Javadhu and Servarayan hills, separates the river basins of Cauvery and Palar. The height of this hill ranges from 600 to 1,220 metres. 

Servarayan Hills

    It is a mountain range located near the Salem city with the height ranging from 1,200 to 1,620 metres. The name of the range comes from a local deity, Servarayan. The highest peak in the southern part of the Eastern Ghats is located in this range. The peak is Solaikaradu and its height is 1,620 metres. The hill station Yercaud, which is known as poor man’s Ooty, is located on this range.

Kolli Hills 

    It is a small mountain range located in Namakkal district. It covers an area of about 2,800 sq.km. It rises up to 1300 metres. This is a mountain range that runs almost parallel to the east coast of South India. Arpaleeswarar temple located on this range is an important pilgrim centre. It has the largest cover of evergreen or shola forest when compared to other parts of the Eastern Ghats. Several coffee plantations, fruits, flowers and silver-oak estates are found in this region.

Pachaimalai 

    It is the lowest hill range, spreads over the districts of Perambalur, Tiruchirapalli and Salem. In Tamil language, pachai means green. The vegetation in this range is greener than the vegetative cover of the other hills in this region. Hence it is named as ‘Pachai malai’. Jackfruit is a popular seasonal agricultural product of this hills.

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