Physiographic Divisions Of Karnataka

St. Mary’s Island

Explanation: Island is located near Malpe is St. Mary’s Island. St. Mary’s Island is also known as Coconut Island. This is Small Island located near the sea coast of Karnataka.

Western

Explanation: Sahyadris is the name given to Western Ghats in Karnataka. The Western Ghats of Karnataka is known as Malnad or the land of hills. They have steep terrace like slopes in the west and gentle slope in the east.

Shivamogga, Udupi

Explanation: Agumbe Ghat links Shivamogga and Udupi. Agume Ghat is mountain passes which connects eastern plains of Karnataka to the coastal plain across Western Ghats.

Kodagu

Explanation: The Kashmir of Karnataka is Kodagu district because of its cool weather. Kodagu district is also known as Land of Oranges because orange are grown abundantly here.

Karnataka has diverse physical properties.

The important physical divisions of Karnataka:

*The Coastal Plain

*The Malnad region

*The Maidan region

The Coastal Plain: It lies between the Arabian Sea and the Malnad region. It is known as Canara or the Karnataka Coastline. Districts which come under this are Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttarakannada.

The Malnad region: It is the region which contains different mountain passes and waterfalls. It is the region which contains heavy rainfall and attractive hills. Districts which come under this are Hassan, Kodagu, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru.

The Maidan region: The Maidan region is a plain with a height of approximately 450 to 760 meters. It contains ridges. The maidan can be divided into two parts: The Northern maidan and The Southern maidan.

Malnad region is one of the physical divisions of Karnataka. It is also known as Sahyadris or land of hills. It comes under the district like Hassan, Kodagu, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru.

The relief features of Malnad region are given below:

*Malnad region is stretched over 650 Kms in length and 50-76 Kms in width.

*The height ranges from 900-1500 meters from sea level.

*It receives heavy rainfall.

*It has attractive hill covered with dense evergreen forest.

*Many rivers originate from here.

*It also contain different waterfall like Jogfalls, Unchalli, Magod etc.

Coastal plain is the physical divisions of Karnataka. It lies between the Arabian Sea and the Malnad region. The length of this region varies from north to south is around 320 kilometres. The width ranges from 12 to 64 Kms. It comprises of three coastal districts such as Udupi, Uttarakannada, and Dakshina Kannada.

There are many ports along the coastline. Small islands located near the sea coast. Islands like St. Mary’s Island, Anja and Kanjigudda are seen in the Coastal plain. Occupation of the people near the coast is fishing and agriculture. Different crops like cashew, coconut, cardamom and paddy are grown in coast plains of Karnataka.

Southern maidan is a plateau. It contains abundant red soil. It has uneven surface with many ups and down. It has height up to 900 – 975 metres.

The main hills of Southern maidan are:

*Chitradurga hill

*Narayanadurga hill

*Savanadurga hill

*Shivaganga hill

*Madhugiri hill

*Nandi hill

*Chennakeshava hill

*Kaveledurga hill

*Skandagiri hill

*Chamundi hill

Western Ghats in Karnataka is known as Malnad or the land of hills. It have steep terrace like slopes in the west and gentle slope in the east.

Mountain passes is the route from the eastern plains of Karnataka to the coastal plains across the Western Ghats. Different mountain passes in the Western Ghats are:

*Charmadi Ghat

*Shiradi Ghat

*Agumbe Ghat

*Hulikal Ghat

Charmadi Ghat is the mountain passes which connects Mangaluru to Chikkamagaluru.

Shiradi Ghat is the mountain passes which connects Hassan- Sakleshpur to Mangaluru.

Agumbe Ghat is the mountain passes which connects Shivamogga to Udupi.

Hulikal Ghat is the mountain passes which connects Shivamogga to Kundapur.

1 Jogfalls- c) Sharavati river

Explanation: Jogfalls are formed by Sharavati River, gushing down from a height of 253 metres and is the highest waterfall of India.

2 Om beach – d) Gokarna

Explanation: Gokarna is a small temple town from which Om beach is located 6 Km away from Gokarna. The spot is vibrant and full of life.

3 Nandi hill station – e) Chikballapur

Explanation: Nandi hill station is an ancient hill fortress in south India. It is scattered with shrines and monuments. It is located in Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka.

4 Monolith hill – f) Madhugiri Hill

Explanation: Madhugiri hill is the biggest monolith hill in Asia and is located in Tumakuru district of Karnataka.

5 Land of sunshine – b) Northern maidan

Explanation: Northern maidan is called of land of sunshine because the land is always lit up with sun and this region is very hot in summer.

Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttarakanada are the coastal districts of Karnataka.

Hassan, Kodagu, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru are the districts of Malnad region.

Waterfalls like Jogfalls, Unchalli, Magod, Gokak, Shivanasamudra and Abbey falls comes under Malnad region.

Hills of Karnataka come under the southern maidan. Southern maidan is a plateau with abundant red soil. It has uneven surface with many ups and downs. It has a height of 900 to 975 meters.

The famous hills of Karnataka are:

*Madhugiri hill

*Nandi hill

*Chennakeshava hill

*Kaveledurga hill

*Skandagiri hill

*Adichunchanagiri hill

*Biligirirangana hill

*Malemadeswara hill

*Himad gopalaswamy hill

*Chamundi hill

Madhugiri hill is located in Tumakuru district, Nandi hills, Chennakeshava hill, Kavaledurga and Skandagiri hill in Chikkaballapura district, Adichunchanagiri hills in Mandya district, Biligirirangana hill, Malemadeswara hill, Himad gopalaswamy hills in Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka.

List of Water falls in Karnataka are:

*Jogfalls- It is also known as Gerusoppe falls. It is located in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.

*Unchalli falls- It is also known as Lushington falls. It is also located in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.

*Magod falls- It is a group of waterfalls. It falls from a height of 200 m.

*Gokak falls – It is located in Belagavi district of Karnataka. The waterfall at crest is horse shoe shaped.

*Shivanasamudra falls – It is located in Mandya District of Karnataka. It is situated on the banks of the river Kaveri.

*Abbey falls – It is also known as Abbi falls.

Shivanasamudra Falls

Abbey Falls