Keralaor Keralam in Malayalam is located on the southernmost tip of Indian Peninsula and embraces the coast of Arabian Sea on the west and is bounded by the Western Ghats in the east.
This South Indian state stretches from north to south along the coast line of 580 kms with an approximate breadth of 35 to 120 kms.
Kerala lies within east longitudes 74 degree 52' and 72 degree 22' and north latitudes 8 degree 18' and 12 degree 48'.
The topography and the geographical relief features are marked by distinct changes from east to west and consists of-
- The Western Ghats
- Hill and Valleys
- Midland Plains
- Coastal Belt
- Backwaters and Rivers
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The Western Ghats – The mighty Western Ghats, a sequence of Rocky Mountains,edges the eastern boundary of Kerala and ascends roughly upto 1,500 m above sea level with the lofty peaks rising upto 2,500 m. Standing tall at a height of Anai Mudi with an altitude of 2695 meters (8,842 ft is the highest peak in Kerala in South India. The unbroken chain of the Western ghats only breaks at Palakkad where
a natural rocky pass called Palakkad Gap is located.From the Western Ghats, the land inclines to west on to the plains, into an uninterrupted coastline.
Hill and Valleys- The narrow piece of land on the eastern border, close to the Western Ghats, encompasses precipitous Hills, deep valleys and gorges which are covered with thick woods. Almost all the rivers of the state originate here. Tea and coffee estates have cropped up in the high ranges during the last two centuries. It is that place from where the 49n rivers of Kerala start off their journey towards the plains.
Midland Plains- These plains which lie along central Kerala, are located in the west of the Hills and mountains. Valleys in this region are broad and are utilized for growing paddy and the Hill slopes are used for growing cash crops like pepper, tapioca and plantation trees like rubber, banana and etc. This region ranges between altitudes of 250–1,000 m and form the part of Nilgiri and Palni Hills including Anamalai and Agastyamalai.
Coastal Belt- The narrow belt of coastal land along the Arabian Sea is characterized by broad paddy fields, rows of swaying coconut trees and serene, cobalt backwaters internally linked by rivers and inland waterways. This coastal belt also has some valleys and Hills in the northern and southern parts.
Backwaters and Rivers- The Backwaters consists of lakes and inlets of oceans which straggle out in the land. The largest backwater is the Vembanad Lake which stretches out into the Arabian Sea at Cochin Port. The other important backwaters are Anjingo, Veli, Edava, Kadinakulam, Madayara, Kayamkulam, Paravoor, Kodungallur, Ashtamudi and Chetwa. Kuttanad alone dominates 20 per cent of India's total extent of watercourse.
Kerala’s western coastal belt is intertwined by a system of interconnected salty channels, estuaries, lakes and rivers known as the Kerala Backwaters.
There are 49 rivers flowing in the state of Kerala, among them 46 flows to the west and the other 3 flow to the east. They evolve from Western Ghats and rush towards the west into the Arabian Sea. All these rivers are rain-fed, non-perrenial Rivers that are short and are transformed into streams during summer season. The most significant of Kerala rivers consist of the Periyar ,Chaliyar , Kadalundipuzha, Bharathapuzha ,Pamba and the Achankovil.
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