Geography of Karnataka


The Indian State of Karnataka is located between 11°30' North and 18°30' North latitudes and between 74° East and 78°30' East longitude.It is situated on a tableland where the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats converge into the complex, in the western part of the Deccan Peninsular region of India. The State is bounded by Maharashtra and Goa States in the north and northwest; by the Lakshadweep Sea in the west; by Kerala in the south-west and Tamil Nadu in the south and south-east, Andhra Pradesh in the south-east and east and Telangana in the north-east. Karnataka extends to about from north to south and about from east to west.
Karnataka is situated in the Deccan Plateau and is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast and east, Telangana to the east, Tamil Nadu to the south and southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. It is situated at the angle where the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of South India converge into the Nilgiri hills. The highest point in Karnataka is the Mullayanagiri hill in Chikkamagaluru district which has an altitude of above sea level.

Physiography

The state is divisible in to three distinct geomorphic zones:
  • The coastal plains, called the Karavali area lies between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The Karavali are lowlands, with moderate to high rainfall levels. This strip is around in length and wide.
  • The Western Ghats, called Malenadu, is a mountain range running parallel to the Arabian Sea trending NNW-SSE, rising to about average height with some peaks over above sea level. The mountain range is around wide and with moderate to high rainfall levels.
  • The Deccan Plateau, called Bayalu Seeme, comprising the main inland region of the state, with an average elevation of above sea level. The plateau is relatively dry and verging on the semi-arid. The plateau is scattered with narrow ridges, and hills of schistose rock and granitic boulders.
Karnataka has one of the highest average elevations of Indian states, at. The highest recorded temperature was 45.6 °C at Raichuru on 23 May 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 °C at Bidar on 16 December 1918.

Area and population

Karnataka has a total land area of 191,791 km² and accounts for 5.83% of the total area of the country. This puts it in seventh place in terms of size. With a population of 6,11,30,704, it occupies eighth place in terms of population. The population density which stands at 319 persons per km² is lower than the all-India average of 382.

Mineral resource

Karnataka is rich in mineral wealth which is distributed fairly evenly across the state. Karnataka's Geological Survey department started in 1880 is one of the oldest in the country. Rich deposits of asbestos, bauxite, chromite, dolomite, gold, iron ore, kaolin, limestone, magnesite, Manganese, ochre, quartz, and silica sand are found in the state. Karnataka is also a major producer of felsite, molding sand, and fuchsite quartzite in the country.
Karnataka has two major centers of gold mining in the state Kolar and Raichur. These mines produce about 3000 kg of gold per annum which accounts for almost 84% of the country's production. Karnataka has very rich deposits of high-grade iron and manganese ores to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes. Most of the iron ores are concentrated around the Ballari-Hosapete region. Karnataka with a granite rock spread of over 4200 km² is also famous for its Ornamental Granites with different hues.

Geology

According to Radhakrishnan and Vaidyanadhan, there are four main types of geological formations in Karnataka:
Eleven groups of soil orders are found in Karnataka. Entisols, Inceptisols, Mollisols, Spodosols, Alfisols, Ultisols, Oxisols, Aridisols, Vertisols, Andisols and Histosols. Depending on the agricultural capability of the soil, the soil types are divided into six types., Red, lateritic, black, alluvio-colluvial, forest and coastal soils.
The common types of soil groups found in Karnataka are:
With a surface water potential of about, Karnataka accounts for about six percent of the country's surface water resources. Around 60% of this is provided by the west flowing rivers while the remaining comes from the east flowing rivers. There are seven river basins in all formed by the Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna, the west-flowing rivers, Penna, Ponniyar, and Palar.

Waterfalls in Karnataka

30 East-flowing rivers.
12 West-flowing rivers, providing 60% of state's inland water resources.
Karnataka has the following four seasons in the year:
  • The winter season from January to February
  • The summer season from March to May
  • The monsoon season from June to September
  • The post-monsoon season from October to December.
The post-monsoon and winter seasons are generally pleasant over the entire state. The months April and May are hot, very dry and generally uncomfortable. Weather tends to be oppressive during June due to high humidity and temperature. The next three months are somewhat comfortable due to reduced day temperature although the humidity continue to be very high. The highest recorded temperature was at Raichuru on 23 May 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was C at Bidar on 16 December 1918.
Karnataka is divided into three meteorological zones:
The southwest monsoon accounts for almost 80% of the rainfall that the state receives. The annual rainfall across the state ranges from low to copious. The districts of Vijapura, Raichuru, Ballari, Yadagiri and Southern half of Kalaburagi experience the lowest rainfall ranging from 50 to while the west coastal region and Malenadu enjoy the highest rainfall.
The following were the top 5 places that peaked in rainfall statistics
RankHobli/VillageDistrictTalukYearRainfall in mmElevation in metres
1AmagaviBelagavi districtKhanapura201010,068785
2MundroteKodagu districtMadikeri20119,974585
3HulikalShivamogga districtHosanagara20139,383614
4AgumbeShivamogga districtThirthahalli20138,770643
5Kokalli/KakalliUttara Kannada districtSirsi20148,746780

Forests

About 38724 km² are covered by forests. The forests are classified as reserved protected, unclosed, village and private forests. The percentage of forests area to Geographical area in the State is less than the all-India average of about 23%, and 33% prescribed in the National Forest Policy. The area under protected forests in the neighboring States is as follows: Andhra Pradesh 62,000 km², Maharashtra 54,000 km², Tamil Nadu 22,000 km² and Kerala 11,000 km².
Karnataka is known for its valuable timbers from the evergreen forests in the Western Ghat region, notably Teak and Rosewood, the richly ornate panels of which adorn the beautiful chambers of the Two Houses of Karnataka Legislature.