Topographic map of Karnataka. Western Ghats are parallel to the coast.
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 850 km (530 mi) from north to south and about 450 km (280 mi) from east to west.
The state is divisible in to three distinct geomorphic zones:[2]
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 320 km (200 mi) in length and 48–64 km (30–40 mi) wide.
The Western Ghats, called Malenadu, is a mountain range running parallel to the Arabian Sea trending NNW-SSE, rising to about 900 m (3,000 ft) average height with some peaks over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level. The mountain range is around 40 km (25 mi) 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 650 m (2,130 ft) 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 1,500 feet (460 m). The highest recorded temperature was 45.6 °C (114.08 °F) at Raichuru on 23 May 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 °C (37.04 °F) at Bidar on 16 December 1918.[3]
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 (measured at 3,288,000 km²). 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 (63%), and fuchsite quartzite (57%) 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 (1997), there are four main types of geological formations in Karnataka:[4]
The Deccan trappean and intertrappean deposits: This is a part of the Deccan traps which were formed by the accumulation of basaltic lava. This is made up of greyish to black augite-basalt.
The tertiary and recent laterites and alluvial deposits: Laterite capping are found over the Deccan Traps and were formed after the cessation of volcanic activity in the early tertiary period. These are found in many districts in the Deccan plateau and also in the coast.
With a surface water potential of about 102 kilometers (63 mi), 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.[6]
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 (period of retreating) 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 (July, August and September) are somewhat comfortable due to reduced day temperature although the humidity continue to be very high. The highest recorded temperature was 45.6 °C (114 °F) at Raichuru on 23 May 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 °C (37 °F) C at Bidar on 16 December 1918.[7]
Karnataka is divided into three meteorological zones:
Coastal Karnataka: This zone comprises the districts of Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. It is a region of heavy rainfall and receives an average rainfall of 3,638.5 mm (143.25 in) per annum.[8] far in excess of rest of state.[9]
The southwest monsoon accounts for almost 80% of the rainfall that the state receives. The annual rainfall across the state ranges from low 50 cm (20 in) to copious 350 cm (140 in). The districts of Vijapura, Raichuru, Ballari, Yadagiri and Southern half of Kalaburagi experience the lowest rainfall ranging from 50 to 60 cm (24 in) while the west coastal region and Malenadu enjoy the highest rainfall.
The following were the top 5 places that peaked in rainfall statistics [2010-2017] [10][11][12][13]
About 38724 km² (or 20% of Karnataka's geographic) are covered by forests. The forests are classified as reserved (28,611 km²) protected (3,932 km²), unclosed (5,748 km²), village (124 km²) and private (309 km²) 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 (9% of the total area of the country), Maharashtra 54,000 km² (8%), Tamil Nadu 22,000 km² (3%) and Kerala 11,000 km² (2%).
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.
^ abDetailed description of the geology of Karnataka is provided byRamachandra TV and Kamakshi G. "Bioresource Potential of Karnataka"(PDF). Technical Report No. 109, November 2005. Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Retrieved 5 May 2007.
