The Western Ghats
Also Known as Sahyadri mountains, this mountain range stretches along the western cost of Indian peninsula. The 1600 km long Western Ghats starts near Tapti river and traverse through Indian states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and ending in Tamil Nadu near the southern tip covering an area of 160,000 sq.km. It is a UNESCO Word Heritage Site and one among the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world.
Older than the Himalayan mountains, the western Ghats are of immense biological and geographical importance. It plays an important role in Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds.
Western Ghats are globally recognized as an area of immense biological diversity that need to be conserved. These mountain range is considered as one among world’s eight bio diversity hotspot. Western Ghats are home to about 17% of world’s tigers and around 30% of Asiatic elephant population. It is home to 2 biosphere reserves, 13 National parks, several sanctuaries and reserve forests.
Western Ghats which runs parallel to India’s western coast, 30-50 kms inland are not true mountains, but faulted edges of the Deccan plateau. Anamudi in Kerala is the highest peak in the Ghats.
