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"Sahyadri" redirects here. For other uses, see Sahyadri (disambiguation).
Western Ghats
Sahyadri Mountains
The Western Ghats lie roughly parallel to the west coast of India
Highest point
Peak
Anamudi (Eravikulam)
Elevation
2,695 m (8,842 ft)
Coordinates
10°10′N 77°04′ECoordinates: 10°10′N 77°04′E
Dimensions
Width
100 km (62 mi) E–W
Area
160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi)
Geography
Country
India
States
List[show]
Settlements
Ooty, Mahabaleshwar, Madikeri andMunnar
Biome
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Geology
Period
Cenozoic
Type of rock
Basalt and Laterite
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Natural Properties - Western Ghats (India)
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Country
India
Type
Natural
Criteria ix, x
Reference
1342
UNESCO region
Indian subcontinent
Inscription history
Inscription
2012 (36th Session)
The Western Ghats or the Sahyādri constitute a mountain range along the western side of India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight "hottest hotspots" of biological diversity in the world.[1] It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India.[2] The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain, called Konkan, along the Arabian Sea. A total of thirty nine properties including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests were designated as world heritage sites - twenty in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.[3][4]
The range starts near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, south of the Tapti river, and runs approximately 1,600 km (990 mi) through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala ending at Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of India.
These hills cover 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) and form the catchment area for complex riverine drainage systems that drain almost 40%
References: Verma Desh Deepak (2002) "Thematic Report on Mountain Ecosystems", Ministry of Environment and Forests,13pp, retrieved 27 March 2007 Thematic Report on Mountain Ecosystems Full text, detailed data, not cited.