Overview
The country is a federal republic consisting of 28 states and eight union territories, also known as federal territories. The states have their own elected governments supported by institutions independent of the central government, while the Union Territories depend on an administrator appointed by the national central government. The south of India covered in this guide includes the following states: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Not to mention the Union Territories: the Puducherry Territory, comprising the cities of Pondicherry and Karaikal (part of Tamil Nadu), Mahe (part of Kerala) and Yanam (part of Andhra Pradesh), the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, comprising the Andaman and Nicobar Territories, respectively, and the Lakshadweep (comprising the Laquedives, Amindivi and Minicoy Islands, among others) These southern states and territories cover a land area of approximately 955,000 km2. The topography varies greatly from region to region, but four main geographical areas can be distinguished: the Deccan Plateau, the Western Ghats, the Eastern Ghats, and the surrounding islands.
Deccan Plateau
The Deccan Plateau (also sometimes spelled Dekkan) covers most of the southern part of the country. The soil consists mainly of basalt, sandstone and granite. This area consists of high plateaus with an average altitude of 600 meters. Most of the plateau has a semi-arid climate as it is protected from winds and rainfall by the Western Ghats in the west and the Eastern Ghats in the east. The largest cities in this area are Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Mysore and Hampi. Several major rivers flow through this plateau. The Godavari River, in the north, originates in the Nashik region of Maharashtra and flows through Karnataka to Andhra Pradesh, before ending its course in the Bay of Bengal, after having traveled nearly 1,500 km. It shares its delta with the Krishna River, almost 1,300 km long, which originates near Mahabaleshwar and flows in the same direction through the center of the plateau. The Cauvery is the most important river in the northernmost part of the country. This river flows through Karnataka and then through Tamil Nadu before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
Western Ghats
The western coast is bordered by the Western Ghats mountain range, which separates the narrow coastal plain from the Deccan plateau. These mountains originate in the southern state of Gujarat and run along the coastline for about 1,600 km to Tamil Nadu in the south of the country. Also known as the Sahyadri Mountains, they intercept the monsoon winds and experience heavy rainfall. This particular climate, associated with a complex topography, creates unique conditions that make it a critical area of biodiversity, with an exceptional wealth of flora and fauna. There are almost forty national parks, sanctuaries and protected areas, which are a major attraction for the traveler. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which straddles the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, covers an area that is the largest protected forest area in India. The average altitude of the Western Ghats is about 1,200 meters and its highest point is Anamudi, which reaches 2,695 meters. Located in the Eravikulam National Park near Munnar, Kerala, it is the most important peak in the country outside the Himalayas. It is in this region that you will have the opportunity to contemplate sumptuous green landscapes, with tea plantations covering the hills as far as the eye can see. Several major rivers originate in the Western Ghats, including the Cauvery, Godavari, Krishna and Tungabhadra, making this area suitable for hydro-electric power generation. The thin coastal strip is made up of two zones: the Konkan coast, which stretches from Mumbai to the beautiful beaches of Goa, and the mythical Malabar coast, which runs along the coast of Karnataka, then that of Kerala, to finally reach the southern tip of India, which is Cape Kanyakumari, in Tamil Nadu.
Eastern Ghats
They bound the Deccan Plateau with the Bay of Bengal on the eastern side of the country. This discontinuous mountain range runs from West Bengal to the south of the country, crossing the states of Odisha in the north, then Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and finally Tamil Nadu, where they join the Western Ghats in the Nilgiri Mountains region. Not as high as their western counterpart, the Eastern Ghats have an average altitude of 700 meters. They have been eroded by the large rivers and streams from the Western Ghats, which segment the massif and flow into the Bay of Bengal. The forests of the Eastern Ghats have been severely decimated since the early 20th century. This region nevertheless shelters some national parks and sanctuaries of fauna and flora, whose interest is however less than those of the western part of the south of the country. The eastern coastal plain is called the Coromandel Coast and extends from West Bengal to the Cauvery Delta in Tamil Nadu.
The islands and archipelagos
Several islands and archipelagos are located in the southern part of India. Few think about it, but the most populated islands of the country are... those that make up Mumbai. The ancient Bombay is in fact composed of seven islands that have been artificially linked together over the centuries. Near the city is Elephanta Island, popular with tourists for its ancient cave temples. Sharikotha Island, 70 km north of Chennai in the state of Andhra Pradesh, forms a natural barrier in the Bay of Bengal. India also has two archipelagos that are Union territories: the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep Archipelago. The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, which is located in the Bay of Bengal at the junction of the Andaman Sea and 150 km north of Indonesia, consists of 572 islands of which only 37 are inhabited. Lakshadweep is located in the Arabian Sea, and is composed of 27 islands of which 10 are inhabited. The traveler will have the opportunity to visit only some of these islands, the majority being closed to tourism (local and international).
