Eastern Ghats on the world map. Western Ghats - a unique gem of Hindustan
.]] The mountains occupy 60,000 km², the average height is 1200 m. More than 5,000 species of flowering plants, 139 species of mammals, 508 species of birds, 179 species of amphibians live in the mountains. Many species are endemic.
Geology
The Western Ghats are not a full-fledged mountain range, but are a shifted edge of the Deccan plateau. They probably formed during the breakup of the Gondwana supercontinent about 150 million years ago. Geophysicists Barren and Harrison from the University defended the version that west coast India was formed from 100 to 80 million years ago, after breaking off from a. Shortly after breaking off, the peninsular region of the Indian Plateau drifted through the area of modern a (21°06′ S, 55°31′ E). During large eruptions, the Deccan Plateau, a wide basalt layer in central India, developed. These volcanic processes led to the formation of the northern third of the Western Ghats, their domed outlines. The underlying rocks were formed over 200 million years ago. They can be seen in some places, for example in Nilgiris.
Basalt is the main rock, it is found at a depth of 3 km. Other rocks include charnockites, granitic gneisses, hondalites, granulites, metamorphic gneisses with occasional inclusions of limestone, iron ore, dolerites, and anorthosites. There are also deposits of laterites and bauxites in the southern hills.
Mountains
The Western Ghats extend from the Satpura range in the north, running south through Goa, Karnataka, to Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The large mountain range starting in the north is Sahyadhri, which has many mountain stations. Among the smaller chains are the Kardamom Hills and the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. In the Western Ghats lies the highest point of India south of the Himalayas - Ana Mudi (2659 m).
Rivers
The Western Ghats create one of the watersheds of India. They give rise to the important rivers of peninsular India flowing from west to east into the Bay of Bengal, such as the Krishna, the Godwari and the Kaveri. Reservoirs have been built on many rivers in Maharashtra and Kerala.
Climate
The climate of the Western Ghats is humid and tropical, varying with altitude and distance from the equator. Above 1500 m in the north and over 2000 m in the south, the climate is more temperate. average temperature here +15, in some places in winter the temperature drops to 0. The coldest periods coincide with the wettest.
The mountains stop the western monsoon winds that bring rain, and therefore they receive a lot of precipitation, especially on the western slopes. Dense forests also contribute to rainfall in this area. 3000-4000 mm of precipitation falls annually.
Rising above the plains, when the ancient supercontinent Gondwana disintegrated.
Western Ghats, or Sahyadri, - an extensive mountain system, stretching from north to south, from the valley of the Tapti River to Cape Komorin. This mountain system forms the western edge of the Deccan plateau, which occupies almost the entire Hindustan peninsula. From indian ocean The Western Ghats are separated by a narrow strip of plains: their northern segment is called Konkan, the central one is Kanara, and the southern one is the Malabar coast.
The name of the mountains reflects not only their position in Hindustan, but also appearance: Gathas in Sanskrit means "steps". Indeed, the western slope mountain range high and steep, and it descends in steps to the maritime plains that stretch along the coast of the Arabian Sea. The stepped landscape of the mountains was the result of the most ancient tectonic activity, the "collision" of the tectonic plate of the Deccan plateau on less elevated parts of the earth's crust. The process lasted for millions of years at different speeds. The Western Ghats are not a mountain range in the full sense, but a shifted edge of the Deccan basalt plateau. These shifts occurred 150 million years ago, when the Gondwana pro-continent was breaking up. Therefore, the northern section of the Western Ghats is composed of a layer of basalt up to 2 km thick, and in the south, less significant layers of gneiss and a variety of granite - charnockite predominate.
The highest peak of the Western Ghats - Mount Ana Moody - is also the highest point in India south of the Himalayas.
In contrast to the monolithic ridges of the north, the south is dominated by individual massifs scattered here and there with irregular outlines of peaks.
The eastern slope of the Western Ghats are gently sloping plains, descending towards the hinterland of Hindustan.
The Western Ghats are the most important watershed of India: here are the sources of the rivers flowing from west to east and flowing into the Bay of Bengal - Krishna, Godavari and Kaveri, and from east to west - Karamana.
The Western Ghats play a decisive role in shaping the climate of the entire Hindustan peninsula, preventing the advance of moist air masses from the Arabian Sea, brought by the western monsoons. If in the west of the mountains almost 5 thousand mm of precipitation falls annually, then in the east - five times less. Therefore, the steep western slopes of the mountains are covered with tropical rainforests (almost all are cut down for firewood and plantations), and the more gentle and dry eastern slopes are covered with extensive shrouds, where in the middle of the grass stand individual candelabra-shaped spurges, acacias and deleba palms.
Communication between people living on both sides of the Western Ghats is facilitated by transverse tectonic valleys separating the mountains. It became a kind of roads that connected the Malabar coast and the Deccan plateau.
For the same reason, the Western Ghats have always attracted invaders who wanted to occupy these few trade routes from the sea inland. The mountains have witnessed the emergence of the largest Indian empires, were part of British colonial India. Now they are located on the territory of almost a dozen Indian states.
The Western Ghats have a remarkably diverse fauna, with many species of flora endemic.
There is a clear difference in the composition of the population on both sides of the Western Ghats. The indigenous inhabitants of the western slopes are representatives of small tribal groups, speaking many languages, but united by common traditions and religions. Here they worship the spirits of ancestors, poisonous snakes, buffaloes. The main tribes are Konkani and Tuluva.
Unlike many other geographic regions of India, the Western Ghats are not as advanced in technology and tourism. They mainly work here agriculture, growing the so-called "English" vegetables and fruits cultivated since the days of the British colonial East India Company: potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and from fruits - pears, plums and strawberries. The heritage of the British is also the production of hard cheeses.
But the greatest wealth of the Western Ghats is tea: terraces with rows of tea bushes were made at the end of the 19th century. under the direction of the British East India Company. After the departure of the British, the plantations were preserved, and today India is the second country in the world in terms of the amount of tea produced after China.
For the sake of tea in the Western Ghats, almost all the sacred groves that have surrounded every temple since ancient times have been reduced. The few that remain are owned by village communities and run by a council of elders.
The Western Ghats are also the largest protected areas in India. Here the last of the rare species of animals remaining in the country survive: the lion-tailed macaque, the Indian leopard, the Nilgiri goat-tar (living on Mount Ana-Moody), the sambar and muntjac deer, the prickly dormouse, the Nilgiri harza, the primacy of the hooded gulman. The total number of endangered species living in the Western Ghats is about 325.
The climate of the Western Ghats is currently undergoing significant changes. Previously, every year from September to December, on the slopes of the Western Ghats, especially in Anaikati, people from all over the world gathered to admire the magnificent butterflies. Now the number of fluttering insects has been drastically reduced. Scientists see the reasons for this phenomenon in global climate change, and the Western Ghats turned out to be the most sensitive to them from all regions of the world. Forest fires and the expansion of the plantation road network also played a role.
Cities in the Western Ghats are located at a considerable height above sea level, for example, the popular Indian resort - the city of Udhagamandalam - is located at an altitude of 2200 m. Big city Western Ghats - Pune, the first capital of the Maratha Empire.
Another famous city in the Western Ghats - Palakkad. It is located next to the wide (40 km) Palakkad Pass, which separates the southernmost part of the Western Ghats from the northern one. In the past, the Palakkad Passage was the main migration route from the interior of India to the coast. The passage also serves as a major source of wind energy: average speed the wind here reaches 18-22 km / h, and large wind farms have been built along the entire passage.
general information
Location: South Asia, west of the Hindustan peninsula.Origin: tectonic.
Inner Ranges: Nilgiri, Anaimalai, Palni, Kardamom hills.
Administrative affiliation: States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Kanyakumari.
Cities: Pune - 5,049,968 people (2014), Palakkad - 130,736 people. (2001), Udhagamandalam (Tamil Nadu) - 88,430 people. (2011).
Languages: Tamil, Badaga, Kannada, English, Malaya Lama, Tulu, Konkani.
Ethnic composition: Konkani, Tuluva, Mudugar, Irula and Kurumbar tribes.
Religions: Hinduism (majority), Islam, Catholicism, animism.
Currency unit: Indian rupee.
Large rivers: Krishna, Godavari, Kaveri, Karamana, Tapti, Pikara.
Large lakes: Emerald, Porthimund, Avalanche, Upper Bhavani, Kodaikanal.
Major airports: Coimbatore (international), Mangalore (international).
Numbers
Area: 187,320 km2.Length: 1600 km from north to south.
Width: up to 100 km from east to west.
Average height: 900 m.
Max Height: Mount Ana Moody (2695 m).
Other peaks: Mount Doddabetta (2637 m), Hekuba (2375 m), Kattadadu (2418 m), Kulkudi (2439 m).
Climate and weather
Subequatorial, monsoon.January average temperature: +25°С.
July average temperature: +24°С.
Average annual rainfall: 2000-5000 mm, on the eastern slope - 600-700 mm.
Relative humidity: 70%.
Economy
Industry: food (cheese-making, milk powder, chocolate, spices), metal products (needles), woodworking.Hydroelectricity.
Wind power plants.
Agriculture: crop production (tea, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, pear, plum, strawberry).
Service sector: tourism, transport, trade.
Attractions
■ Natural: Bandipur and Mudumalai reserves, waterfalls and rapids of the Pikara River, Wenlock Lowlands, National parks Mukurthi, Karimpuzha, Eravikulam and Silent Valley, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Emerald, Porthimund and Avalanche lakes, Lakkom waterfall.■ City of Udhagamandalam (Ooty): State Rose Garden, John Sullivan Stone Bungalow (1822), St Stephen's Church (1830), Botanical Garden(1847), Udhagamandalam lake, huts of the Toda people, Railway Ooty (1908), Deer Park.
■ City of Palakkad: Jainist temple Jainimedu Jain (XV century), Brahmin monastery Kalpati (XV century), Palakkad fort (1766), Malampuzha dam (1955), Imur Bhgavati temple.
■ City of Pune: Raja Kelkara Museum, Aga Khan Palace, Pataleshwar Temple, Simha Gad, Rajgarh, Thorna, Purander and Shivneri Fortresses, Shanvarvada Palace (1736), Parvati Temple.
Curious facts
■ There are more than 20,000 varieties of roses in the state rose garden of Udhagamandalam, and a 20-million-year-old petrified tree in the Botanical Garden.■ Male Indian muntjac deer mark their territory with secretions from the lacrimal glands.
■ Nearly all of the Irula people suffer from respiratory problems. This is caused by smoke from grass burned in the fields: this is how the Irula fight rats, which destroy up to a quarter of the grain crop.
■ Zambar is the largest Indian deer, about one and a half meters tall at the withers, weighing more than three centners and with antlers up to 130 cm long.
■ The name of Mount Ana Moody literally translated from the Malayalam language means "Elephant Mountain", or "Elephant forehead": its sloping top really resembles an elephant's forehead.
■ The small rodent prickly dormouse got its name because of the needle hair on the back. It is sometimes called a pepper rat - for its addiction to the fruits of ripening peppers.
■ The traditional art form of the Western Ghats - yakshagana, dance and drama performances with scenes from the ancient Indian epics "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana", was first mentioned in 1105. Yakshagana is performed only by men.
■ A 2014 study in the Western Ghats rainforest identified more than a dozen new species of dancing frogs. They are so called because of the unusual movements during the mating season: males “dance”, stretching their legs to the sides, attracting the attention of females.
■ There are rows of trees in the tea plantations in the Western Ghats. This is also tea, bushes turn into trees if they are not cut. Tea trees are left for shade and moisture retention.
The Western Ghats are a natural barrier to the movement of moisture-saturated air masses rushing to the Deccan Plateau from the Indian Ocean. Unable to overcome these mountains, moisture settles here, and literally drops get to the hinterland of Hindustan. So nature decided, and the Indians themselves are philosophical about this: the gods know better how to dispose of water and life.
The Western Ghats are one of those rare on earth mountainous areas, where, on the edge of the Deccan Plateau, which breaks off into the Arabian Sea, a special world of wildlife has been preserved, nowhere else found.
ON THE WESTERN CLIP OF HINDOSTAN
The Western Ghats are in fact not quite mountains, but the edge of the Deccan Plateau, which rose above the plains when the ancient supercontinent Gondwana disintegrated.
The Western Ghats, or Sahyadri, is a vast mountain system that stretches from north to south, from the valley of the Tapti River to Cape Komorin. This mountain system forms the western edge of the Deccan plateau, which occupies almost the entire Hindustan peninsula. The Western Ghats are separated from the Indian Ocean by a narrow strip of plains: their northern segment is called Konkan, the central one is Kanara, and the southern one is the Malabar coast.
The name of the mountains reflects not only their position in Hindustan, but also their appearance: Ghats in Sanskrit means “steps”. Indeed, the western slope of the mountain range is high and steep, and it descends in steps to the maritime plains that stretch along the coast of the Arabian Sea. The stepped landscape of the mountains was the result of the most ancient tectonic activity, the "collision" of the tectonic plate of the Deccan plateau on less elevated parts of the earth's crust. The process lasted for millions of years at different speeds. The Western Ghats are not a mountain range in the full sense, but a shifted edge of the Deccan basalt plateau. These shifts occurred 150 million years ago, when the Gondwana pro-continent was breaking up. Therefore, the northern section of the Western Ghats is composed of a layer of basalt up to 2 km thick, and in the south, less significant layers of gneiss and a variety of granite - charnockite predominate.
The highest peak of the Western Ghats - Mount Ana Moody - is also the highest point in India south of the Himalayas.
In contrast to the monolithic ridges of the north, the south is dominated by individual massifs scattered here and there with irregular outlines of peaks.
The eastern slope of the Western Ghats are gently sloping plains, descending towards the hinterland of Hindustan.
The Western Ghats are the most important watershed of India: here are the sources of the rivers flowing from west to east and flowing into the Bay of Bengal - Krishna, Godavari and Kaveri, and from east to west into the Arabian Sea - Karamana.
The Western Ghats play a decisive role in shaping the climate of the entire Hindustan peninsula, preventing the advance of moist air masses from the Arabian Sea, brought by the western monsoons. If in the west of the mountains almost 5 thousand mm of precipitation falls annually, then in the east - five times less. Therefore, the steep western slopes of the mountains are covered with tropical rainforests (almost all are cut down for firewood and plantations), and the more gentle and dry eastern slopes are covered with extensive shrouds, where in the middle of the grass stand individual candelabra-shaped spurges, acacias and deleba palms.
Communication between people living on both sides of the Western Ghats is facilitated by transverse tectonic valleys separating the mountains. It became a kind of roads that connected the Malabar coast and the Deccan plateau.
For the same reason, the Western Ghats have always attracted invaders who wanted to occupy these few trade routes from the sea inland. The mountains have witnessed the emergence of the largest Indian empires, were part of British colonial India. Now they are located on the territory of almost a dozen Indian states.
FIVE THOUSAND MOUNTAIN FLOWERS
The Western Ghats have a remarkably diverse fauna, with many species of flora endemic.
There is a clear difference in the composition of the population on both sides of the Western Ghats. The indigenous inhabitants of the western slopes are representatives of small tribal groups, speaking many languages, but united by common traditions and religions. Here they worship the spirits of ancestors, poisonous snakes, buffaloes. The main tribes are Konkani and Tuluva.
Unlike many other geographic regions of India, the Western Ghats are not as advanced in technology and tourism. Mostly they are engaged in agriculture, growing the so-called "English" vegetables and fruits cultivated since the time of the British colonial East India Company: potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and from fruits - pears, plums and strawberries. The heritage of the British is also the production of hard cheeses.
But the greatest wealth of the Western Ghats is tea: terraces with rows of tea bushes were made at the end of the 19th century. under the direction of the British East India Company. After the departure of the British, the plantations were preserved, and today India is the second country in the world in terms of the amount of tea produced after China.
For the sake of tea in the Western Ghats, almost all the sacred groves that have surrounded every temple since ancient times have been reduced. The few that remain are owned by village communities and run by a council of elders.
The Western Ghats are also the largest number of protected areas in India. The last of the rare species of animals remaining in the country survive here: the lion-tailed macaque, the Indian leopard, the Nilgiri goat-tar (living on Mount Ana-Moody), the sambar and muntjac deer, the prickly dormouse, the Nilgiri har-za, the primate hooded gulman. The total number of endangered species living in the Western Ghats is about 325.
The climate of the Western Ghats is currently undergoing significant changes. Previously, every year from September to December, on the slopes of the Western Ghats, especially in Anaikati, people from all over the world gathered to admire the magnificent butterflies. Now the number of fluttering insects has been drastically reduced. Scientists see the reasons for this phenomenon in global climate change, and the Western Ghats turned out to be the most sensitive to them from all regions of the world. Forest fires and the expansion of the plantation road network also played a role.
Cities in the Western Ghats are located at a considerable height above sea level, for example, the popular Indian resort - the city of Udhagamandalam - is located at an altitude of 2200 m. The largest city in the Western Ghats is Pune, the first capital of the Maratha empire.
Another famous city in the Western Ghats is Palakkad. It is located next to the wide (40 km) Palakkad Pass, which separates the southernmost part of the Western Ghats from the northern one. In the past, the Palakkad Passage was the main migration route from the interior of India to the coast. The pass also serves as the most important source of wind energy: the average wind speed here reaches 18-22 km / h, and large wind farms have been built along the pass.
CURIOUS FACTS
■ There are rows of trees in the tea plantations in the Western Ghats. This is also tea, bushes turn into trees if they are not cut. Tea trees are left for shade and moisture retention.
■ There are more than 20,000 varieties of roses in the state rose garden of Udhagamandalam, and a 20-million-year-old petrified tree in the Botanical Garden.
■ Male Indian muntjac deer mark their territory with secretions from the lacrimal glands.
■ Nearly all of the Irula people suffer from respiratory problems. This is caused by smoke from grass burned in the fields: this is how the Irula fight rats, which destroy up to a quarter of the grain crop.
■ Zambar is the largest Indian deer, about one and a half meters tall at the withers, weighing more than three centners and with antlers up to 130 cm long.
■ The name of Mount Ana Moody literally translated from the Malayalam language means "Elephant Mountain", or "Elephant forehead": its sloping top really resembles an elephant's forehead.
■ The small rodent prickly dormouse got its name because of the needle hair on the back. It is sometimes called a pepper rat - for its addiction to the fruits of ripening peppers.
■ The traditional art form of the Western Ghats - yakshagana, dance and drama performances with scenes from the ancient Indian epics "Mahabhara-ta" and "Ramayana", was first mentioned in 1105. Yakshagana is performed only by men.
■ A 2014 study in the Western Ghats rainforest identified more than a dozen new species of dancing frogs. They are so called because of the unusual movements during the mating season: males “dance”, stretching their legs to the sides, attracting the attention of females.
ATTRACTIONS
■ Natural: Bandipur and Mudumalai Reserves, Pikara River Falls and Rapids, Wenlock Lowlands, Mukurthi, Karimpuzha, Eravikulam and Silent Valley National Parks, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Emerald, Porthi Mund and Avalanche Lakes, Lakkom Falls.
■City of Udhagamandalam (Ooty): state rose garden, John Sullivan's stone bungalow (1822), church
St. Stephen's (1830), Botanical Garden (1847), Udagamandalam Lake, Toda People's Huts, Ooty Railway (1908), Deer Park.
■ City of Palakkad: Jain Temple of Jainimedu Jain (15th century), Brahmin retreat of Kalpati (15th century), Palakkad Fort (1766), Malampuzha Dam (1955), Imur Bhgavati Temple.
■ Pune City: Raja Kelkar Museum, Aga Khan Palace, Pataleshwar Temple, Simha Gad Forts, Rajgarh, Thorna, Purander and Shivneri Fortresses, Shanwarwa Da Palace (1736), Parvati Temple.
Eastern Ghats located in the east of India between Deccan plateau And Coromandel coast, which refers to the coast of the Bay of Bengal. These mountains originate in the state Orissa, and in the south they connect with Western Ghats in the mountains Nilgiri.
View from one of viewing platforms in the settlement of Yercaud, which is located in the Eastern Ghats
In the morning I left Auroville. The road is wonderful. You drive away from the coast and low rocky elevations begin to appear. When you haven’t seen the mountains for a long time, you rejoice at them so much! One of these elevations at my destination, but I did not climb to the very top. Long thought about the city Tiruvanamalai and mountain Arunachaleshwar y. First, a stranger recommended this place to me, then Sergey, my pen friend, advised me not to miss it. In the end, I didn't miss it. I climbed up, but did not get any pleasure from the views. On the half way I met a woman from Belarus already descending, she said that the views would not get better, at the top there is a temple, in which, after the festive rituals, it is very garbage and there are puddles of oils everywhere.
View from Mount Arunachaleshvara to the city of Tiruvanamalai
View from Tiruvanamalai to Mount Arunachaleshwara
Going downstairs, hurried to the bus to Salem. That city is quite large: lights, shops, cafes are everywhere, but like in all of India, unfinished interchanges and flyovers are full of garbage and it feels like the city has survived destructive hostilities, has not yet been restored, but the surviving people live and enjoy what they have.
Tried to fit in Catholic cathedral- didn't work out. I risked falling asleep on the street at the station on a bench. Half an hour later, the watchman tried to drive me away, then demanded 100 rupees. To all my refusals, he waved his hand and left. After some time, I realized that all my ways to hide the body from mosquitoes were not successful, I got up and saw a horde of bloodsuckers flying out from under me. I walked along the piron and found at the end of it a small, more or less clean piece of land. There he pitched a tent and fell asleep. In the morning I got ready before dawn in 18 minutes. All this time, while I was getting ready, a man was squatting in the bushes about three or four meters away. He never moved. Strange - I thought and left.
Decent and more beautiful views city of Salem. View from the roof of one of the buildings
Salem is a reference point for visiting the mountain village Yercaud, which is famous for plantations of coffee, oranges, jackfruit, guava, cardamom and black pepper. The forests of Yercaud are rich in sandalwood, teak, oaks. From wild animals there are bison, deer, foxes, mongooses, snakes, squirrels. Of the birds there are kites, sparrows and swallows. The village itself is located at around 1515m above sea level.
I liked the city. Very clean and many buildings that were erected by the British
Church in Yercaud
Inside Indian churches
The coolest place is here Lady's Seat. I got here early in the morning, before the invasion of tourists and for a long time enjoyed the view local mountains and the singing of birds issued from there. In Auroville I finished reading the book by Louis Jacollio "In the slums of India", which beautifully tells all the obstruction and wildness of these places. Mostly the Western Ghats, but these mountains too. I sat and imagined it all.
Yercaud settlement. Viewpoint Lady's Seat
One of the streets of the Yercaud settlement
Indian woman in the process of washing
As a result, I met a motorcyclist here, who gave me a lift to a couple of cool places, after which I went even further south.
IN Madurai I went for a reason to see the temple Meenakshi (dedicated to Parvati - the wife of the god Shiva).
On the streets of Madurai
To get to the temple, it was necessary to take off your shoes and hand over all your belongings to the storage room that was at the temple for visitors.
Inside the temple, my first surprise was the cleanliness. Then a monk called me to a corner where food was being distributed. It was Pongal porridge, which is a mixture of rice and lentils, although I think a little millet was also added to it.
In general, I liked the temple. For 40 minutes I meditated in front of some god in silence behind the column, where I was not visible. As throughout the south, believers wear black clothes and look like sorcerers. On the forehead they make an extensive dot of yellow color, then in the center of it a smaller red one and thus it resembles a third eye.
Temple of Meenakshi (Parvati) in Madurai. It looks like an ordinary temple in South India from the outside
Tamil Nadu temples were built by the villagers as religious, social, cultural, and political centers. The building has a certain scheme. Through the Gopura (main gate) in the wall one can go to the courtyard and further to the porch, the mandala (hall) and the main sanctuary. Worshipers move from an open space full of symbolic sculptures to a massive, dark space characterized by simplicity. High walls were made to protect against raids, and all the deities of the Hindu pantheon were depicted on Gopur, so that people of a lower caste could also pray without entering the temple. Often, all daily life is concentrated in the temple and merchants take their places.
Before I left the temple, I saw an elephant. I love these animals. Some people came up and dared to pet him. I just stood aside, watched and continued on my way ...
Madurai. Winter. Dry rivers trash A
Madurai. Winter. Dry rivers of garbage
The Sahyadri Mountains, more commonly referred to as the Western Ghats, are a grandiose mountain range that stretches for 1,600 kilometers along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau on the Hindustan Peninsula. The mountains originate on the border of two northern Indian states, one of which is Maharashtra and the other Gujarat, and end in the region southern city Kanyakumari. highest point of these mountains, covering an area of 60,000 square kilometers, is the top of Anamudi, reaching a mark of 2,695 meters above sea level.
Recognized as one of the most ancient mountain ranges on the planet, this grandiose mountain range has exceptional landforms and exhibits unique ecological and biophysical processes. The local alpine forests are under the constant influence of moist winds blowing from the water surface of the Indian Ocean. Moderating the western monsoons rich in abundant rainfall, the mountains form one of the most pronounced examples of tropical climate on the planet.
The Western Ghats have the highest biodiversity, notable for a large number of endemic life forms. In this respect mountain range recognized as one of the most amazing places wildlife all over the globe. The local evergreen rainforests are home to 130 species of mammals, including endemics such as spiny dormouse and Wanderu macaque; 180 species of amphibians, two thirds of which are endemic and 500 species of birds. More than 100 species of fish live in local reservoirs. No less interesting and mountain flora, which contains almost 5,000 species of flowering plants.
