Indian Coastline

Subject – Geography

Context – ‘Redraw coastline to cope with rise in sea level’.

Concept –

India has a coastline of 6 Km [6100 km of mainland coastline + coastline of 1197 Indian islands]touching 13 States and Union Territories (UTs).
The straight and regular coastline of India is the result of faulting of the Gondwanaland during the Cretaceous period (Continental Drift)
As such the coast of India does not offer many sites for good natural harbours.
- [Indented coastlines of Europe provide good natural harbours whereas African and Indian coastlines are not indented].
The Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea came into being during the Cretaceous or early Tertiary period after the disintegration of Gondwanaland.