geo.wikisort.org - Coast

The coastline of Andhra Pradesh is located on the southeast coast of the Indian Peninsula, and forms a part of the Northern Circars, with waters of Bay of Bengal. It has the second longest coastline in India next to Gujarat, with a length of 975 km (606 mi).[1][2] The coastal corridor consists of several ports, harbours, vast stretches of sandy beaches, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, fresh water lakes, and estuaries.

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Geography

The coast stretches from Ichchapuram of Srikakulam district to Tirupati district, and geographically lies in between the coasts of Orissa and Tamil Nadu. Coastal wetlands are spread over an area of 1,140.7 km² (440.4 sq mi).[1]

Coastal districts

There are 19 districts that have coastlines: 12 in Coastal Andhra, six in the Uttarandhra region and one in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. They are:

• Srikakulam,
• Anakapalli,
• Alluri Sitharama Raju district,
• Vizianagaram,
• Guntur,
• Bapatla,
• konaseema,
• NTR district,
• Palnadu,
• Eluru,
• kakinada,
• Vishakhapatnam,
• East Godavari,
• West Godavari,
• Krishna (Masula Beach),
• Parvathipuram Manyam,
• Prakasam,
• Nellore and
• Tirupati.

Each district has famous beaches to promote tourism in the state such as Bheemili Beach, Rushikonda Beach, Bhavanapadu Beach, Ramakrishna Mission Beach, Yarada Beach, Vodarevu Beach, Suryalanka Beach, and Narsapur. Visakhapatnam district in particular has many beaches.

Fishing and aquaculture

Farmers in coastal areas prefer fishery, aquaculture, molluscs, and shrimp production as their major occupation.[3] The geographical location of the state allows marine fishing as well as inland fish production which is more profitable than agriculture, with fresh water and brackish water aquaculture cultivation.[4]

Mineral deposits

Several minerals are found in the coastal corridor: beach sand, heavy mineral deposits such as ilmenite, leucoxene, and monazite. An estimate of 241 million tonnes of deposits of mineral reserves are present in the beach sand of the state coast.[5] Silica sand reserves are found along the coastal areas of Prakasam, Nellore and Guntur districts. Silica sand is used for moulding sand, sodium silicate, ceramic, and glass. Quartzites are found in Orvakal of Kurnool district.[6]

There have also been sightings of rare minerals on the coast.

Sea trade

During the medieval period, the British and the Dutch traded along the coast of India, with the Andhra Pradesh coast being one of their destinations. The evidence of this can be found in some coastal towns such as Bheemunipatnam. The coastline has major, intermediate and minor ports and fishing harbours for sea trade with other countries. Visakhapatnam Port is the major port on the east coast and there are several other ports from Srikakulam district to Krishnapatnam Port in Nellore district.[7]

Tropical cyclonic effects

Storms turn into severe cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and hence, 71 cyclones were recorded during 1892-1997 in the coastal region. Nellore district leads with 11 severe and 21 normal cyclones. Some factors like lack of flood protection and irrigation systems, drains, and embankments are responsible for severe damage to property in the coastal zone.[8][9]

See also

• Northern Circars

References

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