The two coastal plains of India are:
- The Eastern Coastal Plain, and
- The Western Coastal Plain
A comparative analysis of the two coastal plains of India are given below:
- The EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is extending from the mouth of the river Subarnarekha to Kanyakumari. The WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN) is stretching from Kutchh peninsula in the north to Kanyakumari in the south.
- Sand Dunes lakes, lagoons are common in the EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN but this is not so in case of WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN except in the southern part.
- Both the coastal plains have some beautiful sea beaches and have tourist resorts Juhu beach in Bombay, Panaji, Vasco and Mazagon beaches in Goa, Marina beach in Tamilnadu. Gopalpur and Puri beaches in Orissa and Digha beach in West Bengal.
- EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is well communicated by means of roadways and railways but WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN is not so developed in transport and communication.
- EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is situated in much tower attitude than the WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN.
- WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN has four divisions: Kutchh and Kathiwar coast (Gujarat), Konkan Coast, Kannada coast and Malabar Coast. But EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN two broad divisions—Northern Circars and the Coromondal Coast but broadly divided into three divisions: Coast of Orissa, Coast of Andhra Pradesh and coast of Tamil Nadu.
- The EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is drained by a large number of rivers like Subarnarekha, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kauvery, Palar, Penner, and Vaigai. The Western coastal plain is drained by Narmada, Tapi, Mahe, Bhadar, Ulhas, etc.
- The EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is fertile as it is made by the deltas of a number of rivers but WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN is not as fertile as the WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN has almost no deltas.
- The EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is not broken. So it has a few natural harbor and port. But WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN is broken and is providing with natural harbor facility to a large number of port.
- The EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is washed by the Bay of Bengal but the WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN is washed by the Arabian Sea.
- The EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is wider than the WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN. Its width is 100 km to 300 km. But the WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN is comparatively narrower only 30 km to 130 km.
- EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is developed in agriculture due to the irrigation facility and fertile soil. But WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN is not so.
- EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is developed both in agro-based and mineral based industries. But WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN is developed in mineral based industries.
- Most of rivers draining the EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN have deltas at their mouths but the rivers draining through WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN have no delta at their mouth.
- As the EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN is fertile and well communicated, it is densely populated and has a large number of towns and cities. But WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN is not so densely populated like the EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN.
- EASTERN COASTAL PLAIN receives rainfall twice in a year specially the Coromandel coast. But WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN receives only summer rainfall.