The coastline of Andhra Pradesh is located on the southeast coast of the
Indian Peninsula
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
, and forms a part of the
Northern Circars, with waters in
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line betwee ...
. It has the second longest
coastline
The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...
in India next to Gujarat, with a length of .
The coastal corridor consists of several ports, harbours, vast stretches of sandy beaches, wildlife, bird sanctuaries, fresh water lakes and estuaries.
Geography
The coast stretches from
Ichchapuram
Ichchapuram is a town in the Srikakulam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town is located nearly 142 km from the district capital, Srikakulam. Ichchapuram municipality is the largest urban local body in the Srikakulam ...
of
Srikakulam district to
Tirupati district
Tirupati district () is one of the twenty-six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Andhra Pradesh state. The district headquarters is located at Tirupati city. Tirupa ...
, and geographically lies in between the coasts of
Orissa
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...
and
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
. Coastal wetlands are spread over an area of .
Coastal districts
There are 19 districts that have coastlines: 12 in
Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra (South costal Andhra) also known as Kostha Andhra is a region in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Vijayawada is the largest city in this region. It was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. ...
, six in the
Uttarandhra
Uttarandhra or North coastal Andhra, also known as Kalinga Andhra is a region consisting of six northern districts of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises the districts of Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapat ...
region and one in the
Rayalaseema region of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. They are:
*
Srikakulam,
*
Anakapalli,
*
Alluri Sitharama Raju district
Alluri Sitharama Raju district, also known as Alluri district and by its initials as ASR district, is a district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The headquarters of the district is located at Paderu. Named after Alluri Sitarama Raju, a re ...
,
*
Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram is a city and the headquarters of Vizianagaram district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is central Eastern Ghats, about west of the Bay of Bengal and north-northeast of Visakhapatnam. The city has a population of 228,02 ...
,
*
Guntur,
*
Bapatla
Bapatla is a city and District headquarters of Bapatla district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the mandal headquarters of Bapatla mandal of Bapatla revenue division. The nearest towns and cities to Bapatla are ...
,
*
konaseema
Konaseema is a group of islands between the tributaries of the Godavari River and Bay of Bengal located in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. It is nicknamed "Gods Own Creation" due to similarities wit ...
,
*
NTR district
NTR district is a district in coastal Andhra Region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative headquarters is located at Vijayawada. The district is named after former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. T. Rama Rao.
History ...
,
*
Palnadu
Palnadu is a region located in Palnadu district and covering a portion of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is spread over the revenue divisions of Gurazala in Palnadu district and Markapur in Prakasam district.
History
The ...
,
*
Eluru
Eluru is a city and the district headquarters of Eluru district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the 14 municipal corporations in the state and the mandal headquarters of Eluru mandal in the Eluru revenue division. The cit ...
,
*
kakinada
Kakinada ( formerly called Kakinandiwada, Coringa, and Cocanada; ) is the sixth largest city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the district headquarters of the Kakinada District. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. J. ...
,
*
Vishakhapatnam
, image_alt =
, image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...
,
*
East Godavari
East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajahmundry. As of census 2011, it became the most populous district of the state with a population of 5,151,549.
In the Madras Pre ...
,
*
West Godavari,
*
Krishna (Masula Beach),
*
Parvathipuram Manyam,
*
Prakasam,
*
Nellore
Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the fourth most p ...
and
*
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is re ...
.
Each district has famous beaches to promote tourism in the state, such as
Bheemili Beach
Bheemili Beach is located at the origin of the Gosthani River, at a distance of 24 km from Visakhapatnam in Visakhapatnam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The beach reflects the British and Dutch settlements of the 17th cent ...
,
Rushikonda Beach
Rushikonda Beach located in Visakhapatnam on the coast of Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The beach is maintained by the state tourism board, APTDC.
Transportation
APSRTC runs buses to this area with these routes:
See ...
,
Bhavanapadu Beach,
Ramakrishna Mission Beach,
Yarada Beach,
Vodarevu Beach
Vodarevu Beach is located about 6 km from Chirala on the East coast of Bay of Bengal. It is situated in Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh. Coconut trees line the shore.
Vodarevu Beach is shortest distance beach from Hyderabad and Telangan ...
,
Suryalanka Beach, and
Narsapur.
Visakhapatnam district
Visakhapatnam district (formerly known as Vizagapatam district) is one of the six districts in the Uttarandhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, headquartered at Visakhapatnam. It is one of the twenty-six districts in Andhra Prad ...
in particular has many beaches.
Fishing and aquaculture
Farmers in coastal areas prefer
fishery,
aquaculture,
molluscs
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estim ...
, and
shrimp production as their major occupation. 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
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
aquaculture cultivation.
Mineral deposits
Several minerals are found in the coastal corridor:
beach sand, heavy mineral deposits such as
ilmenite
Ilmenite is a titanium-iron oxide mineral with the idealized formula . It is a weakly magnetic black or steel-gray solid. Ilmenite is the most important ore of titanium and the main source of titanium dioxide, which is used in paints, printing ...
,
leucoxene Leucoxene is a fine granular alteration product of titanium minerals. It varies in color from yellow to brown.
It consists mainly of rutile or anatase. It is observed in some igneous rocks and iron ore deposits as the result of the alteration of ...
, and
monazite
Monazite is a primarily reddish-brown phosphate mineral that contains rare-earth elements. Due to variability in composition, monazite is considered a group of minerals. The most common species of the group is monazite-(Ce), that is, the ceriu ...
. An estimate of
tonnes
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton (United States c ...
of deposits of mineral reserves are present in the beach sand of the state coast.
Silica sand
Sand casting, also known as sand molded casting, is a metal casting process characterized by using sand as the mold material. The term "sand casting" can also refer to an object produced via the sand casting process. Sand castings are produced i ...
reserves are found along the coastal areas of
Prakasam,
Nellore
Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the fourth most p ...
, and
Guntur districts. Silica sand is used for moulding sand,
sodium silicate,
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
, and
glass
Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...
.
Quartzites
Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to ...
are found in
Orvakal of
Kurnool district.
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
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
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
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
and fishing
harbours
A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
for sea trade with other countries.
Visakhapatnam Port
Visakhapatnam Port is one of 13 major ports in India and the only major port of Andhra Pradesh. It is India's third largest state-owned port by volume of cargo handled and largest on the Eastern Coast. It is located midway between the Chennai a ...
is the major port on the east coast, and there are several other ports from
Srikakulam district to
Krishnapatnam Port
Krishnapatnam Port popularly known as KPCL is a privately built and owned all weather, deep water port on the east coast of India, located in the Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh. It is located about 190 km north of the Chennai Port and ...
in
Nellore district.
Tropical cyclonic effects
Storms turn into severe cyclones in the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line betwee ...
, 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.
See also
*
Northern Circars
References
{{coord missing, Andhra Pradesh
Environment of Andhra Pradesh
Landforms of Andhra Pradesh
South India
Coasts of India