Question

What percentage of the total land of Kerala is occupied by the western ghats?
A.40%
B.48%
C.52%
D.56%

Answer 1

Hint: The Western Ghats are a mountain range.It crosses the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala,Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. It covers an area of 16000 square kilometres.

Complete answer: the Western Ghats play a very important role in influencing the monsoon pattern of India. It has a unique geomorphic feature which is of great importance. The percentage of total land of Kerala which is occupied by the Western Ghats is 48%.Out of the 44 rivers in Kerala, 41 originates in the Western Ghats.The deciduous forests of the Western Ghats contain several plantations of coffee, tea and cardamom.
The ghats are very rich in biodiversity. The Nilgiri tahr is found in this region along with other large mammals.The western Ghats consists of tropical wet evergreen forests. These forests contain habitats of unique and endangered animals. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also recognised as one of the world’s ‘eight hotspots’ of biodiversity in the world. The Western Ghats are older than the Himalayan mountain chains. The Ghats provide a barrier so that the monsoon laden winds get intercepted and cause rainfall.
Option B is the correct answer.

Note: The Western Ghats are also known as ‘Sahyadri’.The Ghats did not originate as the mountains. It originated from the edge of the Deccan Plateau and was separated by a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. These mountains also provide shelter to a lot of tribal cultures. Toda, Soliga,Hallaki are few of them.