Coastal Plains and Islands Life

Coastal Plains and Islands Life

Introduction : Coastal Plains
In the last chapter, we learned about the states with a larger part of the plateau. In this chapter, we will study the states and union territories that have a larger part of the coastal plains. Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, and Kerala form the western coastal plains, while Puducherry lies in the eastern coastal plains.

Gujarat
Gujarat is a hub of industry and trade. Dairy-farming, machine tools, glass, cotton textile, diamond-cutting are important industries. This state produces salt on a large scale. Owing to rich black soil and rivers like the Narmada, Tapi and Sabarmati, cotton has become the main crop. Other crops include groundnut, sugarcane, rice, maize and millets. The people of Gujarat are accepted as fine businessmen and traders. The capital of Gujarat is Gandhinagar. Other important cities include Surat, Porbandar, Vadodara etc. Ahmedabad is a place of tourist attraction for Gandhiji’s Sabarmati Ashram. The Gir National Park is the only natural home for the Asiatic lion. Fort of Moti Daman Dandia The people in Gujarat speak Gujarati. Hindi and English too are widely understood. Men wear dhoti-kurta-Gandhi cap and women wear ghaghara-choli. Garba and Dandia are popular dance forms. The famous dishes are dhokla, bhakri and srikhand. During the festival of Navratri, Gujarat comes alive with Dandia.

                Dandia