India's Coastline and Maritime Zones: Facts and PYQs
Complete notes on India's coastline: coastal States, the two coastal plains, lagoons, island groups and the maritime zones from territorial waters to the shelf.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 4 min read
India is a peninsula, and the sea decides much of its geography, its trade and its security. The country has a coastline of about 7,516.6 kilometres counting the island groups, nine coastal States and four coastal Union Territories, and a belt of water beyond the shore over which it holds rights of its own; the auction of offshore mineral blocks in the Andaman Sea is a reminder that these rights reach to the seabed as well. For an examination the topic splits neatly into two halves: the physical coast, with its plains, lagoons, deltas and islands, and the legal maritime zones measured in nautical miles from the baseline.
The coastal States and the two coasts
The nine coastal States, going anticlockwise from the north-west, are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. The coastal Union Territories are Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Gujarat has the longest coastline of any State, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands the longest of any Union Territory. The western coastal plain is narrow, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, and is a submergent coast, which is why it has estuaries, backwaters and natural harbours. From north to south it is called the Kachchh and Kathiawar coast, the Konkan coast of Maharashtra and Goa, the Kanara coast of Karnataka and the Malabar coast of Kerala, where the lagoons known as kayals, Vembanad among them, carry the backwater traffic of Kerala. The eastern coastal plain is broad and emergent, built by the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri. Its northern part is the Utkal coast of Odisha and the Northern Circars, and its southern part the Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu. Chilika in Odisha, the largest brackish water lagoon in the country, and Pulicat on the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, with Sriharikota as its barrier island, lie on this coast. Because the eastern coast is emergent and silt-laden, it has fewer natural harbours than the west.
The island groups
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal are the summits of a submerged mountain chain and number about 572 islands and islets, of which only a few dozen are inhabited. The Ten Degree Channel separates the Andaman group from the Nicobar group, the Duncan Passage separates South Andaman from Little Andaman, and the Coco Strait separates the group from the Coco Islands of Myanmar. Saddle Peak in North Andaman is the highest point of the group, Barren Island is the only active volcano in India, and Indira Point on Great Nicobar is the southernmost point of Indian territory, while Kanyakumari is the southernmost point of the mainland. The Lakshadweep group in the Arabian Sea is made of coral atolls, reefs and banks, about 36 islands in all, with Kavaratti as the capital. The Nine Degree Channel separates Minicoy from the main group and the Eight Degree Channel separates Minicoy from the Maldives.
The maritime zones
India's maritime zones are governed by the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and other Maritime Zones Act of 1976, which follows the scheme later settled in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982. All the zones are measured from the baseline, normally the low water line along the coast, and the unit is the nautical mile of 1.852 kilometres.
| Zone | Limit from the baseline | Rights of the coastal State |
|---|---|---|
| Internal waters | Landward of the baseline | Full sovereignty, as over land |
| Territorial waters | 12 nautical miles | Sovereignty, subject to innocent passage of foreign ships |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nautical miles | Control over customs, immigration, sanitation and fiscal law |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 nautical miles | Rights over living and non-living resources, and over research |
| Continental shelf | 200, and up to 350 in some cases | Rights over the seabed and the subsoil and their minerals |
| High seas | Beyond the economic zone | Open to all States; the seabed is the common heritage of mankind |
Why the zones matter
Inside the exclusive economic zone India alone may license fishing, oil and gas exploration and the mining of the seabed, and the Offshore Areas Mineral Development and Regulation Act of 2002 governs the grant of such mineral blocks. The zone also carries duties: the coastal State must conserve the living resources and allow the laying of submarine cables and pipelines by others. Innocent passage means that a foreign merchant ship may sail through territorial waters so long as it does not fish, pollute, survey or threaten the security of the coastal State. Coastal management on land is regulated through the Coastal Regulation Zone notification issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, which restricts construction near the high tide line, and the Sagarmala programme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways works on port-led development, coastal shipping and connectivity.
Exam Point of View
Papers ask the length of the coastline against the length of the land frontier, the State with the longest coastline, the differences between the eastern and the western coastal plain, the channels between the islands, and the limits of the maritime zones in nautical miles. The traps are Kanyakumari against Indira Point for the southernmost point, the Nine Degree and Ten Degree Channels, Chilika against Pulicat, and the contiguous zone against the exclusive economic zone for enforcement of customs law. The Act of 1976 and the Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 are asked by name.
Important Facts
| Total coastline | About 7,516.6 km including the island groups |
|---|---|
| Coastal States and UTs | Nine States and four Union Territories |
| Longest coastline, State | Gujarat, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu |
| Western coast sections | Kachchh, Kathiawar, Konkan, Kanara and Malabar |
| Eastern coast sections | Utkal, Northern Circars and Coromandel |
| Largest lagoon | Chilika, Odisha, a Ramsar site |
| Andaman and Nicobar | About 572 islands; Saddle Peak is the highest point |
| Only active volcano | Barren Island, Andaman Sea |
| Southernmost point | Indira Point, Great Nicobar |
| Lakshadweep | About 36 coral islands; capital Kavaratti |
| Territorial waters | 12 nautical miles, with innocent passage |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nautical miles, customs and immigration control |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 nautical miles, resource rights |
| Governing law | Maritime Zones Act, 1976; UNCLOS, 1982 |
Practice MCQs on this topic
What is the total length of India's coastline, counting the island groups?
- A.About 5,422 kilometres
- B.About 6,100 kilometres
- C.About 7,516 kilometres
- D.About 15,200 kilometres
Show answer
The figure usually quoted is 7,516.6 kilometres, which counts the coast of the mainland together with that of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
Read the full explanation →Which Indian State has the longest coastline?
- A.Gujarat
- B.Andhra Pradesh
- C.Tamil Nadu
- D.Maharashtra
Show answer
Its coast runs along the Gulf of Kachchh and the Gulf of Khambhat and around the Kathiawar peninsula, which gives it a far longer shoreline than any other State, and it is followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Read the full explanation →The territorial waters of India extend up to how many nautical miles from the baseline?
- A.12 nautical miles
- B.24 nautical miles
- C.200 nautical miles
- D.350 nautical miles
Show answer
Under the Maritime Zones Act of 1976 the territorial waters extend to twelve nautical miles from the baseline, and within them India has sovereignty over the water, the seabed, the subsoil and the air space, subject only to the right of innocent passage of foreign ships.
Read the full explanation →The exclusive economic zone of a coastal State extends up to
- A.12 nautical miles
- B.24 nautical miles
- C.100 nautical miles
- D.200 nautical miles
Show answer
Within this zone the coastal State has sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing the living and non-living resources of the water, the seabed and the subsoil, and exclusive jurisdiction over artificial islands, marine scientific research and the protection of the marine environment.
Read the full explanation →The Ten Degree Channel separates which two groups of islands?
- A.Andaman and Nicobar groups
- B.Lakshadweep and Minicoy
- C.Minicoy and the Maldives
- D.Great Nicobar and Sumatra
Show answer
The Ten Degree Channel runs roughly along the parallel of ten degrees north and separates Little Andaman in the south of the Andaman group from Car Nicobar in the north of the Nicobar group.
Read the full explanation →Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in India, lies on the coast of which State?
- A.West Bengal
- B.Odisha
- C.Andhra Pradesh
- D.Tamil Nadu
Show answer
Chilika is a shallow lagoon on the Utkal coast, cut off from the Bay of Bengal by a long sand bar and connected to it by a narrow mouth, which is why its water is brackish; it is the largest lagoon of the country, a Ramsar site and the winter…
Read the full explanation →Barren Island, the only active volcano in India, is a part of which island group?
- A.Lakshadweep
- B.Andaman Islands
- C.Nicobar Islands
- D.Gulf of Mannar islands
Show answer
Barren Island lies in the Andaman Sea to the east of Middle Andaman and is the only confirmed active volcano in India; Narcondam, also in the Andaman group, is treated as dormant.
Read the full explanation →Indira Point, the southernmost point of Indian territory, is situated in
- A.Great Nicobar
- B.Little Andaman
- C.Minicoy
- D.Kanyakumari
Show answer
Indira Point at the southern tip of Great Nicobar is the southernmost point of the territory of India and lies close to the equator; it was earlier called Pygmalion Point and Parsons Point, and its lighthouse subsided during the earthquake and tsunami of December 2004.
Read the full explanation →In which zone may a coastal State enforce its customs, immigration and sanitary laws, although it is beyond its territorial sea?
- A.The contiguous zone
- B.The exclusive economic zone
- C.The continental shelf
- D.The high seas
Show answer
In this belt the coastal State is not sovereign, but it may exercise the control needed to prevent and punish the infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary laws within its territory or territorial sea.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following features is characteristic of the western coastal plain of India?
- A.Wide deltas built by large rivers
- B.Estuaries, backwaters and natural harbours
- C.An emergent coast with sand bars and lagoons
- D.The Coromandel coast and the Northern Circars
Show answer
The western coastal plain is narrow, steep and submergent, so the rivers of the Western Ghats reach the sea through estuaries rather than deltas, and the drowned valleys give deep natural harbours such as Mumbai, Marmagao, New Mangalore and Kochi, besides the Kerala backwaters called kayals.
Read the full explanation →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone?
The territorial sea reaches twelve nautical miles and India is sovereign there, as it is over land, subject to the innocent passage of foreign ships. The exclusive economic zone reaches two hundred nautical miles and gives rights over resources, research and artificial islands, but other States keep the freedom of navigation and overflight.
Which is the southernmost point of India?
Indira Point at the southern tip of Great Nicobar is the southernmost point of Indian territory. Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu is the southernmost point of the mainland, and the two are regularly offered as alternatives in the same question.
Why does the western coast have more natural harbours than the eastern coast?
The western coast is a submergent coast, so river valleys have been drowned and the water is deep close to the shore, which gives natural harbours such as Mumbai and Kochi. The eastern coast is emergent and the large rivers deposit silt in wide deltas, which makes the water shallow and the harbours artificial.
What is a nautical mile?
A nautical mile is 1,852 metres, that is 1.852 kilometres, and it corresponds to one minute of latitude. All maritime limits, from the twelve-mile territorial sea to the two-hundred-mile economic zone, are measured in nautical miles from the baseline.
Which law governs India's maritime zones?
The Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and other Maritime Zones Act of 1976. It fixed the limits of each zone and the rights India exercises in them, and it is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.
Sources
- India: Physical Environment (Class XI), chapter on the physiography of India — NCERT
- The Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and other Maritime Zones Act, 1976 — Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 — United Nations
