Malabar Coast

Malabar Coast (măl`əbär), SW coast of India stretching c.525 mi (845 km) from Goa to the southern tip of the peninsula at Kanniyakumri (Cape Comorin), primarily in Kerala state and the northern part of Karnataka state. It is a narrow coastal plain bounded by the Western Ghats. Monsoon rains make the coast a fertile rice-growing region. It was the scene of trade struggles in the 16th and early 17th cent. between the Portuguese and their European and Indian rivals. In the late 17th cent. the British gained control of the region.

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Malabar Coast

Region, southwestern coast of India, stretching from the Western Ghats to the Arabian Sea. It now includes most of Kerala state and the coastal region of Karnataka state. It has sometimes been used to refer to the entire western coast of peninsular India. A large part of it was within the ancient kingdom of Keralaputra. The Portuguese established trading posts there; they were followed by the Dutch in the 17th century and the French in the 18th century. The British gained control of the region in the late 18th century.

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Malabar Coast, Malabar

a region along the SW coast of India, extending from Goa to Cape Comorin: includes most of Kerala state

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Malabar Coast 

the western coast of the Hindustan peninsula in India extending south from Goa. It consists of an alluvial lowland with a maximum width of 80 km and dome-shaped monadnocks (basalt in the north, granite and gneiss in the south). In the east it is rimmed by the slopes of the Western Ghats. The climate is subequatorial and characterized by monsoons. Air temperature changes little in the course of the year (from 25°C to 28°C). Annual precipitation totals 2,000-3,000 mm. The dry season is January and February in the south and December through April in the north. In certain areas evergreen and deciduous tropical forests with considerable species diversity (palms, bamboos, camellias, sandalwood, and many lianas and orchids) on laterite soils have been preserved. Mangroves grow in the estuaries of the rivers. The Malabar Coast is one of the most densely populated areas of India. Agriculture includes rice fields and plantations of cocoa palms, mangoes, and bananas. Mining of monazite from placers of marine origin is of great significance. Along the coast there are many deep lagoons, some of which have been converted into seaports (the largest is the port of the city of Cochin).

L. I. KURAKOVA