7 Amazing Facts About The Western Ghats You Should Know About

Older than the Himalaya mountains, the mountain range of the Western Ghats run parallel to the west coast of India and are a major hub for the flora and fauna. The site’s high mountain forest ecosystems influence the Indian monsoon weather pattern. It also has an exceptionally high level of biological diversity and endemic, and is recognized as one of the world’s eight ‘hottest hot spots of biological diversity.

The forests of the site include some of the best representatives of non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests anywhere and are home to at least 325 globally threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species.

Below are the amazing facts about western Ghats:

• The Western Ghats, is a mountain range that run along the west coast of India. They rise from near the Maharashtra-Gujarat border, and run through both states as well as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa.
• The Western Ghats is one of the 8 hottest hotspots of biological diversity in the world.
• These hills cover 160,000 km (62,000 sq mi) and form the catchment area for complex riverine drainage systems that drain almost 40% of India.
• The average elevation is about 1,200 m (3,900 ft).

• The Western Ghats have over 7000 species of flowering plants, almost 2000 non-flowering plants, over 100 mammal species, over 500 bird species, almost 200 amphibian species, almost 300 fish species, and an incredible 6000 insect species.
• In 2012, thirty nine places in the Western Ghats region have been declared as World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO.
• western Ghat's wind pays a major role in governing the climate as it determines the alteration of seasons. In summer they bring large masses of water, the condensation of which cause the monsoon rains. They are also responsible for the drying up and cooling of the peninsula in winter.
  

Sahya Dale brings you handicrafts and natural products from Western Ghats.