Odisha

Geography of Odisha

• The state Odisha is situated between the geographical coordinates of 81.27'E and 87.29' East longitude and 17.49' N and 22.34' North latitude .
• It is the  9th largest state of India with an area of around 155707 sq km . Bay of  Bengal fences its boundaries from the eastern side with a coastline of around 450 km.
• Madhya Pradesh lies on its western part while it has Andhra Pradesh on its South; towards the North it has West Bengal as its neighbour.

Coastal Plains

• The coastal plains of Odisha stretch from Subarnarekha in the North to Rushikulya in the South. They are narrow in the north , widest in the middle, narrowest in the lake Chilka coast and broad in the south.
• The coastal plains are the gifts of six major rivers, which bring silt from their catchments, has reclaimed this area from the depths of the Bay of Bengal.
• The rivers from north to south are the Subarnarekha, thew Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahamani, the Mahanadi and the Rushikulya.

Mountainous Region

• The mountainous region of Odisha covers about three-fourth of the area of the state. The tegion is a part of Indian peninsula.
•  Morphologically this region can be divided into the following units .
• The Simulia and Meghasana mountains .
• The Baitarani and Brahamani interfluos. The watershed between the Brahamani and the Mahanadi.

Rolling Uplands 

• The rolling uplands are lower in elevation than the plateaus. They are the products of continued river action are rich in soil nutrients and are situated in the Koelsankh basin of the upper Brahamani in the IB the Suktel and the tell of the middle Mahanadi and the Sabari basins.
• The rolling uplands may be grouped as follows: the Rajganjpur uplands, the Jharsuguda uplands, the Bargarh uplands, the Balangir - Titlagarh uplands-the Patnagarh uplands, the Malkanigir uplands and the Rairangapur uplands.

Rivers 

• Mahanadi is the major river of Odisha and sixth largest river in India . It originates from the Amarkantak hills of the Bastar plateau in Raipur district of Chhatisgarh .
• The Brahamani is the second largest river in Odisha. It originates two major rivers like the Sankh and the Koel from the Chhotangpur plateau of Bihar and both join at Veda Vyasa near Rourkela of Sundergarh district of Odisha forming the major River Brahamani.
• The Baitarani originates from the Gonasika hills of the Keonjhar district. It id 365 km. long and its catchment area spreads over 12790 sq. km.
• Subarnarekha originates from Chhotnagpur plateau of Bihar . It is 433 km (70 km. in Odisha)  and has a catchment area of 19500 km.
• The Budhabalanga originates from the eastern sloops of the Similipala massif. It is about 175 km.
• The Rushikulya originates from Rushikulya hills of the Eastern Ghats in Phulbani district . It is 165 km long.

Waterfalls & Lakes 

• The Barehipani and Joranda (Similipal) in Myurbhanja district Sanaghagara and Badaghagara in Keonjhar district .
• Padhanpuri in Deogarh district Khandadhar(Banei) in Sundargarh district Phurliharan , Khandabaladhar, and Rabandhar in kalahandi district Kentamari and Putudi in Boudh and Phulbani district DumDuma in Malakangiri district and Bogra in Koraput district are some of the major waterfalls of Odisha .
• The Chilka Lake is blackish water lagoon located in the southern part of the Odisha coastal plane . Its salinity declines to a minimum during the monsoon.