Kerala backwaters
Also called: Kayal, Backwater · Topic: Structure and Physiography of India: Himalayas, Plains, Peninsula, Coasts and Islands · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "Structure and Physiography"; Class 11, Ch 6 "Natural Hazards and Disasters: Causes, Consequences and Management"; Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
The Kerala backwaters are shallow lagoons along the Malabar coast of Kerala. Locally they are called kayals. A lagoon is a body of water cut off from the sea by a natural barrier. Here that barrier is a sand bar. The backwaters are used for fishing, inland boat transport and tourism. They are a typical feature of the Malabar coast.
Example
Vembanad in Kerala is the largest of the backwaters. Every year the Nehru Trophy Vallamkali, a snake-boat race, is held on Punnamada Kayal near Alappuzha.
Don't confuse with
- Estuary: this is the wide tidal mouth of a river, where the river meets the sea directly, as with the Narmada and Tapi. A backwater lagoon is held back from the sea by a sand bar.
Related concepts
- Coastal plains of India
- Western coastal plain
- Konkan coast
- Malabar Coast
- Eastern coastal plain
- Coromandel Coast