Geographically,
Karnataka occupies three natural regions like the Coastal
strip, the Sahyadris and the Deccan plateau. They are known
in Kannada as Paschima Karavali, Malnad and Maidan respectively.
The topography
of Karnataka is largely a reflection of the geology of the
state. The Sahyadris are covered with evergreen forests.
They drop abruptly towards the Arabian Sea, thus forming
a natural barrier between the plateau and the coastal regions.
Four passes provide access to the coast. They are the Subrahmanya
Ghat, the Charmadi Ghat, the Shiradi Ghat, and the famous
Agumbe Ghat. The western Ghats slope gently towards the Bay
of Bengal. This is the plateau region drained by the two
principal rivers Krishna and the Kaveri. The average elevation
of the plateau is about 610 meters above sea-level.
