Kathiawad peninsula of which Jamnagar district forms part
was originally on island, quite unconnected with Gujarat, India, and its
present peninsular form is attributable to volcanic action. The physical
feathres of the district also suggest that it forms part of what might once
have been an island or group of islands of volcanic origin.
The topography of the district is uneven, broken at places
by hill ranges and ranges of sand dunes. The plain terrain has an average
height of 250 feet and the Dwarka cliffs rise sheer off the sea to a height of
100 feet. The heighest peaks are the Barda Hills in the south-west where they
reach upto a height of 2000 feet. The hills being scattered in the several
talukas, the plain area is not continuous or uniform in height. The south-west
and the central-north are higher while the land gradually sinks to the
north-cost and west. Mount Venu, the heighest summit of Barda Hills is 2057
feet. The district can be divided into three physical regions, the Coastal
Plain including the island offshore, the Plains and the Hills.
The district is deveid of any large perennial streams. Most
of the rivers are small and flow lazily through the low lying lands, into the
marsh and sand of the seaboard. The stream flow towards the Gulf of Kutch in
the North and North-West. None of them have any large tributaries and most
of them are dry channels till the advent
of the monsoon. The district is drained from South to North and from South-East
to the North-West to the Gulf of Kutch or the Arabian Sea. The principal rivers
are the Aji, Und, Vartu, Venu, Ghee, Rangmati, Nagmati, Guljar, Sasoi, Sihan,
Ruparel and Demi.
Important minerals found in the district are Bauxite,
Calcite, Calcareous Sand, Sea Sand, Gypsum, Gemstones like Aqate, Amethyst,
Onyx, etc.
The forest area in the district measures about 647.49
Sq.Kms. The forest area are classified into three different types: mangrove
forests, open scrab forest and
grasslands. Forests in the district are poor and there are many blanks in the
forest areas. Under the second and third
five year plans, 3,325 acres of land have been afforested.
Mangrove rainfall in the district is not conducive to
abundant growth of orchards and plantations in the district. Yet, in certain
areas and tracts where conditions permit, fruit cultivation has been
undertaken. The fruits commonly grown are manog, coconut, chikoo, papaya and
banana.
The district like all other districts of saurashtra, has
seen a rapid decline in the number of wild animals. This is due to killing by
shooting and snaring of animals and destination of natural vegetation by
overgrazing. Some of the wild animals are panthers, hyena, wolf, jackal, fox,
wild cat, wild pig, mongoose, porcupine, sambhar, spotted deer, bull, black
buck, etc. were common sighted wild animals.
No comments:
Post a Comment