Geography
Gujarat state has the longest coastline in the country admeasuring around 1600 kms. with a diversity of habitats, especially mangroves, salt marshes, coral reefs, wetlands, and sea grasses. The state’s coastline is further adorned with around 144 islands.
An Island can be defined as any area of land smaller than a continent and entirely surrounded by water. Islands may occur in oceans, seas, lakes, or rivers. Based on their geographic location and natural features, the islands can be classified as offshore, estuarine, riverine or rocky
- Off shore Islands: These islands are the islands located in the sea / ocean and at a distance from the shore.
- Estuarine Islands: An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of brackish water. They are subject both to (i) marine influences such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water and to (ii) riverine influences such as flows of fresh water and sediment. The islands located within an estuary are classified as Estuarine Islands.
- Riverine islands: An island or landform or landmass formed by alluvial deposit within a river is called as a Riverine Island
- Rocky islands: Rocky Islands are basically islands formed by rock deposits or large rock and they have no vegetation growth on them.
