Key Facts about Gulf of Khambhat

About Gulf of Khambhat:

• The Gulf of Khambhat (also known as the Gulf of Cambay) is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat. It divides the Kathiawar Peninsula from the south-eastern part of Gujarat.
• Geography:
  • The periphery of the Gulf of Khambhat is an extensive area of estuarine habitats.
  • The Narmada, Tapti, Mahi and Sabarmati rivers drain into it. 
  • These rivers have deposited alluvium over large areas as the marine recession has united Saurashtra with the mainland of Gujarat.
  • The Gulf is not very deep and has abundant shoals and sandbanks. 
  • There are extensive areas of intertidal mud and sand flats in the deltas of the Mahi and Sabarmati rivers.
  • There are some coral reefs around small inlets in the western part of the Gulf.
• Its shape and its orientation in relation to the southwest monsoon winds account for its high tidal range (12 metres) and the high velocity of the entering tides.
• On the eastern side of the gulf are Bharuch, one of the oldest Indian ports, and Surat, identified with early European commercial contacts with India.
• The town of Khambhat is at the head of the gulf.

Q1: What is a shoal?

The term shoal is commonly used in earth sciences, oceanography and geomorphology to refer to a natural submerged bar, bank, or ridge which is made up of consolidated material such as sand. The material arises from the bed of an adjacent waterbody. The term is mostly used to denote a submerged bar, bank, or ridge, which rises close enough to a waterbody's surface to pose a danger to navigation. Two or more shoals that are linked via present or past hydrographic and sedimentary processes or separated by shared troughs are called a shoal complex.

Source : Indian Coast Guard rescues injured fisherman in Gulf of Khambhat