Kathiawar ([kɑʈʰijɑʋɑɽ]) is a
peninsula, near the far north of
India's west coast, of about 61,000 km2 (23,500 sq mi) bordering the
Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the
Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the
Gulf of Khambhat in the east. In the northeast, it is connected to the rest of
Gujarat and borders on the low, fertile hinterland of
Ahmedabad. It is crossed by two belts of hill country and is drained radially by nine rivers which have little natural flow aside from in monsoon months, thus dams have been built on some of these. Kathiawar ports have been flourishing centres of trade and commerce since at least the 16th century.[1]
Etymology and history
The name Kathiawad seems to have been derived from the early settlements of Kathikas or
Kathis who entered
Gujarat from
Sindh in early centuries of the
Common Era.[2][3]
History
Literary comment
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
The natural vegetation on most of the peninsula is
xeric scrub. A range of low hills known as the Gir Hills occupies the south-central portion of the peninsula. The highest of these is
Girnar. The hills are home to an enclave of
tropical dry broadleaf forest.[5]
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