Karaikal - Geography

Geography

Location

Karaikal is a small coastal enclave of territory which was formerly part of French India. Together with the other former French enclaves of Pondicherry, Yanam, and Mahé, Karaikal forms the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Karaikal is bounded on the North and South by Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu state, on the west by Tiruvarur district (also belonging to Tamil Nadu), and on the East by the Bay of Bengal. The enclave is located 132 km south of the city of Pondicherry, 158 km east of Trichy and is known for its rich cultural heritage.

Divisions

Karaikal town about 20 km. north of Nagappattinam and 12 km.south of Tarangambadi is the regional headquarters.

Karaikal region is made up of Karaikal municipality and the Communes of

• Nedungadu
• Kottucherry
• Neravy
• Thirunallar
• Tirumalairayanpattinam (know as T.R Pattinam.)

2004 Tsunami

On the 26th of December 2004, Karaikal faced its worst tragedy in recent memory. Tsunami waves hit this coastal town and more than 500 people, mostly fishermen and their families, were washed away by the killer waves.

Rivers

The main branches of Kaveri below Grand Anicut are the Kodamurutti, Arasalar, Virasolanar and the Vikramanar. Although Arasalar and its branches spread through Karaikal, the waters of Kodamurutti and Virasolanar also meet the irrigation needs of the region

Topography

Forming part of the fertile Cauveri delta the region is completely covered by the distributaries of Cauveri. Covered completely by a thick mantle of alluvium of variable thickness, the lie of the region is flat having a gentle slope towards the Bay of Bengal in the east. It is limited on the north by the Nandalar and on the south-east by the Vettar. The group of rocks known as Cuddalore formations is met with in the area contiguous to Karaikal region in Nagappattinam District.