Geography
Punalur has an average elevation of 56 metres (184 ft). Many tourists have visited scenic spots along the Kallada River. The Palaruvi Falls is 35 kilometres (22 mi) from Punalur. The first eco-tourism project in Kerala is only 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Punalur on NH 208 towards Shenkottai.
Regarding climate, even though located near the Western Ghats, Punalur is the hottest place in Kerala, and during summer temperature has recorded even 44 °C (111 °F). Punalur and Chittur, Palakkad have a long reputation of being the hottest places in Kerala, but Punalur broke all heat records in 2009. The summers of 2007 and 2009 were the hottest in Punalur's history when the maximum temperature hovered around 40 °C (104 °F) for many days. Punalur also holds the record for the coldest temperature recorded in lowland and midland regions of Kerala; with 12.9 °C (55.2 °F) on January 8, 1968. Minimum temperature in January–February months on a cloudless day can be as low as 15 °C (59 °F) and maximum in March–April months can be as high as 40 °C (104 °F).
The extreme temperatures of Punalur during the recent years can be attributed to global warming, but the exact reason as to why Punalur part of Kerala experiences extreme temperatures remains a mystery, and weather scientists are currently investigating the issue.
Read more about this topic: Punalur
Famous quotes containing the word geography:
“At present cats have more purchasing power and influence than the poor of this planet. Accidents of geography and colonial history should no longer determine who gets the fish.”
—Derek Wall (b. 1965)
“Where the heart is, there the muses, there the gods sojourn, and not in any geography of fame. Massachusetts, Connecticut River, and Boston Bay, you think paltry places, and the ear loves names of foreign and classic topography. But here we are; and, if we tarry a little, we may come to learn that here is best. See to it, only, that thyself is here;—and art and nature, hope and fate, friends, angels, and the Supreme Being, shall not absent from the chamber where thou sittest.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Yet America is a poem in our eyes; its ample geography dazzles the imagination, and it will not wait long for metres.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)