Geography of Chennai

Geography of Chennai

Chennai City is located on the southeast coast of India, occupying the northeast of Tamil Nadu and lying on the flat Eastern Coastal Plains. The average elevation of the city is about 6.7 metres (22 ft) above the sea level, while the highest point o0f the city is marked at 60 m (200 ft). The Marina Beach, the most famous and the second longest beach of the world, runs for about 12 km along the eastern shore of the city. Two rivers namely Koovam and Adyar run through the city, which are heavily polluted by the domestic and commercial wastes. Lakes known as Red Hills, Sholavaram and Chembarambakkam supply potable water to Chennai, while the groundwater sources of the city are becoming brackish.

The geography of Chennai can be studied under four distinct segments namely the North, Central, South and West. North Chennai is predominantly an industrial area, while the Central Chennai is the commercial hub of the region including an important business district called Parry’s Corner. Largely residential regions earlier, South Chennai and West Chennai are rapidly turning as a home to increasing number of IT firms, finance firms and call centres. The city experiences a dramatic expansion along the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST Road) in the south and towards Sriperumbdur and Kanchipuram in the west. Within city limits, Chennai hosts a national park, called as the Guindy National Park.