Kathiawar

Kathiyawar
Saurashtra
Kathiawar peninsula as seen from the NASA Earth Observatory
Location of Saurashtra in India
Coordinates: 22°N 71°E / 22°N 71°E / 22; 71
CountryIndia
StateGujarat
Area
  Total
60,000 km2 (20,000 sq mi)
Languages
  officialGujarati
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)

Kathiawar ([kɑʈʰijɑʋɑɽ]), also known as Saurashtra, is a peninsula in the south-western Gujarat state in India, bordering the Arabian Sea and covering about 61,000 km2 (23,500 sq mi). It is bounded by the Kutch district in the north, 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 the state 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. It was formerly a state of India.