The Konkan, also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is the name given to a stretch of rugged and beautiful section of the western coastline of India from Ratnagiri to Mangalore. The sapta-Konkan is a slightly larger region described in the Skanda-purana.

Konkan is also one of six divisions of the state of Maharashtra.

Residents of Konkan and their descendants are called Konkanis. The name may also refer specifically to the Konkani people, an ethnic group of the region; most of them speak the Konkani language, which is related to Marathi.

The Sanskrit term Konkanashta, meaning "Native of Konkan", is used to refer to the Chitpawan, a Brahmin caste of the region.

Boundaries

The precise

The sapta-Konkan as depicted in Skanda-purana stretches from southern Gujarat in the north to Kerala in the south. This is actually logical since there are a lot of similarities in the food-habits (rice and fish), crops cultivated (rice, mangoes, cashews and jackfruit) and the physique (short, slim and very agile) of people dwelling in this area.

The Konkan division

The Konkan division of Maharashtra comprises the entire coastal region of the state, including Mumbai.

• Area: 30,746 km²
• Population (2001 census): 24,807,357
• Districts: Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Raigarh, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Thane
• Literacy: 81.36%
• Area under irrigation: 4,384.54 km²

See also

• Konkan Railway
• History of Konkan

Konkan