Malnad (or Malenadu) is a region in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Malenadu covers the western and eastern slopes of the Western Ghats mountain range and is roughly 100 kilometers in width. It includes the districts of

Uttara Kannada Uttara Kannada is a fifth largest district in the Indian state of Karnataka, It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belagavi districts to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shivamogga District, and Udupi District to ...

, Shivamogga,

Chikkamagaluru Chikmagalur (officially Chikkamagaluru, ), previously known as ''Kiriya-Muguli'' is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri, Mullayanagiri peak of the We ...

Udupi Udupi () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...

Belagavi Belgaum (Kannada ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma'', ), officially known as Belagavi (also Belgaon), is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located near its northern western border in the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters ...

Dakshina Kannada Dakshina Kannada district is located in the states and territories of India, state of Karnataka in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangaluru. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east and the ...

, Hassan,

Kodagu Kodagu district () (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative List of districts of Karnataka, district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State at which point it was merged ...

. The region experiences heavy annual rainfall of ; it includes the village of Agumbe, which receives the highest annual rainfall in Karnataka (over 10,000 mm). This region of the state experiences unique development problems due to settlement patterns, sparse population, topography, dense forest, and numerous rivulets. Villages in the Malnad are scattered throughout remote areas. To encourage development in the area, the l Area Development Board was created to implement necessary projects. The districts covered initially in this region were Shivamogga,

, and Hassan. Presently, the Development Board operates in part or all of 13 districts of the state, and comprises 65 Assembly constituencies and 61 taluks:

Climate

Rainfall

The Western Ghats acts as the rain barrier during south-west monsoon season. This region is one of the wettest regions in the world, with some rainfall measurements of over .

References

{{coord, 13, 10, N, 75, 30, E, type:landmark_region:IN, display=title Regions of Karnataka