Palghat Gap

Palghat Gap, major break in the Western Ghats mountain range, in southwestern India. Located between the Nilgiri Hills to the north and the Anaimalai Hills to the south, it is about 20 miles (32 km) wide and straddles the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border, serving as a major communication route between those two states. Highways and rail lines through the gap connect Palghat in Kerala with Coimbatore and Pollachi in Tamil Nadu. Palghat Gap also influences southern India’s climate; the wet southwest monsoons as well as storms from the Bay of Bengal cross the mountains through the opening.