Editing Gujarat (section)

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Gujarat}}
{{See also|Climate of Gujarat|List of rivers of Gujarat}}
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Gujarat borders the [[Tharparkar District|Tharparkar]], [[Badin District|Badin]] and [[Thatta District|Thatta]] districts of [[Pakistan]]'s [[Sindh]] province to the northwest, is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the southwest, the state of [[Rajasthan]] to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and by Maharashtra, the [[Union Territory]] of [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu]] to the south. Historically, the north was known as [[Anarta]], the Kathiawar peninsula, "Saurastra", and the south as "Lata".<ref>P. Page xvii ''Historical and Cultural Chronology of Gujarat'' edited by Manjulal Ranchholdlal Majmudar</ref> Gujarat was also known as Pratichya and Varuna.<ref>P. 391 ''The Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism'' by Benjamin Walker</ref> The Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast. The capital, Gandhinagar is a [[planned city]]. Gujarat has an area of {{cvt|75686|sqmi|km2}} with the longest coastline (24% of Indian sea coast) {{cvt|1600|km}}, dotted with 41 ports: one major, 11 intermediate and 29 minor.

The [[Narmada River|Narmada]] is the largest river in Gujarat followed by the [[Tapti River|Tapi]]. The [[Sabarmati River|Sabarmati]] has the longest course through the state.
The Sardar Sarovar Project is built on Narmada, one of the major rivers of [[peninsular India]] where it is one of only three major rivers that run from east to west &ndash; the others being the Tapi and the [[Mahi River|Mahi]]. It is about {{cvt|1312|km}} long. Several riverfront embankments have been built on the Sabarmati River.

The eastern borders have fringes of low mountains of India, the [[Aravalli Range|Aravalli]], [[Western Ghats|Sahyadri (Western Ghats)]], [[Vindhya Range|Vindhya]] and [[Saputara]]. Apart from this the Gir hills, Barda, Jessore and [[Chotila]] together make up a large minority of Gujarat. [[Girnar]] is the tallest peak and [[Saputara]] is the only hill-station (hilltop resort) in the state.

=== Rann of Kutch ===
{{Main|Rann of Kutch}}
Rann (રણ) is Gujarati for desert. The Rann of Kutch is a seasonally marshy saline clay desert in the [[Thar Desert]] biogeographic region between the Pakistani province of [[Sindh]] and the rest of the state of Gujarat; it commences {{cvt|8|km}} from the village of Kharaghoda, Surendranagar District.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="134">
File:Mount Kiro.jpg|Mount Karo, [[Kutch]]
File:Cracked earth in the Rann of Kutch.jpg|Cracked earth in the [[Rann of Kutch]]
File:Kutch White Rann Tents (8335851293).jpg|The colourful Rann Utsav Festival is held annually in the [[Rann of Kutch]].
File:People in the Twilight.jpg|People enjoying Raan Utsav at [[Dhordo]], [[Kutch]]
File:Kutch Adventures India.jpg|Camel ride in [[Rann of Kutch]]
File:Greater Flamingo at Kutch.jpg|[[Greater Flamingo]] at [[Rann of Kutch]]
</gallery>

=== Flora and fauna ===
{{Main|Fauna of Gujarat|List of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of Gujarat, India}}

==== Prehistoric fauna ====
[[File:Dinosaurs Park.jpg|thumb|Indroda [[Dinosaur]] and Fossil Park, [[Gandhinagar]]]]

In the early 1980s, palaeontologists found [[dinosaur egg]] hatcheries and [[fossil]]s of at least 13 species in [[Balasinor]].<ref name="bbc_jurassic"/> The most important find was that of a carnivorous [[Abelisauridae|abelisaurid]] dinosaur named ''[[Rajasaurus|Rajasurus narmadensis]]'' which lived in the [[Late Cretaceous]] period.<ref name="bbc_jurassic">{{cite news |title=The wonders of India's Jurassic Park |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8671676.stm |access-date=2 January 2024 |work=BBC |date=11 May 2010 |archive-date=10 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510111635/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8671676.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Smithsonian"/> A notable discovery in the village of Dholi Dungri was that of ''[[Sanajeh indicus]]'', a primitive [[Madtsoiidae|madtsoiid]] snake that likely preyed on [[sauropod]] dinosaur hatchlings and embryos.<ref name="Smithsonian">{{cite news |last1=Dixit |first1=Neha |date=21 January 2016 |last2=Mehta |first2=Vishal |title=Meet India's Dinosaur Princess |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/balasinor-dinosaur-fossil-park-raiyoli-gujarat-india-princess-aaliya-sultana-babi-180957798/ |work=[[Smithsonian Magazine]] |access-date=2 January 2024 |archive-date=2 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102120728/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/balasinor-dinosaur-fossil-park-raiyoli-gujarat-india-princess-aaliya-sultana-babi-180957798/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=Jeffrey A. |last2=Mohabey |first2=Dhananjay M. |last3=Peters |first3=Shanan E. |last4=Head |first4=Jason J. |title=Predation upon Hatchling Dinosaurs by a New Snake from the Late Cretaceous of India |journal=PLOS Biology |date=2 March 2010 |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=e1000322 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.1000322 |doi-access=free |pmid=20209142 |pmc=2830453 |issn=1544-9173}}</ref>

==== Extant species ====
According to the ''India State of Forest Report 2011'', Gujarat has 9.7% of its total geographical area under forest cover.<ref name="State of forest report 2011">{{Cite press release |title=Forest and tree resources in states and union territories |publisher=Forest survey of India (Ministry of Environment and Forests) |url=http://www.fsi.org.in/cover_2011/gujrat.pdf |access-date=28 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523224905/http://www.fsi.org.in/cover_2011/gujrat.pdf |archive-date=23 May 2012}}</ref> Among the districts, [[The Dangs]] has the largest area under forest cover. Gujarat has four national parks and 21 sanctuaries. It is the only home of Asiatic lions and, outside [[Africa]], is the only present natural habitat of lions.<ref name="Singh2011">{{Cite journal |last1=Singh, H. S. |last2=Gibson, L. |year=2011 |title=A conservation success story in the otherwise dire megafauna extinction crisis: The Asiatic lion (''Panthera leo persica'') of Gir forest |url=http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/lab/cons-lab/documents/Singh_Gibson_Biol_Cons_2011.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=144 |issue=5 |pages=1753–1757 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.009 |bibcode=2011BCons.144.1753S |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808105532/http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/lab/cons-lab/documents/Singh_Gibson_Biol_Cons_2011.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2017 |access-date=18 July 2017 | issn=0006-3207}}</ref> [[Gir Forest National Park]] in the southwest part of the state covers part of the lions' habitat. Apart from lions, [[Indian leopard]]s are also found in the state. They are spread across the large plains of Saurashtra and the mountains of South Gujarat. Other National Parks include [[Vansda National Park]], [[Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar]] and [[Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch|Narara Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutchh, Jamnagar]]. Wildlife sanctuaries include [[Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary]], [[Porbandar Bird Sanctuary]], [[Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Kutch Bustard Sanctuary]], [[Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary]], [[Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary]], Anjal, [[Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary|Balaram-Ambaji]], [[Barda Wildlife Sanctuary|Barda]], [[Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary|Jambughoda]], [[Khavda]], Paniya, [[Purna Wildlife Sanctuary|Purna]], Rampura, [[Ratan Mahal Wildlife Sanctuary|Ratan Mahal]], and Surpaneshwar.

In February 2019, a [[Bengal tiger]] claimed to be from [[Ratapani Tiger Reserve|Ratapani]] in Madhya Pradesh was spotted in the area of [[Lunavada]] in [[Mahisagar district]], in the eastern part of the state,<ref name="HT 02-2019">{{Cite news |date=18 February 2019 |title=Like humans, animals too have a right to migrate |work=The [[Hindustan Times]] |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/like-humans-animals-too-have-a-right-to-migrate/story-61db8VDgKftuIkBtPNO6eL.html |url-status=live |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227174147/https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/like-humans-animals-too-have-a-right-to-migrate/story-61db8VDgKftuIkBtPNO6eL.html |archive-date=27 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="DTE 02-2019">{{Cite news |last=Ghai |first=Rajat |date=12 February 2019 |title=Camera trap proves Gujarat now has tiger |work=[[Down To Earth (magazine)|Down To Earth]] |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/camera-trap-proves-gujarat-now-has-tiger-63216 |url-status=dead |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212203213/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/camera-trap-proves-gujarat-now-has-tiger-63216 |archive-date=12 February 2019}}</ref> before being found dead later that month, likely from starvation.<ref name="TOI 03-2019">{{Cite news |last=Kaushik |first=Himashu |date=9 March 2019 |title=Tiger that trekked from MP to Gujarat died of starvation: Post-mortem report |work=The [[Times of India]] |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/68327799.cms |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=28 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228102726/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/68327799.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Gir lion-Gir forest,junagadh,gujarat,india.jpeg|An [[Asiatic lion]] family, which occurs in and around [[Gir National Park]]
File:Greater Flamingo, Jamnagar, Rangilo Gujarati 01.jpg|Greater [[flamingo]], [[Jamnagar]]
File:Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena).jpg|[[Striped hyena]] at the [[Gir Forest National Park]]
</gallery>