Location of Orissa

Orissa is surrounded by West Bangal on the north-east, Jharkhand (formerly part of Bihar) on the north, Chhatisgarh (formerly part of Madhya Pradesh) on the west and Andhra Pradesh on the south, while the Bay of Bengal washes its shores on the east.

It is located between the parallels of 17 degree 49'E and 22° 34'N latitudes and the meridians of 81degree 27'E and 87degree 29'E longitudes. The geographical area of the state is 1,55,707 sq. km. It got its final shape on January 1, 1949 when Mayurbhanj, the last among the princely states, merged in it.

Owing to its peculiar geographical location and wide range of physical features, Orissa embraces a diversified floristic composition. The extensive ranges of hilly forests, several lofty peaks, long stretch of coastline, excellent riverine system, brackish waters and coastal plains have endowed the state with a wide range of ecological habitats for a diverse and broad spectrum of vegetation.

Orissa Natural Regions : The eye-catching beauty of this land is enhanced by the diversity of the natural regions. Orissa is divided into five natural regions: the coastal plains, the river valleys and flood plains, the rolling uplands, the plateaus, and the hills and mountains.

The coastal plains (upto 75m in elevation) are formed by the alluvial deposits of the six major rivers, namely, Mahanadi, Subarnarekha, Burhabalanga, Brahmani, Baitarani, Rushikulya and their tributaries and distributaries. The long stretch of land, from the Subarnarekha in the north to the Rushikulya in the south, adjoining the 480 km long coastline, covers the undivided districts of Balasore, Cuttack, Puri and a part of Ganjam.

The plains are narrowest on the Chilika lake coast and again broad in the south. They constitute a perennially green belt of fertile land watered by the rivers and canals and are know as the 'granary' of Orissa.