Gosthani River

The Gosthani River is a river in India. It rises in the Ananthagiri Hills of the Eastern Ghats and flows through the Borra Caves which lie near its source. It is the largest river flowing through Visakhapatnam city. It flows for 120 km before joining the Bay of Bengal through an estuary near Bheemunipatnam. The river basin drains the two coastal districts of Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam. The basin exhibits a subdendritic and dendritic pattern of drainage. The Gosthani's is a minor river basin with a total drainage area of less than 2000 km2. Much of the basin is covered by khondalite group of gneissic rocks. About 3% of the total area of the Visakhapatnam district is under the Gosthani basin. The river is rainfed, receiving an average rainfall of 110 cm most of which comes from the south-west monsoon. There are several red sand hills near Bheemunipatnam, where the Gosthani joins the Bay of Bengal, which are reminiscent of the Chambal ravines. These are thought to have been formed six millennia ago due to shifts in the river's course following tectonic activity. The river joins the Bay of Bengal at Bhimli where it forms an estuary.

Flows through: India.

River data from Wikidata (CC0); lengths normalised to a common unit.