The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri, is a mountain range that stretches 1,600 km along the western coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of 160,000 km2, it traverses the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. The range forms an almost continuous chain of mountains along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, from the Tapti River to Swamithoppe in Kanyakumari district at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula.