Western Ghats World Heritage Site

Official name

Western Ghats | UNESCO

Country

India | Map

Continent

Asia

Location

8.5297° Lat, 77.2497° Lon | Map

Code

1342

Time Zone

Asia/Kolkata (IST, +0530)

Current Time

Category

Natural

Description

Inscribed 2012. Older than the Himalaya mountains, the mountain chain of the Western Ghats represents geomorphic features of immense importance with unique biophysical and ecological processes. The site’s high montane forest ecosystems influence the Indian monsoon weather pattern. Moderating the tropical climate of the region, the site presents one of the best examples of the monsoon system on the planet. It also has an exceptionally high level of biological diversity and endemism and is recognized as one of the world’s eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biological diversity. The forests of the site include some of the best representatives of non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests anywhere and are home to at least 325 globally threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species.