Geography of Puducherry

Puducherry, a former French colony and capital, is one of the seven Union Territories of India, located at 162 kms south to Chennai, on the Eastern Ghats. It was originally called Puducherry, but after French invasion was renamed Puducherry. However, post September 2006, it gained the authentic vernacular name back and since then called Puducherry again. It means �New Village� in Tamil. (Interactive map of Puducherry)

Location of Puducherry

In the globe, you can find Puducherry at 11� 55' 48" North and 79� 49' 48" East. It encompasses an area of 480 sq kms. It consists of four non-contiguous districts: Mahe in Kerala which covers about 9 sq kms including its villages, Yanam in Andhra Pradesh which covers 20 sq kms, Karaikal in Tamil Nadu covering 161 sq kms and lastly Puducherry in Tamil Nadu again covering 290 sq kms. That means Puducherry has been named after the largest enclave. Both Karaikal and Yanam are located in Eastern Ghats on Bay of Bengal while Mahe is on Malabar Coast of Western Ghats on Arabian Sea.

Climate of Puducherry

Since Puducherry is located in coastal area the climate here is warm and humid all through the year. The summer temperature ranges between 26� to 38� centigrade with dry and clear blue sky. Generally the summer stays from March to July and it is the most predominant season. For tourism purpose, ideal season is March to October. Puducherry sees a very little monsoon which occurs between November to January and July to September. It sooths the heated days and makes the climate pleasant during this time. Winter in Puducherry is heavily influenced by the north-east monsoons. November to January can be said to experience winter but temperature never goes below 20�.

Agriculture of Puducherry

Agriculture is the main occupation of the Puducherry inhabitants and paddy is the main crop grown. Pulses, spices, condiments, coconuts, different kinds of nuts are other chief crops grown in this region. Irrigation facilities have been developed since 45% of total population is engaged in farming and related occupation. Irrigation facility includes mainly tube wells and tanks which irrigate about 6765 hectares of land. However, technological advancement has resulted in posing threat to some varieties of paddy crop. Seeraga samba and Kuthiraival samba have become endangered variety of paddy.

Soil and Vegetation of Puducherry

The soil of Puducherry is mainly red ferrallite, black clay and alluvial with sandy elements. It is a plain land with almost no mountain and forest. The area is covered with dry and evergreen species of vegetation typical in tropical regions. Main trees grown in this region are those which are a good supply of fore woods. Eucalyptus is one example of this kind. You will find rows of tamarind tree along the roadside.

Puducherry Wildlife

Just like flora, Puducherry is equally rich in fauna as well. There are two wildlife refuges in Puducherry with a great variety of birds. The bogs, ponds and streams house many species. It is a natural habitat for ducks like ring-necked, wood etc and animals like deers and rabbits.

Puducherry Rivers and lakes

There are two principal basins in Puducherry: the Gingee River which cuts the territory diagonally and Pennaiyar forming a rim in south. Gingee runs north west to south east of Puducherry. There are quite a few lakes in Puducherry. The largest two of them are Bahour and Oussoudu mainly used for fishing purpose. They lie in Puducherry district. The main fishes found in these lakes are sardines, shark, ribbon fish and many more. Fishery earns good revenue for Puducherry all through the year but especially from the month of May to July.


The lush green scenic treat of Puducherry is mainly due to the kind of soil found. It is a perfect blend of historical and geographical treasure. Along with rich culture and legacy, nature has treasured lots of resources in this storehouse. If you want peaceful co existence of nature with technology, welcome to Puducherry, the French Riviera of East.