Thirty-nine component parts in seven sub-clusters: the Western Ghats on the World Heritage List

Background

Heavy rain has kept the hill districts of the Ghats under district alerts this week. The Ghats themselves carry a standing international status. UNESCO's World Heritage List entry gives the Date of Inscription as 2012 and the Criteria as (ix)(x). The entry says the property is made up of 39 component parts grouped into 7 sub-clusters. It records that the Ghats traverse the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. UNESCO describes the chain as older than the Himalaya mountains. The same entry calls the Western Ghats one of the world's eight 'hottest hotspots' of biological diversity.