Wilkes Land, is a coastal region in Antarctica,and it extends along the Indian Ocean from longitude 102° East to 142°20' East.

This land  is named after Lieutenant Charles Wilkes , later become a Rear Admiral, the American explorer who commanded the 1838–42 United States Exploring Expedition.The picture below is that of Lieutenant Charles Wilkes

This naming in recognition of Wilkes' , who discovered continental margin over a distance of 2,400 km (1,500 miles) of coast, and enable to prove a  substantial proof that Antarctica is a continent.

But  this definition of extent excludes the area east of 142°02' E, George V Land, which was sighted by Wilkes but has been shown by later expeditions to be further south than the original position assigned by him.

This region lies between George V Coast on the east and Queen Mary Coast on the west. Not taking into consideration of  Adelie Coast, which is said to claimed by France, all of Wilkes Land and the adjoining hinterland form part of the Antarctic claims of Australia.

Wilkes Land is also famous as it was  featured prominently in the 1998 film The X-Files.

In this film Fox Mulder travels to Antarctica so as  to save his partner Dana Scully, as she was being held there against her will and in the process discovering a huge secret lab under the surface, which was run by the Cigarette-Smoking Man.

In the year 2006, a team of researchers which was  led by Ralph von Frese and Laramie Potts used gravity measurements by NASA's GRACE satellites and discovered  the 300-mile-wide Wilkes Land crater, which probably said ti have formed about 250 million years ago and the image of Ralph Von Frese is shown below

If I am asked about the best beaches of India I will tell you the most popular beaches in Goa like Anjuna Beach, Calangute Beach, Colva Beach or even the Marina Beach, Chennai or Kovalam Beach in Kerala. Are these really the Best Beaches in India? They certainly are good beaches with a lot of people, excitement and things to do. But considering the debased nature of the conglomerate people visiting these beaches, backpackers to India have started looking at some of the lesser known beaches that India has to offer. Their choice of best beaches goes to secluded palm-fringed beaches with pristine golden sand, beautiful sunset, clear blue waters, no crowd, and no rubbish thrown around, without a hoard of vendors following around. They wish just the sand and the mighty ocean to add to their recluse. Those solitary secret beaches are the best backpacking sites that every hiker around the world will be searching for. Some of the attributes of similar beaches are listed below.

The endless stretch of golden sand, graciously swaying palm trees, clear blue sky hugs every visitor with its amazing sceneries at about six kilometers form udupi in Karnataka. It is the natural harbor of maple, and important fishing centre that enriches Karnataka’s coastline with this fabulous beach. The gentle murmur of the sea sets the perfect mood for an idyllic holiday for every backpacker. Here Lodging can be as cheap as few dollars a night in hostels and budget hotels and food for less from road side eateries and other establishments. In about 30 minutes out into the sea from Maple Beach in Udupi there is St Maria’s island a little slip of land about. Crystallized basalt rocks entirely fill this island, a unique rock formation found in very few places in the world. the sea between the long curve of the beach at Maple  and the island is placid.

About 546-km from Mumbai on the west coast of India, at the merging of the Karli River and the Arabian Sea Tarkarli beach is situated. The water is so clear that on a fail sunny day, one can see the bed unto a depth of 20 ft. This breath taking beach with aquamarine waters unusual for a beach on the mainland coast. It has gained prominence because of its long and narrow stretch of beach with pristine waters, Wide River, the beautiful sailboats and the tiny wonderful islands hamlets situated on the riverbank. This beach is filled with lovely ‘shuru’ trees in the background.

Goa is the favorite site for foreigners among the Indian cities for beach vacation destination. Its coastline stretches up to about 100km which provides opportunity for beach lover to discover new beach sites on every visit. The beaches of Goa are the highlights of travel in this state. One of the less popular of those is Benaulim situated seven km south of Margo in south Goa. The sea is safe for swimming and being generally jellyfish-free. A backpacker can enjoy to his horizons by visiting this beach as the government is promoting it as one of the notable tourist spots in India.

Among the less known beaches of Kerala, the varkala beach located among the coconut palms would certainly blossom the poetic sense of its visitors. Normally, Kerala’s beaches are renowned for the gentle surf and blue waters. The mineral water springs the melting sun and the high cliff bordering adore to the picturesque wealth of this site.

The Maldives

The Maldives are a chain of some 19 islands group in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of India and Sri Lanka, extending over 764 km south to jut beyond the equator.

The islands are atolls-coral reefs surrounding the peaks of a submerged volcanic mountain range. In all, there are almost 2000 islands, but only about 200 are inhabited. The climate is mainly hot and humid. Nearby barrier reefs provide the only protection from occasional violent monsoon-related cyclones.

Parts of the Maldives resemble an idyllic island paradise. The island is crowned with rich forests of breadfruit and palm, and is ringed with sandy beaches and clear lagoons.

The Andaman and nicobar

The Adman and Nicobar Islands are a long string of 293 islands in the Bay of Bengal. The northern part of the string of islands is called Andaman and southern part nicobar. Indira point of the Nicobar Islands is the southernmost part of India. These islands are covered with thick forest and people live on a few big islands. These islands are linked by air and sea routes with Kolkata, Chennai and Bhubaneswar. The climate of these islands is pleasant throughout the year.

Water circulate

The water cycles are the journey of water as it circulates from the land to the sky and back. Read the differentiations of various terms related to water cycle.

Accumulation

It is the process in which water collection in oceans, seas and lakes.

Condensation

It is the process in which water vapor in the air turns into liquid water. Clouds are farmed when water condenses. You might have seen water drops that from on the outside of a glass containing cold water.

Evaporation

It is the process in which liquid water becomes water vapor. Water vaporizes from the surfaces of oceans, seas, lakes or when snow on mountains melts.

Precipitation

It is the process in which water falls from clouds in the sky in the form of rain, snow, sleet or hail.

Subsurface runoff

It is the rainwater or water from melting snow that flows in underground streams, drains or sewers.

Surface runoff

It is rainwater or water from melting snow that flow in streams, rivers or canals on land surface.

Transpiration

It is the process in which some water from within the plants evaporates into the atmosphere. You know that water absorbed by the plant’s roots exits by evaporating through pores in the plant.

One of my favourite places to visit is the Indian state of Goa. I first visited with my parents when I was still in school. It was on that trip that I discovered my allergy to seafood. After gorging on fish and prawns the previous day I was rushed to the hospital the next morning. Needless to say I stuck with chicken for the rest of the trip. Initially we stayed a bit inland which required us to drive down to the seaside. We did manage to do a cruise on the Mandavi and some water sports at Vasco da Gama. Still was a painful having to drive all the way up to take a walk on the beach. So after day two my Dad decided it was time to move out of Madgaon.

We drove up to Calangute and managed to get sea facing rooms in the government tourist home.That was in part thanks to Dad being a Central Government Officer. Amazing view of the sea, great breeze, not too bad a room and all for a pittance. We spent a couple of days there and explored the beaches close by. This included eating breakfast at the shacks of Candolim, dinner in the Taj at Aguada, another dinner at a hot spot in Baga and even a visit to Anjuna. We explored the markets of Mapusa and bought cashew nuts and port wine.

Then as with all good things the vacation came to an end. I thought that was the last I had seen of Goa till I got engaged to a man whose mother was a Goan. So it was natural that we went to Goa on our honeymoon. Although we had enough family and friends to visit, we did manage to live in an apartment off holiday street between Candolim and Calungate. So there was time to go para sailing and shell hunting besides beach hopping and shack eating. No matter how many times I go I always end up having a grand time there. Next time I plan to go to the flea markets and pick up that thin cotton t-shirt that says "I Love Goa!"

My only regret is that life has been so hectic that I have not had time to visit Goa in almost 5 years. Unfortunately my son has never been to Goa and has no clue about just how much fun you can have on a beach. Maybe next summer vacation would be a good time to remedy the situation. Let us hope nothing else pops up to spoil the plan. As of now both may husband and I are really looking forward to the next break we plan to take in Goa. This time we even plan  to take in the Casino.