Orissa is located on the eastern coast of India. The state is spread across an area of 155,707 sq km. It is bounded by Madhya Pradesh in the west, West Bengal in the north-east, Andhra Pradesh in the south, Bihar in the north and the Bay of Bengal in the east. Bhuvanesvar is the capital of Orissa.

The geography of Orissa can be divided into three parts, the coastal plane, the middle mountains and the northwestern plateau. The coastline extends to about 500 km. Orissa is rich with plenty of natural resources. The geography of Orissa is rinsed by many rivers, lakes, water falls, hot springs and hills. The rivers flowing through the state are the Subarnarekha, Brahmani, Salandi, Bada, Baitarini, Nagavali and the Vansadhara. The Mahanadhi crosses the state and forms a large delta. The river sometimes causes dangerous floods also. Chilka Lake, which in reality is a wonderful lagoon, merges into the Bay of Bengal. Here one can see dolphins.

Forests of various types cover 20 percent of the total area of the state. These forests are rich with tress of sal, piasal, sangahan, rosewood, ghambari and haldi. Various species of wild animals are found in these forests, among which tigers, leopards and elephants are fairly common. Jungles of Orissa also abound in peacocks and wild ducks, while the creeks teem with crocodiles and alligators. The state of Orissa is rich with vast mineral deposits. One can find abundance of mineral deposits like coal, iron ore, manganese ore, bauxites, and chromites in the state.

The geography of Orissa experiences a typical tropical climate. The state is very hot in summers and pleasant during the winter season. There are three main seasons in the state. They are summer, rainy and the winter season. The summer season starts from March and ends in June, when the temperatures range between 27 and 47 degree centigrade.

The next season is the rainy season which starts from July and ends in October. The heaviest rainfall of the season is generally witnessed in the month of August. The state is always affected by floods during this season. It damages the crops, properties and even lives. During this period cyclonic storms are also formed in the Bay of Bengal, and they cross the east coast of the state.

The best season in Orissa is the winter season which starts from September and ends in February. During this period the temperature ranges from 4.4 degree to15.6 degree centigrade. However, Orissa is thronged by tourists round the year.

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