The correct answer is Anai Mudi.

• Anaimudi is the highest peak in the Western Ghats. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
• Doddabetta is the highest peak in the Nilgiri hills.
• Mahendragiri is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats.

• The mountain range is also a “Hottest Hotspot” of biodiversity, being one of eight in the world.
• The Western Ghats contain 39 properties that include national parks, reserve forests and wildlife sanctuaries.
• The mountains of the range cover an area of approximately 140000 sq. km. It is 1600 km long interrupted only by a low mountain pass called the Palakkad Pass.
• The Western Ghats are extremely important from several points of view.
• One is its geomorphic importance. It is older than the Himalayas and is considered an ‘evolutionary ecotone’ illustrating the “Out of Africa” and the “Out of India” hypotheses.
• The Ghats also have a major influence on the ecological and biophysical processes on the entire peninsula of India.
• They also influence the monsoon weather patterns across the country.
• They present a classic example of the tropical monsoon system. The mountains act as a barrier to the rain-laden southwest monsoon winds in late summer in India.