Google Map Of Tamil Nadu

Official Website: http://www.tn.gov.in/
Established: 26 January 1950†
Capital: Chennai
Largest city: Chennai
Districts: 32 total
Government Body: NA
Legislature: NA
Parliamentary constituency: 39
High Court: NA
Area Total: 130,058 km2 (50,215.7 sq mi)
Area rank: 11th
Population 2011: (2011)[1]
Population Density: 554.7/km2 (1,436.6/sq mi)
Time zone: IST (UTC+05:30)
UN/LOCODE: NA
ISO 3166 code: IN-TN
Vehicle registration: NA
HDI: 0.666 (medium)
HDI rank: 10th (2006)[2]
Literacy: 80.3% (11th)
Official languages: Tamil

History Behind the State Name

The name Tamil Nadu means the abode of the Tamil people. The Tamil people are residing here from 500 BC. Tamil inscriptions of at least 2000 years old have been unearthed here which undoubtedly proclaims the land belonged to Tamil linguistic people from the very old times. After independence the region was named Madras State but later on in 1968 it was divided along linguistic lines and the major Tamil speaking region was made into a single state named as Tamil Nadu.

Population

The total population of the state is slightly over 7 crore 21 lakhs 38 thousand. It makes for 5.96% of total population of India. The population is dense in the state with a rate of 555 persons per square kilometre. In the last ten years the population grew by 15.6% though it has recorded the lowest fertility rates in the country.

Geographical Situation

Tamil Nadu is situated at the southern most part of India. It is the eleventh largest state in the country covering 130,058 square kilometres. The states of Kerala and Karnataka form the western and the north-western border respectively. The state of Andhra Pradesh forms the northern border of Tamil Nadu. At the eastern side the state has the coastal lines formed by the Bay of Bengal and the union territory of Pondicherry. Kanyakumari the southern-most tip of the Indian peninsula is located here. The third longest coastline of India is at Tamil Nadu which is 910 km long. The mountain ranges of Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats are both present in the state which joins at the Nilgiri Hills. Fertile coastal plains are there in the eastern parts of the state.

Weather Conditions

The weather condition of the state is classified as sub-humid to semi-arid. As the state is very much dependant of monsoon rain the onslaught of drought is very often here. Two periods of monsoon is prominent in the state one is the advancing monsoon from June to September and the other is retreating monsoon from October to December. The temperature is as high as 43 degree Celsius in the plains and 32 degrees in the hills during summer while in winter it is 13 degrees and 3 degrees in the plains and hills respectively.

History

History of the State

The state of Tamil Nadu has a rich and long history starting from the pre-historic times. Archaeological expeditions have proved the existence of continuous civilised inhabitation in the place even in the Neolithic age about 3800 years ago.

In the medieval period the prominent rulers of the region were Cholas, Pandyas and the Pallavas.  The next prominent regime was that of the Vijayanagara Empire in the Deccan who ruled the Tamil region for over two centuries.  Then there was the rule of the Nawabs and Nijams.

In 1639 the British East India Company made a settlement in the south of Pulicat the place is modern day Chennai. The made the Madras Presidency after the name of the place Madras now Chennai and brought almost whole of southern India under it.

After independence from the British rule Madras Presidency was named Madras State which was further divided in 1969 on the basis of linguistic lines and modern day Tamil Nadu was formed.

Demographics

The State of Tamil Nadu has recorded the lowest fertility rate in 2005-06 with an average of 1.8 children born out of a single woman which is not sufficient for sustaining population. Of the total populace 89% speak Tamil and 5.66% speak Telugu. The literacy rate in the state is 80.3% which is quite above the national average.   

Economical Information

The economy of Tamil Nadu is well balanced between agriculture and industrial economy. Tamil Nadu is a large producer of agricultural products like rice, coffee, groundnuts, coconuts, tea, and so on. In industry it is the third highest earner of foreign direct investment. Tamil Nadu’s gross domestic product is valued well over 70million US Dollars and the per capita income is Rs 51,097 at current rates.

Culture

The Tamil culture is very rich and famous both for its content and variety. It encompasses the world famous Bharat Natyam form of dance, Tanjore form of Painting and Tamil form of architecture along with rich Tamil literature. Tamil films are now a day’s considered as an integral part of the Tamil culture whose content revolves around socio-economic features of the country and are widely accepted and sometimes remade by other film industries of the country.  

Cuisine

Tamil cuisine boasts of rice and preparations of rice. In traditional cuisine food is served on a banana leaf comprising of rice and sambhar. Both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are made to eat with rice. The most famous names of cuisine of the region are dosa, uttapam, idli and vada.

Festivals

The most important festival of Tamil Nadu is Pongal or the harvest festival. Through-out India the common name for this festival is Makar Sankranti. It is a four day long festival in Tamil Nadu. Other than this the Tamil new year, which is generally in the mid of April is also widely celebrated. Hindu festivals of Dussera, Diwali, Saraswati Puja, Holi are celebrated here. The Muslims celebrate the Id both the Bakrid and Id ul Fitr and Muharram. The Christians celebrate the Easter and Christmas Day.

Religion

The dominant religion of the state is Hinduism. About 88% of the population is Hindu. The next prominent religion is Christianity which makes up for 6.1% of the population. The Muslims form 5.6% of the total populace.