About Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the most important states in the country situated in the Southern part of India. It is bordered on the north by Andhra Pradesh state, on the northwest by Karnataka state, on the west by Kerala state, and on the east and south by the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Occupying the extreme south of the Indian peninsula, Tamil Nadu has an area of 130,058 sq km (50,215 sq mi).
The state of Tamil Nadu is divided into 32 Administrative Districts which in turn are further bifurcated into smaller divisions and subdivisions including a total of 17,272 villages. The state Capital, Madras now renamed as Chennai is the fourth largest city in the Indian sub-continent. It extends over an area of 174 Sq.km
Its Legislative House has 235 seats. The state sends 57 members to the Indian national parliament: 18 to the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and 39 to the Lok Sabha (lower house). There are 18 local government administrative districts.
 |
 |
Tamil Nadu Facts
Below is a table representing important facts about Tamil Nadu
Facts on Tamil Nadu |
| Date of Formation |
August 15,1947 |
| Size | 1,30,058 sq km |
| Population | 62,405,679 |
| Capital | Chennai |
| Rivers | Kaveri, Palar, Pniyar, Bhavani |
| Forests & National Park |
Mudumalai NP, Mukurthi NP, Annamalai NP |
| Languages | Tamil |
| Neighbours State | Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh |
| State Animal | Nilgiri Tahr |
| State Bird | Emerald Dove |
| State Tree | Palmera Palm |
| State Flower | Glory Lily or Kandhal |
History of Tamil Nadu
The history of Tamil Nadu dates back to the time the Dravidians had moved south, following the advent of Aryans in the north. Historically, South India consisted of four main Dravidian Kingdoms, the Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas (who ruled over what is now Tamil Nadu) and the Chalukyas. The Muslim invasion of the South in the 14th century caused a retaliatory reaction from the Hindus, who rallied to build a strong new kingdom, with its capital at Vijaynagar. On independence, the Madras province, as the south was known then, was divided on a linguistic basis into states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. A mutual exchange of certain areas between Kerala and Tamil Nadu (Malabar and Kasargod to Kerala; Shencotta and Kanyakumari from Kerala) was undertaken according to the State Reorganisation Act, following which Madras adopted a new name, Tamil Nadu. more...
Society, arts and culture
The people of Tamil Nadu lead by and large, relaxed lifestyles. Tamils have deep interest in music, dance and literature. Dance forms like Bharanatyam and various forms of music, including Carnatic Music, have flourished here for centures. Festivals are a daily feature in this region. Navaratri or Dussehra (September/October), Deepavali (October/ November), Karthika (November/December) and Pongal (January) are the popular ones. A unique festival of Carnatic music, the Thyagaraja festival is held annually in January at Thiruvariyar, the birth place of famous singer poet Thyagaraja, where one can witness the amazing spectacle of mass performance, in total harmony and rhythm. Handicrafts include the most intricately carved designs in wood, stone and metal. The exquisitely carved Bronze and Tanjore plate deserve special mention here
The people of the state speak Tamil language. But of late owing to immigrants from other states into the urban centers of the state, there has been a discernible increase in the number of languages spoken in the state. Today several languages such as Telegu, Malayalam, Hindi and other Indian languages are being spoken in the state. Other than these languages, English is spoken by the educated in most parts of the state. Tamil Nadu has a literacy rate of 62.66 per cent with the male literacy rate being 63.78 per cent and the female literacy rate being 44.60 per cent.
Tamils are lovers of good food. Their favorite cuisines invariably consist of idly (steamed rice cakes), dosai (a pancake made from a batter of rice) and lentils crisp fried on a pan, vada (deep fried doughnuts made from a batter of lentils), pongal (a mish mash of rice and lentils boiled together and seasoned with ghee, cashew nuts, pepper and cumin seed), uppuma (cooked semolina seasoned in oil with mustard, pepper, cumin seed and dry lentils.) Lunch or meals consists of cooked rice served with an array of vegetable dishes, sambar, chutneys, rasam (a hot broth made with tamarind juice and pepper) and curd (yogurt).
Economy and Infrastructure
 |
| Tamil Nadu Industrial Map |
Tamil Nadu has a 1000 km long coastline with its equatorial climate permitting year round fishery and farming. The state has a fairly stable presence in this sector with abundant skilled labour available, over 200 registered exporters of marine products, 29 freezing plants and 36 cold storages Investment opportunities in this sector include, shrimp farming and processing, Crab culture, Seaweed culture, etc, in addition to opportunities in infrastructure like air freight services, Cold storage facilities, freezing plant etc.Minerals like limestone, lignite, granite, clay, gypsum, feldspar, graphite and iron are found abundantly in Tamil Nadu. Besides these small quantities of gold, copper, magnesite, kaolin, bauxite, etc. are also found here
Most of the industries in Tamil Nadu are focused around Chennai and includes cotton, sugar, leather (more than 40 percent of India's exports), textiles, engineering, petrochemicals, and the manufacture of vehicles, railway rolling stock, and precision tools. Although power-generating capacity has increased, Tamil Nadu suffers from a shortage of electricity. A nuclear power station completed in 1986 and located south of Chennai at Kalpakkam is still not producing at full capacity.Tamil Nadu has a well-developed transportation network, including national and state highways; rail network; airports at Chennai, Madurai, and Tiruchchirappalli; and major ports at Chennai and Tuticorin.
Tourism of Tamil Nadu
 |
| Tamil Nadu Travel Map |
Hotels of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is home to both star and non star category hotels that cater to the needs of the tourists visiting the state. Besides it has resorts, restaurants and cafes which cater to the needs of all segments of travelers.One of the 28 states in India, Tamil Nadu is located in the south of the Peninsular India. The state is surrounded by the states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Pondicherry. In the north it is bordered by the Eastern Ghats while in the south east, it is surrounded by the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait. The Nilgiri, Palakkad and the the Anamalai Hills covers Tamil Nadu on the west, Indian Ocean in the south and Bay of Bengal in the east. Chennai serves as both the capital city as well the largest city of Tamil Nadu.
In terms of area, Tamil Nadu counts as the 11th state in India while as per the population, it is the 7th state. In terms of GDP contribution to the country, Tamil Nadu is the 5th largest.Tamil Nadu has the 3rd largest coastline in India with a stretch of about 910 km. The state is home to some of the popular beaches such as Covelong Beach, Kanyakumari Beach, Marina Beach, Elliots Beach and Mahabalipuram Beach etc. more...
Climate of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is largely dependent on the monsoon rains, the failing of which some times leads to droughts in the country. The climate Tamil Nadu varies from dry sub-humid to semi-arid. There are 3 distinct times of rainfall in Tamil Nadu, namely the South West monsoon from the months of June to September characterized by heavy southwest winds; the North East monsoons from the months of October to December, characterized by northeast winds; and the dry season from the months of January to May. The annual rainfall of the state is approximately 945 mm (37.2 in), of which 32% is the South West monsoon and 48% is the North East monsoon. The state can be divided into 7 agro-climatic zones: north-west, north-east, southern, west, high altitude hilly, high rainfall, and Cauvery Delta.
The Governor of Tamil Nadu serves as the Constitutional head and the Chief Minister is both the head of the government and the council of ministers. The head of the judiciary is the Chief Justice of Madras High Court. The present Governor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu are Surjit Singh Barnala and M. Karunanidhi respectively. Tamil Nadu's administrative units comprises of 234 Assembly constituencies, 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, 32 districts, 10 city corporations, 152 municipalities, 611 town panchayats and 12,618 village panchayats.
Till the year 1986, Tamil Nadu's legislature was bicameral after which it was replaced with the unicameral legislature. There are 10 city corporations in Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore, Salem, Tirupur, Tirunelveli, Erode, Vellore and Thoothukudi. There is a plan to upgrade Nagercoil and Thanjavur as City Corporations. more...
Tamil Nadu District Map
- Ariyalur District
- Coimbatore District
- Chennai District
- Cuddalore District
- Dindigul District
- Dharmapuri District
- Erode District
- Krishnagiri District
- Kanyakumari District
- Kanchipuram District
- Karur District
- Madurai District
- Namakkal District
- Nagapattinam District
- Nilgiris District
- Pudukkottai District
- Perambalur District
