Tamil Nadu has an age-old agrarian history. The perennial Palar, Cheyyar River, Ponnaiyar, Kaveri, Meyar, Bhavani, Amaravati, Vaigai, Chittar River and Tamaraparani as well as innumerable non-perennial rivers drain the state’s agricultural area. The state also depends on the driving monsoon downpours to facilitate cultivation. Tamil Nadu is the country’s principal producer of kambu, corn, rye, groundnuts, oil, seeds and sugar cane in India and ranks second in the production of rice. The state also played a significant role in the erstwhile Green Revolution and is the only state to formulate a formal Bio-Diesel Policy.
Tamil Nadu is at the forefront of industries and provides stiff competition to its contemporaries. The urban metropolis of Chennai, rightly known, as the “Detroit of Asia” is replete with the Hyundai car factory and other automobile giants like the Ford, Renault, Nissan, Caterpillar, Hyundai, Komatsu, BMW and Mitsubishi as well as domestic heavyweights like MRF, TI cycles of India, Ashok Leyland, Royal Enfield, Mahindra & Mahindra, TAFE Tractors and TVS. The state also has several textile mills and engineering works along with several heavy engineering and manufacturing-based companies in an around Chennai suburbs.
Tamil Nadu also has tremendous hydroelectric potential that is being extensively exploited. The Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Plant, Ennore Thermal Plant, Neyveli Lignite Power Plant, Narimanam Natural Gas Plant and Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant are surrounded around the state’s industrial belt along with renewable sources of energy like Wind Power. The state is the nation’s leading diesel-based thermal power generator with a market share of over 34%.
The state also houses the leading software conglomerates at Tidel Park and has significant natural deposits. The state’s treasure trove of diverse natural heritage is manifested in its zoological gardens, bird sanctuaries and crocodile farms. The premier wildlife reserves of the state include:
- Mudumalai Sanctuary
- Indira Gandhi Sanctuary
- Kalakkadu Sanctuary
- Mundanthurai Sanctuary
- Point Calimere
- Srivilliputhur Giant Squirrel Sanctuary
- Vallanadu Black Buck Sanctuary
- Guindy National Park
- Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve & National Park
