Know about Tamil Nadu

State is situated at the South Eastern extremity of the Indian

Peninsula bounded on the north by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh on the east by Bay of Bengal, on the South by the Indian Ocean and on the West by Kerala State.

Capital and Major cities:chennai

Among the cities the state capital Chennai

was the most populous city in the state, followed by Coimbatore,
Madurai,
Tiruchirappalli,
Vellore
.

.
Salem

Geography

The State can be divided broadly into two natural divisions

(a) the Coastal plains of South India and

(b) the hilly western area. Parallel to the coast and

gradually rising from it is the broad strip of plain country. It can further be sub-divided into coromandal plains comprising the districts of Kancheepuram,

Thiruvallur,

Cuddalore

and Vellore. The alluvial plains of the Cauvery Delta extending over Thanjavur and part of Tiruchirapally districts and dry southern plains in Madurai, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Virudhnagar, Tirunelveli and

Tuticorin districts.

It extends a little beyond Western Ghats in Kanyakumari District.

The Cauvery Delta presents some extremely distinctive physical and human

features, its power being a main factor in the remarkable growth, the towns of . Tamilnadu have witnessed. It is associated intimately with the life of all its broader regions. In the east the low country 500 feet below, varies from 50 to 80 miles inwidth.

This plain extends almost upto the feet of the ghats and only minor elevation

can be found here and there. For instance the Valanad hills. The Eastern Ghats enter the State from Andhra Pradesh in the north cut across the State and merge with The Nilgiris Hills on the Western Ghats. The region is bounded on South-West by the crest of the Cardamom hills and on the North-West by the slopes of the plateau. The region is in the form of a Rhombus and the longer diagonal of its

stretches from the Pulicat lake in the north to Cape Comorin in the South and the shorter diagonal from the Palghat ghat in the west to point calimere in the east

The State has an uninterrupted coastline of 922 Kms. It includes the

coastline of Pondicherry and Karaikkal. The coastline is a lengthy boundary on the east. Not a single natural harbour capable of accommodating ocean - going vessels

can be found on the coast. Madras City has an artificial harbour. While it is a major Port and Tuticorin a medium one, several smaller ports like Cuddalore,

Nagapattinam and Colochel are found. HILLS

The Western Ghats averaging 3000 to 8000 feet height run along the western part with the hill group of the Nilgiris and Anaimalai on either side of it. Palani Hills,

Varushanad and Andipatti ranges are the major off-shoots of the Ghat. The other prominent hill group comprises the Javadir, the Shevaroys, the Kalrayan and the Pachaimalai. These ranges continue south of the river Cauvery. A plateau is found between these hills and the Western Ghats with an average elevation of 1000 feet rising westward. The highest peak of Doddabetta in the Nilgiris is 8650 feet above sea level. The characteristic feature of the hills of Tamilnadu is that they have flatfish surface at the height. In general the summits are higher than those of Mysore Plateau area. A detailed description of the hill ranges in the State is given below.

a. EASTERN GHATS:

With an average elevation of 2000 feet, the Eastern ghats beginning in

Orissa State run through all the districts lying between Ganjam and The Nilgiris plateau. No river of any great importance runs from these ranges.WESTERN GHATS

The Western ghats

The Western Ghats are 1000 Miles in length and run southward and terminate at Cape Comorin, the southern most extremity. They are joined by

the Eastern Ghat and at the point of junction, from the high plateau of The Nilgiris. Near Coimbatore district the range is interrupted by the Palghat Gap.

The south of the gap is known as Anaimalais (Elephant Hill) and the east as Palanis. The river Cauvery, Vaigai and Tamiraparani originate from the Anaimalai ranges.

c. SHEVAROY HILLS

The range is in Salem District with an area of 150 Square miles. The

Vanniar Stream divided the range and the western portion consists of three plateaus of which Pachaimalai (Green Hills) is the largest. Hardly any forest

of importance is found in the range.

d. PALANI HILLS:

Palani Hills measuring 54 miles in length and the 15 miles in width and

occupying an area of 800 Square miles is found in Dindigsul District. The hills' health resort Kodaikanal is 7200 feet above sea level. The ranges are steep in the south and slope more gradually down the plains in the north. Teak and blackwood are found in the higher level forests, while coffee is cultivated in the lower palani ANAIMALAI

The range covering 80 to 100 Square miles consists of a plateau 7000 feet above sea level, with peaks of over 8000 feet. The Anaimalai peak of 8837 feet height is the highest point in South India. Coffee is grown on a considerable area on the lower ranges. The forest contains a teak belt and

elephants are found in abundance

Climate :

The Tamil nadu has an equatorial, tropical climate in the inland and an

equatorial, maritime climate in its coastal regions. In the inland, the temperature may go to extreme in some places while it tends to be moderate in the coastal

areasBy and large, the average temperature for most parts of the state range between 28 C and 40 C in the summer season and between 18 C and 26 C in the short-lived winter seasons. In the more hilly terrain, the maximum temperature may

be as low as 26 C and the minimum temperature may go down to 3 C. The normal rainfall is 945.0 mm.

Rivers:

RIVERS

The Western ghats form complete water shed and no river pierces through them. The main stream viz., Paralliyar and Vattaseri Phazhayar are 37 and 23 miles respectively in length and fall in the Arabian Sea. All the other rivers are east flowing rivers. The Eastern Ghats are not a complete watershed and as a result the . river pierce through them and notable among them is the river Cauvery.

. a. CAUVERY:
The river is 475 miles long and drains an area of 28,000 square miles.

It takes its origin on the Brahragiri in Coorg in the Western Ghats. After

travelling some distance in Karnataka State, the river enters Tamilnadu. Across the river a huge reservoir has been constructed called the Mettur Dam. Near Tiruchirapalli there is an Anaicut called “Grand Anaicut”.

The Cauvery has been so well utilised that its drainage channel, the coleroon is

always dry. The tributaries of the river Cauvery are Bhavani, Amaravathy and

Noyal.

b. VAIGAI:

This is the second most important river in Tamilnadu. It originates in

Varushanad hills and receives much of the drainage from the upper and

lower plains. The river has been dammed in Madurai close to Theni and there is also an anaicut at Anaipatti in Manamadurai
.

c. THAMIRAPARANI:

This river which is 70 miles long, rises in the southern portion of the

Western Ghats and drains an area equal to 1937 Square miles. The valley of the river contains some of the richest lands in the State. The chief tributaries of the river are Ramanadhi, Ghatana, Pachaiyar and Chittar
.

d. PALAR:

The river palar rises in Nandhi Hills of Kolar, Karnataka State. It is 182

miles long and runs through Chingleput and North Arcot districts. Its chief tributaries are Cheyyar and Ponni.

e. PONNIYAR:

This river rises very near to Nandhi Hills in Karnataka State. It enters

Tamilnadu near Dharmapuri and rust 200 miles before joining sea near Pondicherry with a drainage area of 620 square miles. The river has no delta

on its mouth.

f. VELLAR:

This river rises in Kalrayan hills flows in the easterly districts and joins the Sea near Port- Nova. The length of the river is 134 miles and drains an

area of 266 square miles.

g. SMALL RIVERS:

Among the small rivers worth mentioning in the context is Couralayar,which flows from the surplus waters of Kaveripakkam tank. The river runs through Chennai City and joins the sea.

People and culture

CULTURE AND TRADITION:

Tamilnadu has a legacy of ancient tradition and rich cultural heritage. Dance, forms like Bharathanatyam and various forms of music, including carnatic music,

have flourished here for centuries

The awe-inspiring sculptures at the ShoreTemple in Mahabalipuram and other similar art forms and sculptors found in the state date as far back as the 7

th century AD famous temples, which still stand in all their pristine glory in several parts of this land, speak for themselves of the rich

heritage of the Tamil people.
Handicrafts include the most intricately carved designs

in wood, stone and metal. The exquisitely carved Bronze and Tanjore plates deserve special mention here.

LIFESTYLES

The people of Tamilnadu lead, by and large, relaxed lifestyles. The urban social recreations include clubs, golf, links, beach resorts, theme parks,

racecourses, art and theatre. Visits to game reserves holiday resorts, long sandy beaches, zoological and entertainment parks are the other way of social pastimes available.
Tourists’ spots include hill stations like Ooty and Kodaikanal, which are all time favourites.

Languages :

This history of Tamilnadu dates back to Paleolithic age. The Official

languages spoken in the state is Tamil one of the oldest languages greatly influenced by its rich and colourful past. Concerted efforts have been made over the last decade or so to preserve the purity and identity of the Tamil language. More recently, there has been a steady stream of people migrating into the state from all

parts of India, particularly to the state’s urban centres, making Tamilnadu truly cosmopolitan in its composition. Today, one can hear several languages such as

Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and other Indian languages being spoken in the state.

Above all, the foreign visitor need have no fear of not being understood as English is

spoken with considerable fluency in most parts of the state. Two prominent English newspapers and a number of economic dailies besides several newspapers in the

local vernacular are brought out here.

Economy :

The GSDP at constant (1993-94) prices which was at Rs.70513 crores in 1996-97 has increased to Rs.90760 crores in 2000-2001 (AE) registering an annual

average growth of 6.21%. During these period, the primary sector consisting of

Agriculture and allied activities, forestry, fishing and mining & quarrying has registered an annual average increase of 2.54%. A high growth performance by

8.54% was exhibited in 1997-98 and 8.46% in 1998-99. However, in 1999-2000 the performance of this sector has a negative growth of 5%.

The value added by the Secondary Sector consisting of Manufacturing,

Construction, Electricity, gas and water supply has been satisfactory. It has 2001.

High recorded an annual average growth of 4.14% during the period 1996-97 to 2000-growth was noticed in this sector during the year 1999-2000 as 11.09%.

All the sub groups of the tertiary sector have performed well during the period from 1996-97 to 2000-2001. Trade, transport, storage and communication sectors

have recorded a high growth in 1999-2000 as 8.36 percent and a minimum of 3.48 per cent in 2000-01. Banking and Insurance, real estates and business services sectors have registered a maximum growth of 21.80 per cent in 1996-97 and a minimum growth of 8.00% in 1998-99. The high growth of 16.05% was noticed for the year 1997-98 in the services sector, namely, Public Administration and Other

services.

LITERACY RATE

Literacy standard in Tamilnadu State as per 2001 census is 73.47% as against 62.66% in 1991 census. This shows the good growth rate in literacy. This

growth rate is in tune with All India growth rates and literacy population is 65.38% in 2001 Census as against 52.21% in 1991 Census. The comparative analysis of literacy percentage rate in Tamilnadu vis-à-vis, all India percentage from 1941

census upto 2001

Agriculture

major crops sown in Tamilnadu are rice, jowar, ragi, bajra, maize, and pulses. Few other crops that are highly cultivated in the regions of Tamilnadu are cotton, sugarcane, tea, coffee, and coconut. Tamilnadu has also gained a commendable status is the horticultural sector in its agricultural department.
The horticultural products of Tamilnadu include cash crops and oil seed crops. Bananas and mangoes are cash crops while groundnuts, sesame, and sunflower are oil seed crops. Paddy is the most leading crop in Tamilnadu and is found in 3 kinds namely Kuruvali, Thaladi, and Samba that varies from season to season. River tanks and wells are the main sources of irrigation in Tamilnadu.

Tamilnadu agriculture possess jatropha plant that has Bio-diesel policy which gives away the wasteland of the state to the farmers for cropping. Tamilnadu is also widely popular as the largest producer of agricultural products in India.

Food habits :