Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu ([^t]am]にn️ (?·i) in Tamil::: tami ta nāṭu "Land of the Tamils" is a state of the Republic of India. Its capital is Chennai, old Madrás.

It is located in the extreme southeast of the country, bordered to the north by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, to the east by the Bay of Bengal (Indian Ocean), near its southeast coast is Sri Lanka and to the west by Kerala. With 72,147,030 inhabitants in 2011, it is the sixth most populous state —behind Uttar Pradesh, Maharastra, Bihar, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh— and with 555 inhab/km², the sixth most densely populated, behind Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

As a state, it was founded in 1956 to welcome within its borders the speakers of the Tamil language, which has a long literary history and is one of the classical languages of India. It received its current name in 1969.

History

Tamil Nadu was known as the "Madras Presidency" during the period of British rule in India. After the country's independence it became the "Madras state"; in 1953 the northeastern part of the state, with a majority of Telugu speakers, became the new state of Andhra Pradesh while the district of Bellary became an integral part of the state of Mysore.

In 1956 the present borders of the state were defined when the western part of the state of Madras, on the Arabian Sea, was divided between Mysore (later Karnataka) and the new state of Kerala. In July 1967 the state was renamed Tamil Nadu, a name which received the approval of the Indian parliament in August 1968. The state's policies protect the culture, language and traditions of the Tamils.

Unlike other parts of the country, Tamil Nadu receives its main rainfall thanks to the northwest monsoon that hits the state in the months of October to December. Agriculture depends almost exclusively on these cyclical rains for its maintenance. Tamil Nadu was one of the states affected by the tsunami that struck the Asian coast on December 26, 2004. More than 4,000 people were killed and almost all of the southernmost areas of the state were damaged.

Madras, officially known as Chennai since 1996, is the fourth largest city in India and the state capital. In Madras is Playa Marina, the second longest beach in the world. Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Salem and Tirunelveli are other major cities in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu is known for its rich literature, music and dance that continues to flourish today. It is one of the most progressive and most industrialized states in India. The official language is Tamil.

Geography

Tamil Nadu is the southernmost of the Indian states. It limits to the west with the state of Kerala, to the northwest with that of Karnataka, and to the north with that of Andhra Pradesh. Two of the enclaves that constitute the territory of Puducherry are also found within its territory: Puducherry (Pondicherry) and Karaikal. To the east and south, Tamil Nadu is bordered by the Indian Ocean: the Bay of Bengal to the east, and the Gulf of Mannar to the southeast. The Palk Strait separates Tamil Nadu from the island state of Sri Lanka. The total length of the coastline of the state of Tamil Nadu is 1,076 kilometers.

Districts

Districts of Tamil Nadu.

The 32 districts of Tamil Nadu at the 2011 census were as follows, with corresponding numbering on the map on the right.

The districts of Tenkasi (separated from Tirunelveli), Kallakurichi (separated from Viluppuram), Tirupattur and Ranipet (separated from Vellore) and Chengalpattu (separated from Kanchipuram) were added in November 2019. In December 2020 Mayiladuthurai (separated from Nagapattinam) was added.

Monuments and places of interest

Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu in 2019.

In Tamil Nadu, the many Hindu temples based on Dravidian architecture stand out. The temples have a distinctive style famous for their tower-like structure. Some cities with prominent temples are Madurai, Trichy (Tiruchirapalli), Kanchipuram, Palani, Swamithoppe, Tiruvallur and Mahabalipuram. Hill stations like Kodaikanal and Nilgiris have some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. In Nilgiris there is also one of the two mountain railways in India that have been declared by Unesco as World Heritage Sites.

Corruption

In the state of Tamil Nadu, beach sand contains highly sought-after minerals such as garnet, ilmenite, rutile, zircon, silicate, leucoxene, and monazite. For years, authentic mafias dictate the law in this sector. According to journalist Sandhya Ravishankar who has been harassed: “The sand mafia has connections to policy makers, police officers and government officials. As soon as you reveal their tricks, they won't let you anymore!".