chennai
chennai
Chennai (/ˈtʃɛnaɪ/ ( listen), Tamil: [ˈt͡ɕenːaɪ̯]), also known as Madras[A] (the official name until 1996), is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, it is the largest cultural, economic and educational centre of south India.
According to the 2011 Indian census, Chennai is the sixth-most populous city, and forms the fourth-most populous urban agglomeration in India. The city is coterminous with Chennai district, which together with the adjoining suburbs constitutes the Chennai Metropolitan Area,[note 1] the 36th-largest urban area in the world by population.[11] The traditional and de facto gateway of South India, Chennai is among the most-visited Indian cities by foreign tourists. It was ranked the 43rd-most visited city in the world for the year 2015[12] and was ranked the 36th-most visited city in the world for the year 2019.[13] The Quality of Living Survey rated Chennai as the safest city in India.[14] Chennai attracts 45 percent of health tourists visiting India, and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists.[15] As such, it is termed “India’s health capital”.[16][17] Chennai has the fifth-largest urban economy of India.[9]
Chennai had the third-largest expatriate population in India, at 35,000 in 2009, 82,790 in 2011 and estimated at over 100,000 by 2016.[18][19] Tourism-guide publisher Lonely Planet named Chennai as one of the top ten cities in the world to visit in 2015.[20] Chennai is ranked as a beta-level city in the Global Cities Index,[21] and was ranked the best city in India by India Today in the 2014 annual Indian city survey.
HISTORY
Stone age implements have been found near Pallavaram in Chennai. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Pallavaram was a megalithic cultural establishment, and pre-historic communities resided in the settlement.[47]
The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre for many centuries. During the 1st century CE, a poet and weaver named Thiruvalluvar lived in the town of Mylapore (a neighbourhood of present Chennai).[48] From the 1st–12th century the region of present Tamil Nadu and parts of South India was ruled by the Cholas.[49]
The Pallavas of Kanchi built the areas of Mahabalipuram and Pallavaram during the reign of Mahendravarman I. They also defeated several kingdoms including the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas who ruled over the area before their arrival. Sculpted caves and paintings have been identified from that period.[50] Ancient coins dating to around 500 BCE have also been unearthed from the city and its surrounding areas. A portion of these findings belonged to the Vijayanagara Empire, which ruled the region during the medieval period.[51]
The Portuguese first arrived in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé after the Christian apostle, St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, north of Chennai.
GEOGRAPHY
Chennai is located on the south–eastern coast of India in the north–eastern part of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. Its average elevation is around 6.7 metres (22 ft),[83] and its highest point is 60 m (200 ft).[84] Chennai is 2,184 kilometres (1,357 mi) south of Delhi, 1,337 kilometres (831 mi) southeast of Mumbai, and 345 kilometres (214 mi) east of Bangalore by road. Two major rivers flow through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. A third river, the Kortalaiyar, travels through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the Bay of Bengal, at Ennore. The estuary of this river is heavily polluted with effluents released by the industries in the region.[85] Adyar and Cooum rivers are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources, the Coumm being so heavily polluted it is regarded as the city’s eyesore.[86][87] A protected estuary on the Adyar forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals.[88] The Buckingham Canal, 4 km (2.5 mi) inland, runs parallel to the coast, linking the two rivers. The Otteri Nullah, an east–west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge. Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Some areas of the city have the problem of excess iron content in groundwater.
Cooum River near its mouth in Chennai city
ECONOMY
Recent estimates of the economy of the entire Chennai Metropolitan Area range from $78.6 to $86 billion (PPP GDP), ranking it from fourth- to sixth-most productive metro area of India.[9] Chennai has a broad industrial base in the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare sectors. As of 2012, the city is India’s second-largest exporter of information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services.[249][250] A major part of India’s automobile industry is located in and around the city thus earning it the nickname “Detroit of India”.[251][252][253][254] It is known as the Cultural Capital of South India[255] and is the third-most visited city in India by international tourists according to Euromonitor.[12] The city also serves as the location of the Madras Stock Exchange, India’s fourth stock exchange, one of four permanently recognised by SEBI, and India’s third-largest by trading volume, ranked behind the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.
ahmedabad DISTRICT'S
Chennai district, formerly known as Madras district,[a] is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the smallest and most densely populated district in the state. The district is coterminous with the city of Chennai, which is administered by the Greater Chennai Corporation. It is surrounded by Tiruvallur district in the north and the west, Kanchipuram district in the south-west, Chenglpattu district in the south, and the Bay of Bengal in the east.
As of 2011, the district had a population of 7,100,000 with a sex-ratio of 989 females for every 1,000 males.[3] Much of the district’s population descended from its settlements in the 1st century CE to the Middle Ages, but the diversity has grown much since then. The district consists of only one civic body, the megacity of Chennai, which forms the core and the most notable portion of the much bigger Chennai metropolis, or officially, the Chennai Metropolitan Area. In 2018, the district’s limits were expanded, aligning with that of the newly expanded Greater Chennai Corporation, which annexed adjacent municipalities. It resulted in the area being increased from 175 square kilometres (68 sq mi) to 426 square kilometres (164 sq mi).[1][2] The district is divided into three revenue divisions and ten taluks.
more info
Chennai, formerly Madras, city, capital of Tamil Nadu state, southern India, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Known as the “Gateway to South India,” Chennai is a major administrative and cultural centre. Pop. (2001) city, 4,343,645; urban agglom., 6,560,242.Armenian and Portuguese traders were living in the San Thome area of what is now present-day Chennai before the arrival of the British in 1639. Madras was the shortened name of the fishing village Madraspatnam, where the British East India Company built a fort and factory (trading post) in 1639–40. At that time, the weaving of cotton fabrics was a local industry, and the English invited the weavers and native merchants to settle near the fort.
demographics
A resident of Chennai is called a Chennaite.[198][199][200] According to 2011 census, the city had a population of 4,646,732, within an area of 174 square kilometres administered by the Municipal Corporation, working out a population density of 26,705 persons per square kilometre;[201] that had 11 lakh households, with 51% of them living in rented houses.[202] The city’s limits were expanded later in 2011 to 426 square kilometres and its population reached 7,088,000,[5] resulting in a population density of 16,639 persons per square kilometre, with Chennai Municipal Corporation being renamed as Greater Chennai Corporation.[5]
As of 2019, 712,000 families live below poverty line, which is about 40 percent of the 1.788 million families in the city.
Languages
Tamils form the majority of Chennai’s population. English is spoken largely by white-collar workers,[204] often mixed into Tamil.[205] In 2001, out of the 2,937,000 migrants (33.8% of its population) in the city, 61.5% were from other parts of the state, 33.8% were from rest of India and 3.7% were from outside the country.[206] As per the 2001 census, the number of speakers mother tongue wise are as follows, Tamil is spoken by 3,424,107 (78.8%), followed by Telugu by 419,209 (9.7%), Urdu by 180,245 (4.1%), Malayalam by 113,828 (2.6%), Hindi by 104,084 (2.4%), and Kannada by 22,250 (0.5%).
| 1901 | 509,346 | 12.6% | |
| 1911 | 518,660 | 1.8% | |
| 1921 | 526,911 | 1.6% | |
| 1931 | 647,232 | 22.8% | |
| 1941 | 777,481 | 20.1% | |
| 1951 | 1,416,056 | 82.1% | |
| 1961 | 1,729,141 | 22.1% | |
| 1971 | 2,469,449 | 42.8% | |
| 1981 | 3,266,034 | 32.3% | |
| 1991 | 3,841,396 | 17.6% | |
| 2001 | 4,343,645 | 13.1% | |
| 2011 | 7,088,000 | 63.2% |
transport
rail
Chennai hosts the headquarters of the Southern Railway. The city has four main railway terminals. Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Chennai Beach and Tambaram. Chennai Central station, the city’s largest, provides nationwide access,[366] whereas Chennai Egmore provides access to destinations primarily within Tamil Nadu; however, it also handles a few inter–state trains. A fifth terminal has been proposed to decongest Chennai Central.
road
As of 2019, the city corporation maintains about 471 bus route roads and 33,0000 interior roads.[372] The Chennai–Mumbai and Chennai–Kolkata prongs of the Golden Quadrilateral system of National Highways start from the city.[373] In addition, four major National Highways (NH), namely, NH 4 to Mumbai (via Bangalore and Pune), NH 5 to Kolkata (linked via NH 6) (via Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar), NH 45 to Theni (via Villupuram, Tiruchirapalli and Dindigul) and NH 205 to Madanapalle (via Tirupati) originate in the city, connecting it to other Indian cities. Chennai is connected to other parts of the state and the Union Territory of Puducherry by state highways.
AIRPORT
The Chennai International Airport is the fourth-busiest in India in terms of passenger traffic behind New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. It handled about 15.2 million passengers in 2013–2014;[66][360][361] in terms of international passengers, Chennai is the third-busiest airport behind Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, and Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai.[362] Chennai handles 400 flights a day, again placing it fourth among Indian airports. The city is connected to major hubs across Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa through more than 30 national and international carriers.
RESEDENTIAL AREAS
BLANK MAM
lal darwaza market
Lal Darwaja in Ahmedabad is the most famous and busiest shopping arena. Make sure you pay a visit to this amazing place and fill your bags with stuff for everyone at cheap and economical prices. Be it sarees, garments for men, clothes for children or stylish dresses, you can buy everything at one stop. During your shopping spree, this place will become your best friend and it will entice you as you wind your wany further up its route. All the products available here are very good in quality and the for the price you get them, you will be beckoned to come again and again. Chaniya cholis, colorful dupattas, wallets, old books and many other things are also available in this street side shopping complex.
SHOPPING MALL (koyambedu MALL)
Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex (KWMC) is one of Asia’s largest perishable goods market complex located at Koyambedu, Chennai. The market complex is spread over an area of 295 acres (1.19 km2). Inaugurated in 1996, the complex consists of about 3,100 shops,[1] including more than 1,000 wholesale shops and 2,000 retail shops. Of these, 850 are fruit shops.[2] It abuts the Poonamallee High Road and Nesapakkam Road. In Phase I, a wholesale market for perishables was developed in an area of around 70 acres (280,000 m2) by constructing 3,194 shops. The market has two blocks for vegetable shops and one each for fruit and flower shops. In Phase II, a textile market[3] and in Phase III, a food grain market[4] have been planned to be developed in the complex.
MOVIE THREATERS
Shanti Theatre was an Indian movie theatre located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Built by G. Umapathy and D. Shanmuga Raja, and inaugurated in January 1961, it was bought by actor Sivaji Ganesan, and was owned by his family since. In May 2016, Shanti ceased screening films, and was re-invented by its owners as a multiplex.
PARKs
Anna Nagar Tower Park, officially known as Dr Visvesvaraya Tower Park, is an urban park in the suburb of Anna Nagar, Chennai. It is the tallest park tower in Chennai.This park hosts a statue of Lise Meitner.[citation needed] The tower has been closed for the public. However the park is still open.
HOSPITALS
Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital is a major state-owned hospital situated in Chennai, India. The hospital is funded and managed by the state government of Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1664 by the British East India Company, it is the first modern hospital in India[2] In the 19th century, the Madras Medical College joined it. As of 2018, the hospital receives an average of 12,000 outpatients every day.
