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Located
in the south most region of the Indian Peninsula, Tamil Nadu is regarded as the cradle of
Dravidian culture. The southern state has been the home base of the Tamil masses since at
least 1500 BC. Tamil Nadu is the seventh most thickly settled state and eleventh largest
state (in terms of area) in India. The official language of Tamil Nadu is Tamil which is a
classical language (Semmozhi). Tamil Nadu, literally the 'Tamil Country' is all about a great
potpourri of age-old traditions, vibrant culture, illustrious religious sites, classical literature,
luxuriant Dravidian architecture, lively festivals, remarkable cuisine, tremendous arts and
crafts, enchanting landscapes and astonishing wildlife, prolific natural resources and so on.
Being one of the most literate states in the country, Tamil Nadu is a rapidly thriving state
across a broad spectrum of sectors and in social and cultural fronts as well.
The southern parts of the country were reigned by the ancient Tamil dynasties of the
Cheras, the Cholas and the Pandyas for centuries together. The Pallava dynasty, which
existed between the 3rd and 9th centuries CE, sustained domination from about the second
quarter of the 4th century A.D. As a matter of fact, the Pallavas were the masterminds of the
illustrious Dravidian architectural style. During the reign of the last Pallava dynasty
Aparajitavarman, the later Cholas under Vijayalaya Chola and Aditya I affirmed themselves
by about the 10th century.
Arrival of Europeans
The following historical period witnessed a riotous situation as a consequence of the battle
of Talikota. The following period mark the origination of European commercial interest that
had came along as contenders in the region of South India. The Portuguese, the Dutch
people, the French people and the British entered one after the other and constituted
trading establishments called as factories (trading posts). The East India Company (EIC),
which had founded its first trading settlement on the Bay of Bengal coast in Masulipatnam
1611, and slowly but steadily took over several dominions by promoting enmity amidst the
local powers.
After Indian Independence, the Madras Presidency became the Madras Province on 15
August 1947. On 26 Jan 1950 it was constituted as Madras State by the Government of
India. As an outcome of the States Reorganization Act, 1956, the state's boundaries were
reorganized based on the linguistic lines. The state was finally renamed as Tamil Nadu on
14 January 1969.
Madras Presidency: Comprised of present-day Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep Islands, the
Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, the Malabar region of North
Kerala, Malkangiri, Ganjam, Koraput, Nabarangapur, Rayagada and Gajapati districts of
southern Odisha and Dakshina Kannada, Bellary and Udupi districts of Karnataka.
Also Read:
History of Chennai | History of Coimbatore | History of Madurai | History of Trichy | History of
Salem |
History of Vellore | History of Tirunelveli | History of Kanchipuram | History of Thanjavur
In point of fact, Tamil Nadu's coastline is regarded as Indias second longest coastline. Sea
ports, refineries, fishing harbors and a wide range of coastal manufactures like fertilizers,
atomic and thermal power stations, and marine chemicals are located on the seacoast of
Tamil Nadu. Chennai, the capital city and the renowned metropolis of South India, is a
significant coastal city housing major ports and a lot of industries.
Furthermore, about 46 rivers drain into Bay of Bengal shaping a lot of estuaries abutting
coastal lagunas. The Cauvery River and its affluent constitute a magnanimous delta backing
voluminous agribusiness.
Ecologically Important Coastal Areas identified in Tamil Nadu Coast
District: Ramanathapuram aka Ramnad
Site: Gulf of Mannar (Islands between Rameswaram-Tuticorin)
Ecological Important: Coral Reef
Area: 63.226 km
District: Nagapattinam
Site: Vedaranniyam Muthupettai
Ecological Important: Mangroves
Area: 24.53 km
District: Cuddalore
Site: Pichavaram
Ecological Important: Mangroves
Area: 10.61 km
District: Thiruvallur
Site: Pulicat Lake
Ecological Important: Lagoon
Area: 252.04 km
Some of the important forest types in Tamil Nadu include Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests,
Tropical Semi Evergreen Forests, Tropical Semi Evergreen Forests, and Swamp Forests,
Littoral, Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests, Montane Wet Temperate Forests, Southern Sub
Tropical Broad Leaved Hill Forests Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests, Tropical Thorn Forests,
Subtropical Broad Leaved Hill Forests and so on.
Quick Facts:
Reserved Forest: 19,459 km2
Delta (the most productive agrarian geographical zone), North West, and southern, north
east, and west, high altitude hilly and high rainfall. It is important to note that Tamil Nadu is
primarily contingent on monsoon rainfalls.
Distinct Periods of Rainfall in Tamil Nadu
The mean annual rainfall of Tamil Nadu is accounted as about 945 mm. Out of the 945 mm
of annual rainfall, about 48% is contributed by the North East monsoon (October to
December), and 32% by the South West monsoon (June to September). As Tamil Nadu is
completely contingent on rainfalls for reloading its water bodies, monsoon failures leave the
state to face severe water scarcity.
Quick Facts:
Hottest Period: April to June
Coolest Period: November to February
Best Time to Visit Tamil Nadu: October to March
Average Annual Rainfall: 945 mm
Out of the total area of 50,216 sq mi, Tamil Nadu's gross inseminated field of around
57,52,664 hectares. The primary objectives of the Government of Tamil Nadu are to ensure
the dimension of being solid and steady in agricultural production. Additionally, the
Government of Tamil Nadu follows through agrarian policies to intensify the farming output
to match with the demand of growing population.
The Government of Tamil Nadu along with the Government of India has brought in and
followed through a lot of agrarian policies, development strategies and cutting-edge
technologies to step-up the agrarian outputs. Some of the most significant policies,
development strategies implemented include Soil health improvement through Bio-fertilizer
including Green Manuring, Wasteland development programme, Intensive integrated
agrarian system, Micro irrigation systems, Organic farming, Integrated pest management,
Watershed development activities, Integrated nutrient management and so on.
Kuruvai - Short term crop with duration of three and a half to four months from June
to July to Oct - Nov
Paddy is the principal crop grown in three seasons that is to say, Kuruvai, Samba
and Thaladi
The Cauvery delta region is known as the 'Rice Bowl of South India'
Tamil Nadu is the home to Dr M.S. Swaminathan, known as the "Father of the
Green Revolution" in India
Tamil Nadu is one of the leaders in livestock, poultry and fisheries production
Tamil Nadu is a leading state in fish and fishery products export in the country
Tamil Nadu produces 10% of fruits and 6% of vegetables, in the total production of
fruits and vegetables in India
Tamil Nadu is a leading state in the country in the production of flowers like Jasmine,
Mullai, Rose, Marigold (Tagetes) and Chrysanthemum (mums or chrysanths)
Tamil Nadu is the second largest producer of Rice, Mango, Coconut, Groundnut and
Natural Rubber
Tamil Nadu is the third largest producer of Sugarcane, Sapota (sapodilla), Coffee
and Tea
Tamil Nadu is a leading state in the country in livestock, poultry and fisheries
production
Tamil Nadu's Namakkal district is a leading base in the country in Egg production
Pulses - Bengal gram, Red gram, Green gram, Black gram, Horse gram and other
pulses
Oil Seeds - Groundnut, Gingelly, Coconut, Castor, Soya bean, and Sunflower
Other Crops- Cotton, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Cashew nut, Turmeric and Chillies
Being one of the most industrialized states in India, Tamil Nadu is the home of a lot
of reputed industries that include automobile industry, textile industry, Electronics
manufacturing industry, leather and tannery facilities, tourism industry, and
information technology industry and so on. Let's get a glance of economic marvels of
Tamil Nadu across various industries.
Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu and the fourth most prominent metropolis of
India, is popularly called as the 'Detroit of India' for its innumerable automobile and
automobile component manufacturers that include MRF, Ashok Leyland, BMW,
Dunlop, Royal Enfield, Mitsubishi, Yamaha, Bridgestone, Daimler, Ford, Hyundai,
Nissan, Hindustan Motors, Michelin, Apollo Tyres, Renault, TAFE Tractors and so on.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, often called as BHEL, one among the global
electrical equipment company has its manufacturing units at Trichy and Ranipet in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers also called as TNPL, world's most magnanimous
bagasse-based paper mills is located at Karur in Tamil Nadu
The southern state houses several cement manufacturing plants that include Ramco
cements, ACC cement, UltraTech Cement (Aditya Birla Group), Dalmia Cements and
so on
Fondly called as the 'Steel City', Salem in Tamil Nadu is the home of SAIL (Steel
Authority of India), the largest integrated iron and steel producer in the country
The southern metropolis Chennai as the urban centre is a popular hub of Electronics
Manufacturing Services. Some of the popular Electronics Manufacturing Service
companies in Chennai include Dell, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens, SonyEricsson, Karbonn Mobiles, Texas Instruments, and Moser Bear and so on
Vellore in Tamil Nadu is the leading exporter of finished leather goods in India.
Furthermore, Tamil Nadu answers for over 70% of leather tanning capacity in the
country and 38%of leather footgear and parts
Chennai is the second largest software exporter in the country, next only to
Bengaluru
Chennai is the home of India's largest information technology park and houses
numerous well known giant companies like HCL, TCS, Infosys, Covansys, Verizon
and so on
Kanchipuram and Arani (Kanchi and Aarani pattu) are world famous for their pure silk
sarees (Jarigai and Pattu Pudavai) and handloom silk weaving industries.
Tamil Nadu
Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO), Tamil Nadu Small Industries
Development Corporation Limited (TANSIDCO), State Industries Promotion Corporation of
Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) and Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation Limited (TIIC) are
collectively modernizing industrial infrastructure in Tamil Nadu. Besides, Tamil Nadu
Industrial Guidance and Export Promotion Bureau has been established with the idea of
drawing large scale investment propositions into the state.
A few of the important business policies and initiatives adopted by the Government of Tamil
Nadu to elevate the state as an investment base include:
The Tamil Nadu government has newly brought out a dedicated policy for automobile
industries functioning in the state to primarily concentrate on the possible
developments, where the local administration receives a proportional reward
The Government of Tamil Nadu has established industrial areas and treatment units
for the leather cluster
Quick Facts:
Key Industries of Tamil Nadu:
Automobile and auto components, tourism, engineering, information technology and
information technology enabled services, heavy commercial vehicles, pharmaceuticals,
electronics, cements and so on
Minister of Industries Department of Tamil Nadu
Shri P.Thangamani
Portfolio: Industries, Steel Control, Mines and Minerals, and Special Initiatives
Contact Number: 044-25670203, Extn-5945
Industries Department Secretariat
Chennai - 600009
PBX No: 044-25665566
Email: indsec@tn.gov.in
the golden age of Tamil Literature and Thiruvalluvar's Thirukkural is still considered the
greatest literary work.
Music and Dance too play and important role in the culture of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the
greatest propagators of Carnatic music and Bharatnatyam. Dance Festival in
Mamallapuram, Natyanjali Dance Festival in Chidambaram are important dance festivals of
Tamil Nadu.
The most important festival of Tamil Nadu is Pongal also known as Tamilar Thirunal in
January celebrating fresh harvest. Another most important festival is Navarathri or the
festival of nine nights where the first three days are devoted to Goddess Durga, the next
three days to Goddess Lakshmi and last three days to Goddess Saraswati or Goddess of
Learning. One of the most ancient festivals in Tamil Nadu is Karthigai Deepam or festival of
Lights which has reference to Sangam Literature.
Tamil Nadu is also known for its cuisine. The variety that it offers for both vegetarians and
non-vegetarians is unmatched. The distinct spices used in the food makes it different from
rest of India. Traditional Tamil food which is served on a banana leaf includes poli, rice,
poori, rasam pongal, appams, vadai, and payasam.