Maharashtra (Marathi: mahrra, pronounced [mharar] ( listen)) is a state located in India.

. The word Maharashtra is derived from the Sanskrit words Maha meaning Great and Rashtra meaning Nation, thus rendering the name Maharashtra (Great Nation). It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. It is the richest state in India, contributing to 15% of the country's industrial output and 13.2% of its GDP in 2005-06.[5][6][7][8] Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Gujarat and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the northwest, Madhya Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Karnataka to the south, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, and Goa to the southwest. The state covers an area of 307,731 km2 (118,816 sq mi) or 9.84% of the total geographical area of India. Mumbai, the capital city of the state, is India's largest city and the financial capital of the nation. Marathi is the official language of the state, while English and Hindi are also widely spoken throughout Maharashtra. In the 17th century, the Marathas rose under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji against the Mughals who were ruling a large part of India. By 1760, Maratha power had reached its zenith with a territory of over 250 million acres (1 million km) or one-third of the Indian sub-continent. After the third Anglo-Maratha war, the empire ended and most of Maharashtra became part of Bombay state under a British Raj. After Indian independence, Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti demanded unification of all Marathi speaking regions under one state. At that time Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was of opinion that linguistic reorganizaion of states should be done with - "One state One language" principle and not with "One language - One state" principle. He submitted a memorandum to the reorganization commission stating that, " Single Government can not administer such a huge state as United Maharashtra".[9] The first state reorganization committee created the current Maharashtra state on 1 May 1960 (known as Maharashtra Day). The Marathi-speaking areas of Bombay state, Deccan states and Vidarbha (which was part of Central Provinces and Berar) united, under the agreement known as Nagpur Pact, to form the current state.

Contents
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1 Geography 2 Protected areas of Maharashtra 3 Economy 4 Government o 4.1 Revenues of government 5 Judiciary 6 Attorney General of India 7 Solicitor General of India 8 Advocate-General of Maharashtra 9 Additional Solicitor General 10 Education and social development

11 Demographics 12 Religions 13 Festivals o 13.1 Saints (Sant) 14 Languages 15 Divisions and regions o 15.1 Divisions o 15.2 Regions 16 Border dispute 17 Principal urban agglomerations 18 Transport o 18.1 Air 18.1.1 International Airports 18.1.2 Domestic Airports 18.1.3 Upcoming International Airports 18.1.4 Upcoming Domestic Airports o 18.2 Road 18.2.1 Expressways 18.2.2 Upcoming Expressway Extension Projects 18.2.3 Upcoming 6 lane and 4 lane Expressway projects o 18.3 Railways 18.3.1 Terminus Stations 18.3.2 Major Railway Lines 18.3.3 Upcoming Rail Routes 19 Culture 20 References 21 External links

[edit] Geography
See also: Geography of Maharashtra

Pune is located at the confluence of the Mula and Mutha rivers.

The Arabian Sea in Mahad Maharashtra encompasses an area of 308,000 km (119,000 mi), and is the third largest state in India. It is bordered by the states of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, Karnataka to the south, and Goa to the southwest. The state of Gujarat lies to the northwest, with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli sandwiched in between. The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtra's west coast. The Western Ghats better known as Sahyadri, are a hilly range running parallel to the coast, at an average elevation of 1,200 metres (4,000 ft). Kalsubai, a peak in the Sahyadris, near Nashik City is the highest elevated point in Maharashtra. To the west of these hills lie the Konkan coastal plains, 5080 kilometres in width. To the east of the Ghats lies the flat Deccan Plateau. The Western Ghats form one of the three watersheds of India, from which many South Indian rivers originate, notable among them being Godavari River, and Krishna, which flow eastward into the Bay of Bengal, forming one of the greatest river basins in India.

[edit] Protected areas of Maharashtra

Several wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and Project Tiger reserves have been created in Maharashtra, with the aim of conserving the rich bio-diversity of the region. As of May 2004, India has 92 national parks, of which six are located in Maharashtra. A large percentage of Maharashtra's forests and wildlife lie in the Zadipranta (Forest rich region) of far eastern Maharashtra OR eastern Vidarbha.

Lions at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the world's largest national park within city limits.

Navegaon National Park, located near Gondia in the eastern region of Vidarbha is home to many species of birds, deer, bears and leopards. Nagzira wildlife sanctuary lies in Tirora Range of Bhandara Forest Division, in Gondia district of Vidarbha region. The sanctuary is enclosed in the arms of the nature and adorned with exquisite landscape. The sanctuary consists of a range of hills with small lakes within its boundary. These lakes not only guarantee a source of water to wildlife throughout the year, but also greatly heighten the beauty of the landscape. Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, a prominent tiger reserve near Chandrapur in Vidarbha. It is 40 km away from Chandrapur. Pench National Park, in Nagpur district, extends into Madhya Pradesh as well. It has now been upgraded into a Tiger project. Chandoli National Park, located in Sangli district has a vast variety of flora and fauna. The famous Prachitgad Fort and Chandoli dam and scenic water falls can be found around Chandoli National Park. Gugamal National Park, also known as Melghat Tiger Reserve is located in Amravati district. It is 80 km away from Amravati. Sanjay Gandhi National Park, also known as Borivali National Park is located in Mumbai and is the world's largest national park within city limits. Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, a man made wildlife sanctuary situated 30 km from Sangli. Ancient temples of Lord Shiva and Jain Temple of Parshwanath located in Sagareshwar are a major attraction. Maldhok Sanctuary, situated in Solapur district. Some of its part is in Ahmednagar district. The sanctuary is for a bird which is sometimes known as The Great Indian Bustard.

Apart from these, Maharashtra has 35 wildlife sanctuaries spread all over the state, listed here.[10] Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary are the important ones. Apart from the above, Matheran, a Hill station near Mumbai has been declared an ecosensitive zone (protected area) by the Government of India.

[edit] Economy
Year Gross Domestic Product (millions of )

1980 166,310 1985 296,160 1990 664,330

1995 1,578,180 2000 2,386,720 2005 3,759,150[11]

Skyline view from Nariman Point, in Mumbai, is a prime financial district in Maharashtra. Main article: Economy of Maharashtra See also: List of conglomerates in Maharashtra Favourable economic policies in the 1970s led to Maharashtra becoming India's leading industrial state in the last quarter of 20th century. Over 41% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Maharashtra. Maharashtra's gross state domestic product for 2010 is at $190.310 billion.[12] The state's debt was estimated at 36 per cent of GDP in 2005.[13] In 2007 Maharashtra reported a revenue surplus of 810 crore (US$180.63 million).[14] Maharashtra is the second most urbanised state with urban population of 42% of whole population. The headquarters to the Financial Planning Standards Board India is in Maharashtra. Maharashtra is India's leading industrial state contributing 15% of national industrial output and over 40% of India's national revenue.[15] 64.14% of the people are employed in agriculture and allied activities. Almost 46% of the GSDP is contributed by industry. Major industries in Maharashtra include chemical and allied products, electrical and nonelectrical machinery, textiles, petroleum and allied products. Other important industries include metal products, wine, jewellery, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, machine tools, steel and iron castings and plastic wares. Food crops include mangoes, grapes, bananas, oranges, wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, and pulses. Cash crops include groundnut, cotton, sugarcane, turmeric, and tobacco. The net irrigated area totals 33,500 square kilometres. Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra and the financial capital of India, houses the headquarters of all major banks, financial institutions, insurance companies in India. India's largest stock exchange Bombay Stock Exchange, the oldest in Asia, is also located in the city. After successes in the information technology in the neighboring states, Maharashtra has set up software parks in Pune, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad,

Nagpur and Nashik, Now Maharashtra is the second largest exporter of software with annual exports of 18,000 crore (US$4.01 billion) and accounts for more than 30 per cent of the country's software exports, with over 1,200 software units based in the state.[16] Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai is the busiest port in India. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai is the busiest airport in South Asia as per passenger volume.[17]