Karnataka

Karnataka
Etymology: Land of Kannadigas
Nickname: 
"IT Capital of India"
Motto
Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs)
Anthem: Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate
(Victory to You Mother Karnataka, Daughter of Mother India)[1]
The map of India showing Karnataka
Location of Karnataka in India
Coordinates: 12°58′N 77°30′E / 12.97°N 77.50°E / 12.97; 77.50
Country India
RegionSouth India
Before wasMysore State
Formation1 November 1956
Capital
and largest city
Bangalore
Largest metroBangalore
Districts31 (4 divisions)
Government
 • BodyGovernment of Karnataka
 • GovernorThawar Chand Gehlot
 • Chief ministerSiddaramaiah (INC)
 • Deputy chief ministerD. K. Shivakumar (INC)
 • Chief secretaryRajneesh Goel[2]
State LegislatureBicameral
 • CouncilKarnataka Legislative Council (75 seats)
 • AssemblyKarnataka Legislative Assembly (224 seats)
National ParliamentParliament of India
 • Rajya Sabha12 seats
 • Lok Sabha28 seats
High CourtKarnataka High Court
Area
 • Total191,791 km2 (74,051 sq mi)
 • Rank6th
Dimensions
 • Length750 km (470 mi)
 • Width400 km (200 mi)
Elevation
460 m (1,510 ft)
Highest elevation1,925 m (6,316 ft)
Lowest elevation−1 m (−3 ft)
Population
 (2011)[6]
 • TotalNeutral increase 61,130,704
 • Rank8th
 • Density320/km2 (800/sq mi)
 • Urban
38.67%
 • Rural
61.33%
Demonym(s)Kannadiga (gender neutral)
Kannadati (feminine)
Language
 • OfficialKannada[7][8]
 • Official scriptKannada script
GDP
 • Total (2021–22)Increase20.5 trillion (US$260 billion)
 • Rank5th
 • Per capitaIncrease305,000 (US$3,800) (5th)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-KA
Vehicle registrationKA
HDI (2022)Increase 0.706 High[10] (15th)
Literacy (2011)Increase 75.36%[11] (23rd)
Sex ratio (2011)973/1000 (6th)
Websitewww.karnataka.gov.in
Symbols of Karnataka
SongJaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate
(Victory to You Mother Karnataka, Daughter of Mother India)[1]
Foundation dayKarnataka Formation Day
BirdIndian roller
FlowerLotus
MammalIndian elephant[12]
TreeSandalwood
State highway mark
State highway of Karnataka
KA SH1 - KA SH188
List of Indian state symbols

Karnataka (/kərˈnɑːtəkə/; ISO: Karnāṭaka, Kannada: [kɐɾˈnaːʈɐkɐ]), also known colloquially as Karunāḍu, is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, and renamed Karnataka in 1973. The state was part of the Carnatic region in British terminology. Its capital and largest city is Bengaluru (Bangalore).

Karnataka is bordered by the Lakshadweep Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the northeast, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. It is the only southern state to have land borders with all of the other four southern Indian sister states. The state covers an area of 191,791 km2 (74,051 sq mi), or 5.83 per cent of the total geographical area of India.[13] It is the sixth-largest Indian state by area.[13] With 61,130,704 inhabitants at the 2011 census, Karnataka is the eighth-largest state by population, comprising 31 districts. Kannada, one of the classical languages of India, is the most widely spoken and official language of the state. Other minority languages spoken include Urdu, Konkani, Marathi, Tulu, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kodava and Beary. Karnataka also contains some of the only villages in India where Sanskrit is primarily spoken.[14][15][16]

Though several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka, the generally accepted one is that Karnataka is derived from the Kannada words karu and nādu, meaning "elevated land". Karu Nadu may also be read as karu, meaning "black" and nadu, meaning "region", as a reference to the black cotton soil found in the Bayalu Seeme region of the state. The British used the word Carnatic, sometimes Karnatak, to describe both sides of peninsular India, south of the Krishna.[17]

With an antiquity that dates to the paleolithic, Karnataka has been home to some of the most powerful empires of ancient and medieval India. The philosophers and musical bards patronised by these empires launched socio-religious and literary movements which have endured to the present day. Karnataka has contributed significantly to both forms of Indian classical music, the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions.

The economy of Karnataka is the fifth-largest of any Indian state with 20.5 trillion (US$260 billion) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of 305,000 (US$3,800).[9] Karnataka has the fifteenth-highest ranking among Indian states in Human Development Index.[10]

  1. ^ "Poem declared 'State song'". The Hindu. 11 January 2004. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Rajneesh Goel Appointed As Karnataka's New Chief Secretary". NDTV. PTI. 22 November 2023. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Karnataka CM swearing in ceremony live updates: 'In larger interest of party,' says DK Shivakumar on becoming deputy CM and Siddaramaiah as new CM". The Times of India. 18 May 2023. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Protected Areas of India: State-wise break up of Wildlife Sanctuaries" (PDF). Wildlife Institute of India. Government of India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Udupi-Chikmagalur: A constituency that's beset by problems". The Hindu. 18 March 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Figures at a glance" (PDF). 2011 Provisional census data. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 October 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  7. ^ 50th Report of the Commission for Linguistic Minorities in India (PDF). National Commissioner Linguistic Minorities. p. 123. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2016.
  8. ^ "THE KARNATAKA OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ACT, 1963" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Economic Survey of Karnataka 2021-22" (PDF). Reserve Bank of India. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Sub-national HDI – Area Database". Global Data Lab. Institute for Management Research, Radboud University. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Census 2011 (Final Data) – Demographic details, Literate Population (Total, Rural & Urban)" (PDF). planningcommission.gov.in. Planning Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  12. ^ Huq, Iteshamul, ed. (2015). "Introduction" (PDF). A Handbook of Karnataka (Fifth ed.). Karnataka Gazetteer Department. p. 48. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Census Reference Tables, B-Series - Area". censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Seven Indian villages where people speak in Sanskrit". 24 September 2017. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  15. ^ "Know about these 4 Indian villages where Sanskrit is still their first language". Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Five Indian villages where Sanskrit is spoken". Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  17. ^ See Lord Macaulay's life of Clive and James Talboys Wheeler: Early History of British India, London (1878) p.98. The principal meaning is the western half of this area, but the rulers there controlled the Coromandel Coast as well.