Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu
Etymology: Tamil Country
Nickname: 
"Land of Temples"
Motto
Vāymaiyē vellum (Truth alone triumphs)
Anthem: "Tamil Thai Valthu"
(Invocation to Mother Tamil)
The map of India showing Tamil Nadu
Location of Tamil Nadu in India
Coordinates: 11°N 79°E / 11°N 79°E / 11; 79
Country India
RegionSouth India
Before wasMadras State
Formation1 November 1956
Capital
and largest city
Chennai
Largest metroChennai metropolitan area
Districts38 (5 divisions)
Government
 • BodyGovernment of Tamil Nadu
 • GovernorR. N. Ravi
 • Chief ministerM. K. Stalin (DMK)
State LegislatureUnicameral
 • AssemblyTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (234 seats)
National ParliamentParliament of India
 • Rajya Sabha18 seats
 • Lok Sabha39 seats
High CourtMadras High Court
Area
 • Total130,058 km2 (50,216 sq mi)
 • Rank10th
Dimensions
 • Length1,076 km (669 mi)
Elevation
189 m (620 ft)
Highest elevation2,636 m (8,648 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total72,147,030
 • Rank6th
 • Density554.7/km2 (1,437/sq mi)
 • Urban
48.4%
 • Rural
51.6%
Demonyms
Language
 • OfficialTamil[2]
 • Additional officialEnglish[2]
 • Official scriptTamil script
GDP
 • Total (2022-23)Increase 23.65 lakh crore (US$300 billion)
 • Rank2nd
 • Per capitaIncrease 275,583 (US$3,500) (9th)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-TN
Vehicle registrationTN
HDI (2021)Decrease 0.686 Medium (14th)
Literacy (2011)Increase 80.09% (14th)
Sex ratio (2011)996/1000 (3rd)
Websitetn.gov.in
Symbols of Tamil Nadu
Song"Tamil Thai Valthu"
(Invocation to Mother Tamil)
BirdEmerald Dove
ButterflyTamil Yeoman
FlowerGloriosa Lily
FruitJackfruit
MammalNilgiri Tahr
TreeAsian Palm
State highway mark
State highway of Tamil Nadu
TN SH1 - TN SH223
List of Indian state symbols

Tamil Nadu (/ˌtæmɪl ˈnɑːd/; Tamil: [ˈtamiɻ ˈnaːɽɯ] , abbr. TN) is the southernmost state of India. The tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population, Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, who speak the Tamil language, one of the longest surviving classical languages and serves as its official language. The capital and largest city is Chennai.

Located on the south-eastern coast of the Indian peninsula, Tamil Nadu is straddled by the Western Ghats and Deccan Plateau in the west, the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Eastern Coastal Plains lining the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait to the south-east, the Laccadive Sea at the southern cape of the peninsula, with the river Kaveri bisecting the state. Politically, Tamil Nadu is bound by the Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, and the union territory of Puducherry and shares an international maritime border with the Northern Province of Sri Lanka at Pamban Island.

Archaeological evidence points to Tamil Nadu being inhabited for more than 400 millennia and has more than 5,500 years of continuous cultural history. Historically, the Tamilakam region was inhabited by Tamil-speaking Dravidian people and was ruled by several regimes over centuries, such as the Sangam era triumverate of the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas, the Pallavas (3rd–9th century CE), and the later Vijayanagara Empire (14th–17th century CE). European colonization began with establishing trade ports in the 17th century, with the British controlling much of South India as the Madras Presidency for two centuries before the Indian Independence in 1947. After independence, the region became the Madras State of the Republic of India and was further re-organized when states were redrawn linguistically in 1956 into the current shape. The state was renamed as Tamil Nadu, meaning "Tamil Country", in 1969. Hence, culture, cuisine and architecture have seen multiple influences over the years and have developed diversely.

As the most urbanised state of India, Tamil Nadu boasts an economy with gross state domestic product (GSDP) of 23.65 lakh crore (US$300 billion), making it the second-largest economy amongst the 28 states of India. It has the country's 9th-highest GSDP per capita of 275,583 (US$3,500) and ranks 11th in human development index. Tamil Nadu is also one of the most industrialised states, with the manufacturing sector accounting for nearly one-third of the state's GDP. With its diverse culture and architecture, long coastline, forests and mountains, Tamil Nadu is home to a number of ancient relics, historic buildings, religious sites, beaches, hill stations, forts, waterfalls and four World Heritage Sites with the state's tourism industry, the largest among the Indian states. Forests occupy an area of 22,643 km2 (8,743 sq mi) constituting 17.4% of the geographic area of which protected areas cover an area of 3,305 km2 (1,276 sq mi), around 15% of the recorded forest area of the state and consists of three biosphere reserves, mangrove forests, five National Parks, 18 wildlife sanctuaries and 17 bird sanctuaries. The Tamil film industry, nicknamed as Kollywood, plays an influential role in the state's popular culture.

  1. ^ Population and decadal change by residence (PDF) (Report). Government of India. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "The Tamil Nadu Official Language Act, 1956". Act of 27 December 1956 (PDF). Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. p. 1. Archived 1 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Gross State Domestic Product (Current Prices) (Report). Reserve Bank of India. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  4. ^ Per Capita Net State Domestic Product (Current Prices) (Report). Reserve Bank of India. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.