Arunachal Pradesh General Informations

• Coordinates (Itanagar): 27.06°N 93.37°E
Country -- India
Region ---Northeast India
Established. --- 20 February 1987
Capital  --- Itanagar
Largest city --- Itanagar
Districts   --- 16
Government
• Body.  ---Government of Arunachal Pradesh
• Governor. ---Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa
• Chief Minister--- Nabam Tuki (INC)
• Legislature ----Unicameral (60 seats)
• Parliamentary constituency
Rajya Sabha    --- 1
Lok Sabha           --- 2
• High Court  -- Guwahati High Court – Itanagar Bench
Area
• Total  ---- 83,743 km2 (32,333 sq mi)
Area rank. ----15th
Population (2011)
• Total  ---1,382,611
• Rank  -----27th
• Density  ---17/km2 (43/sq mi)
Time zone : IST (UTC+05:30)
ISO 3166 code : IN-AR
HDI     : 0.617 (medium)
HDI rank:  18th (2005)
Literacy :  66.95%
Official language : English
• Located in northeast India, it holds the most north-eastern position among the other states in the north-east region of India.
• Arunachal Pradesh borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east and China in the north.

•Arunachal Pradesh, which translates to "land of the dawn-lit mountains", is also known as the Orchid State of India or the Paradise of the Botanists.

•Arunachal Pradesh has the highest number of regional languages in South Asia.

•The Survey of India published a map showing the McMahon Line as the official boundary in 1937.

Sino-Indian War:
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•The NEFA (North-East Frontier Agency) was created in 1955.
• The issue was quiet for nearly a decade, a period of cordial Sino-Indian relations, but the re-emergence of the issue was a major cause of the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
• The cause of the escalation into war is still disputed by both Chinese and Indian sources.
Twang:
• Is the integral part of India.

Current name:

•NEFA was renamed as Arunachal Pradesh by Late Sri Bibhabasu Das Shastri, the then Director of Research, on 20 January 1972 and it became a Union Territory. •Arunachal Pradesh became a state on 20 February 1987.

• Special permits called Inner Line Permits (ILP) are required to enter Arunachal Pradesh through any of its checkgates on the border with Assam.

Geography:
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

•Most of Arunachal Pradesh is covered by the Himalayas.
• However, parts of Lohit, Changlang and Tirap are covered by the Patkai hills.
• Kangto, Nyegi Kangsang, the main Gorichen peak and the Eastern Gorichen peak are some of the highest peaks in this region of the Himalayas.
*• The land is mostly mountainous with the Himalayan ranges running north south.
•These divide the state into five river valleys: the Kameng, the Subansiri, the Siang, the Lohit and the Tirap.
•The mightiest of  rivers is Siang, called the Tsangpa in Tibet, which becomes the Brahmaputra after it is joined by the Dibang and the Lohit in the plains of Assam.

•Toward the northern border with Tibet, with increasing elevation, come a mixture of Eastern and Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests followed by Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows and ultimately rock and ice on the highest peaks.

•The Himalayan ranges that extend up to the eastern Arunachal separate it from Tibet.
•The ranges extend toward Nagaland, and form a boundary between India and Burma in Changlang and Tirap district, acting as a natural barrier called Patkai Bum Hills.

ClimateE:
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
• Areas that are at a very high elevation in the Upper Himalaya close to the Tibetan border have an alpine or tundra climate.
√Below the Upper Himalayas are the Middle Himalayas, where people experience a temperate climate.

• The mountain slopes and hills are covered with alpine, temperate, and subtropical forests of dwarf rhododendron, oak, pine, maple, fir, and juniper; sal (Shorea robusta) and teak are the main economically valuable species.

• State Bird - Hornbill
State Flower - Foxtail orchid
State Animal- Mithun
State Tree. - Hollong

Important Facts:
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•The state of Arunachal Pradesh is
located in the North-eastern region of
India.
•The state is called “ Land of
Rising sun “. The state had diverse
range of regional tribes.
•The state is
augmented with hills and valleys.
• It
has the precious treasure of lovely
flowers.

1. Largest State : Arunachal Pradesh
is the largest among the North-
eastern states in terms of land area,
even larger than Assam. It is
surrounded by Assam and Nagaland.

2. Language: It has the maximum
number of regional languages in
India. English is used as Official
Language.

3. International borders: The state
borders with Bhutan and China in the
East and North respectively.

4. Capital City: Itanagar is the capital
city of the state Arunachal Pradesh.

5. Heavy Rainfall: The state of
Arunachal Pradesh witnesses heavy
rainfall between May and September.

6. Road: The state has two National
Highways. All major towns are well
connected with Assam.

7. Railway: A railway network is
being planned which will connect
Arunachal Pradesh with other states
of India.

8. Tibeto-burman Origin: The
majority of the people of Arunachal
Pradesh are of Tibeto-Burman origin.

9. Low Mountain ranges: The
himalayan ranges that extends to
Arunachal Pradesh are low mountain
ranges compared to Greater
Himalayan ranges.

10. Places to Visit: (a)
Parshuramkund in the Lohit district,
(b) Bomdila, (c) Tawang Monastery
in Kameng district, (d) Mandapa Wild
Life Sanctuary, (e) Ita Fort at
Itanagar.

11. Major Festivals: Losar, Dree,
Solung and Reh are the major
festivals in the State of Arunachal
Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh: Economy, Agriculture,Industries, tourism, transportation, Sports,Education etc

•The gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Andhra Pradesh was ₹2359.3 billion (US$37 billion) in 2012–13.
• The domestic product of agriculture sector accounts for ₹545.99 billion (US$8.7 billion) and Industrial sector for ₹507.45 billion (US$8.1 billion).
• The service sector of the state accounts more percentage of the GSDP with a total of ₹1305.87 billion (US$21 billion).

Agriculture:

•Lush green farms in Konaseema, East Godavari
With an economy mainly based on agriculture and livestock, Andhra Pradesh is an exporter of many agricultural products and is also known as "Rice Bowl of India".
• Four important rivers of India, the Godavari, Krishna, Penna, and Thungabhadra, flow through the state and provide irrigation.
• Agriculture is the main occupation and 60 percent of population is engaged in agriculture and related activities.
•Rice is the major food crop and staple food of the state.

•There are many multi-state irrigation projects under development, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.
•Fisheries contribute 10% of total fish and over 70% of the shrimp production of India.

Industrial sector:

• The PepsiCo firm has its largest plant in India at Sri City.

•The IT/ITES revenues of the Visakhapatnam alone is at ₹14.45 billion (US$230 million) in 2012–13.

Resources:
•Andhra Pradesh is one of the storehouses of mineral resources in India.

•Andhra Pradesh is listed top in the deposit and production of mica in India.
•It has about one third of India's limestone reserves and is known for large exclusive deposits of Barytes and Galaxy granite in the international market.

Power plants:

•There are both thermal and hydel power plants. Natural gas, one of the cheapest source in power generation is in abundance.
•APGENCO is the power generating organization of Andhra Pradesh.
• Thermal power plants with total capacity of 5610 MW are situated in the state which includes Dr Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station (1760 MW), Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station (1050 MW), Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station (800 MW) are of APGENCO, Simhadri Super Thermal Power Plant (2000 MW) of NTPC, and the Hydel power plants are having a capacity of 3693.20 MW.

• The state has one of the largest railway junctions at Vijayawada and one of the largest seaports at Visakhapatnam.

Roads:

• NH 5, with a highway network of around 1,000 km (620 mi) in the state, is a part of Golden Quadrilateral Project undertaken by National Highways Development Project.
•It also forms part of AH 45 which comes under the Asian Highway Network.
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National Highways:
Chennai - Mumbai (NH-4) (passes through Chittoor District)
Chennai - Kolkata (NH-5) (Passes through Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore Districts).
Kanya Kumari - Varanasi (NH-7) (passes through Anantapuram and Kurnool Districts).
Machilipatnam - Mumbai (NH-9) (passes through Krishna District).
Chittoor - Kurnool (NH-18) (Passes through Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnool Districts)
Visakhapatnam - Raipur (NH-43) (Passes through Vizianagaram District).
Gooty - Karwar (NH-63) (Passes through Anantapur District).
Bellari - Jadcherla (NH-167) (passes through Kurnool District).
Chennai - Anantapur (NH-205) (passes through Chittoor and Anatapur District).
Krishnagiri - Madanapalli (NH-219) (passes through Chittoor District).
Kattipudi - Pamarru (NH-214) (Passes through East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna Districts).
Digamarru - Ongole (NH-214 A) (passes through West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam Districts).
Vijayawada - Jagadalpur (NH-221) (Passes through Krishna and East Godavari District).
•Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) in Vijayawada is one of the largest bus terminals in Asia.

Railways:

•Andhra Pradesh has a railway network of 5,046 km (3,135 mi).
• One of the highest broad gauge tracks in the world is in eastern ghats route that runs from Visakhapatnam to Anantagiri.
•Most of Andhra Pradesh falls under with Guntur, Vijayawada , Guntakal (South Central Railway zone and Waltair (East Coast Railway zone) divisions.

•Waltair Railway Division under ECoR zone, is fourth largest revenue earning division in India.
• Vijayawada railway station is the highest grosser in the SCR zone and one of busiest railway junctions in India.

Airports.

•Visakhapatnam Airport, is the only airport in the state now with international connectivity.
 

Seaports:

•Andhra Pradesh has one of the country's largest port at Visakhapatnam in terms of (cargo handling).

Tourism:
•Andhra Pradesh is promoted by its tourism department, APTDC as the Koh-i-Noor of India.

Beaches:

•The seacoast of the state extends along the Bay of Bengal from Srikakulam to Nellore district.

Caves:

•Borra Caves in the Ananthagiri Hills of the Eastern Ghats, near Vishakapatnam are famous for million-year-old stalactite and stalagmite formations.
• Belum Caves in Kurnool district are the second largest natural caves of 3.229 km (2.006 mi) in length on the Indian subcontinent.

Valleys and Hills:

•Araku Valley is the famous hill station in Visakhapatnam district with thick forests, coffee plantations and waterfalls.
•Horsley Hills is a summer hill resort in the Chittoor district, situated at an elevation of 1.265 km (0.786 mi).

Ecotourism:

  Coringa, Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park etc. Atapaka Bird Sanctuary and Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary attracts many migratory birds.

Religious destinations:

Tirumala Temple, Simhachalam Temple in Visakhapatnam District, Dwaraka Tirumala in West Godavari District, Srisailam temple, Kanaka Durga Temple of Vijayawada, Srikalahasti temple.

Telugu cinema:

•The Telugu film culture (or, "Tollywood") is the second-largest film industry in India next to Bollywood Film Industry.
•Prolific film producer from the state, D. Ramanaidu holds a Guinness Record for the most number of films produced by a person.

•The industry holds the Guinness World Record for the largest film production facility in the world.

Education:
Space research organization:

Indian Space Research •Organisation (or Sriharikota Range (SHAR)) at barrier island of Sriharikota in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh is a satellite launching station.
• It is India's primary orbital launch site.
•India's lunar orbiter Chandrayaan-1 was launched from the centre at 6:22 AM IST on 22 October 2008.

Sports:

•One of the most popular sports in Andhra Pradesh is cricket.
•The ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam is the home to the Andhra Pradesh cricket team.
Notable cricketers from Andhra Pradesh, include Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, M. V. Narasimha Rao, M. S. K. Prasad, V.V.S. Laxman.

Chetan Anand (badminton),Kamineni Eswara Rao (Arjuna Award winner) etc.

Andhra Pradesh: Geography, Culture, Cuisine etc

•Geographically, Andhra Pradesh is bestowed with two mighty river systems of Krishna and Godavari.
•Its varied topography ranging from the hills of Eastern Ghats and Nallamallas to the shores of Bay of Bengal supports varied ecotypes, rich diversity of flora and fauna.
  • The Kadapa Basin formed by two arching branches of the Eastern Ghats is a mineral-rich area.  Lambasingi (or Lammasingi), a village in the Chintapalli Mandal of Visakhapatnam district is situated at 1000 meters above the sea level.
• It is the only place in South India which has snowfall and is also nicknamed as Kashmir of Andhra Pradesh.
• The total forest cover of the state after the bifurcation is left with an area of 22,862 km2.
The forest in the state can be broadly divided into four major biotic provinces.
They are:

Deccan Plateau
Central Plateau
Eastern Highland
East Coastal Plains

• Summers last from March to June.

•July to September is the season for tropical rains in Andhra Pradesh.
• The state receives heavy rainfall from the Southwest. •Monsoon during these months.
• About one third of the total rainfall in Andhra Pradesh is brought by the Northeast Monsoon.
• October and November see low-pressure systems and tropical cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal which, along with the Northeast Monsoon, bring rains to the southern and coastal regions of the state.
• November, December, January, and February are the winter months in Andhra Pradesh.

• Demographics:

2011-84,665,533-11.8%
  Visakhapatnam district has the largest urban population of 47.5% and Srikakulam district with 83.8%, has the largest rural population, among others districts in the state.
•  Sex ratio of 996 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 926 per 1000.
The average literacy rate stands at 67.41%

•The Minister of Tourism and Culture has issued a declaration of the Telugu language as a Classical Language. often spoken in the state include Tamil, Kannada and Oriya.

Religions:

Hinduism - 92.25%
Islam - 6.9%
Christianity - 1.51%
Jainism- 0.04%
Sikhism- 0.01%
Buddhism - 0.004%
Others- 0.001%

• Andhra Pradesh is home to Shankaracharya of Pushpagiri Peetham.
•Andhra Pradesh has several Hindu shrines. Most important and richest of them is Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams.

•The first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh was Neelam Sanjiva Reddy who later served as President of India.

•Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao is the founder of Telugu Desam party and served as the first chief minister from the party.

•N. Chandrababu Naidu held the record for the longest serving chief minister (1995 to 2004).

Arts, crafts and artifacts:

•The village of Durgi is known for stone craft, producing carvings of idols in soft stone that must be exhibited in the shade because they are prone to weathering.
• Andhra Pradesh is famous for doll making.
• Tirupati is famous for redwood carvings.
Kondapalli is famous for wood toys with rich colors.

Literature:
Telugu literature
•Nannayya, Tikkana, and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the great Sanskrit epic Mahabharata into Telugu language.

• Nannayya (c. eleventh century AD) was the earliest known poet and translator.
• He wrote the first treatise on Telugu grammar, called "Andhra Shabda Chintamani" in Sanskrit.
•Other modern writers include Gunturu Seshendra Sarma (second Nobel prize nominee in literature after Rabindranath Tagore).

Art forms and festivals:

Dance :

• Kuchipudi is the state's best-known classical dance form.

•Jayapa Senani was the first person to write about the dances prevalent in Andhra Pradesh.

Music:
Harikatha:
• Harikathaa Kalakshepam (or Harikatha) involves the narration of a story, intermingled with various songs relating to the story. Harikatha was originated in Andhra.

Burra katha:

•Burra katha is a oral storytelling technique in the Katha tradition, performed in villages of Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh region.

Festivals:

•Ugadi is celebrated as the Telugu New Year.

•People listen to Panchanga recitals by Pundits on the day of Ugadi. This process is called as Panchanga Shravanam which is an important aspect of the festival.
•Makara Sankranti is also a famous harvest festival which is celebrated across the state.

Cuisine:

• Roselle leaves (Gongura), termed as Andhra Bhakshyam (or food of Andhra).

Andhra Pradesh: History

The Andhras trace their history to the vedic age.
Andhra was mentioned in the Sanskrit epics such as Aitareya Brahmana (800 BCE).
According to Aitareya Brahmana of the Rig veda, Andhras left north India and settled in south India.
The roots of the Telugu language have been seen on inscriptions found near the Guntur district and from others dating to the rule of Renati Cholas in the fifth century CE.

Satavahnas
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The Early Satavahanas ruled Andhra.
The puranas refer to Satavahanas as Andhra Bhrityas.
The Purāṇas list 30 Andhra rulers.
Many are known from their coins and inscriptions as well.
Satavahanas made Amaravati as their capital.

Simuka (c. 230–207 BCE)

After becoming independent around 230 BCE, Simuka, the founder of the dynasty, conquered the present-day Maharashtra and parts of Madhya Pradesh (including Malwa).
He was succeeded by his brother Kanha (or Krishna) (r. 207–189 BCE), who further extended his state to the present day Andhra Pradesh.
Later, Simuka made Srikakulam his capital.

Satakarni (c. 180–124 BCE)

His successor Sātakarnī I was the sixth ruler of the Satavahana.
He is said to have ruled for 56 years.
The Mauryans extended their rule over Andhra in the fourth century BCE.
With the fall of the Maurya Empire in the third century BCE, the Satavahanas became independent.
After the decline of the Satavahanas in 220 CE, the Ikshvaku dynasty, Pallavas, Ananda Gotrikas, Rashtrakutas, Vishnukundinas, Eastern Chalukyas, and Cholas ruled the land.

Ikshvakus
Andhra Ikshvakus were one of the earliest recorded ruling dynasties of the Guntur-Krishna regions of Andhra Pradesh.
They ruled the eastern Andhra country along the Krishna river during the later half of the second century CE.
Puranas called Andhra Ikshvakus Shri Parvatiya Andhras.
Their capital was Vijayapuri (Nagarjunakonda).

Pallavas:
Simha Varma of the Manchikallu stone inscription establishes the independent rule of the Pallavas in parts of the Krishna valley of Andhra Pradesh.

Sivaskanda Varma was the first great ruler of the early Pallavas.
He extended his dominions from the Krishna in the north to the south Pennar in the south and to the Bellary district in the West.

Most of the Pallava Prakrit and Sanskrit charters from the southern Andhra country intimately connects them with the history of southern Andhra.
The influence of the Pallavas was still felt by Andhra till it was swept by the Western Chalukyan invasion led by Pulakesin II in the first quarter of the seventh century AD.
The Pallavas were not a recognized political power before the 2nd century AD.

Pallavas were originally executive officers under the Satavahana kings.

Vishnukundins:

Since the fall of the Ikshvakus, the Vishnukundins were the first great dynasty, which held sway way over the entire Andhra country including Kalinga and parts of Telangana and played an important and imperial role in the history of Deccan during the fifth and sixth century AD.

Salankayanas:

The Salankayanas were an ancient dynasty that ruled the Andhra region between Godavari and Krishna with their capital as Vengi, modern Pedavegi 12 km from Eluru in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India's from 300 to 440 AD.
They were Brahmins and their name is derived from their symbol and gotra name, which stood for Nandi (the bull of Shiva).

Chola Dynasty:

The Chola dynasty ruled Andhra during the period of 1010–1200.
The Chola territories stretched from the islands of the Maldives in the south to as far north as the banks of the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh.

Reddy Dynasty:

The Reddy Kingdom (1325–1448 CE) was established in present day coastal Andhra Pradesh by Prolaya Vema Reddi in the early fourteenth century.
The region that was ruled by this dynasty spanned present day coastal andhra from Vishakapatnam in the north to Kanchipuram in the south.
Prolaya Vema Reddi was part of the confederation of states that started a movement against the invading Turkic Muslim armies of the Delhi Sultanate in 1323 CE and succeeded in repulsing them from Warangal.
Today Reddys is a social group or caste of India, predominantly inhabiting the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Vijayanagara Empire:

The Vijayanagara Empire was an empire originated South India, in the Deccan Plateau region in the early fourteenth century.
It was established in 1336 by Harihara Raya I and his brother Bukka Raya I of Sangama Dynasty.
The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts by the southern powers to ward off Islamic invasions by the end of the thirteenth century.
It lasted until 1646 although its power declined after a major military defeat in 1565 to the Deccan sultanates.
The empire is named after its capital city of Vijayanagara, whose ruins surround present day Hampi, now a World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India.
The writings of medieval European travelers such as Domingo Paes, Fernão Nunes and Niccolò Da Conti, and the literature in local languages provide crucial information about its history.
Archaeological excavations at Vijayanagara have revealed the empire's power and wealth.
The region of Rayalaseema in the present day Andhra Pradesh got its name from the rulers of this dynasty whose name generally ended with raya, meaning raya ruled region (seema).

The empire's legacy includes many monuments spread over South India, the best known of which is the group at Hampi.
The Vijayanagara emipre's time is considered as the golden era of South India in many aspects by historian be it prosperity, welfare, wealth, military might and nurturing of arts.
The previous temple building traditions in South India came together in the Vijayanagara Architecture style.
  The Vijayanagara Empire created an epoch in South Indian history that transcended regionalism by promoting Hinduism as a unifying factor.

Modern history:

Inspired by their success, the Vijayanagara Empire, one of the greatest empires in the history of Andhra Pradesh and India, was founded by Harihara and Bukka, who served as treasury officers of the Kakatiyas of Warangal.
In 1347 CE, an independent Muslim state, the Bahmani Sultanate, was established in south India by Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah in a revolt against the Delhi Sultanate.
The Qutb Shahi dynasty held sway over the Andhra country for about two hundred years from the early part of the sixteenth century to the end of the seventeenth century.

In Colonial India, Northern Circars became part of the British Madras Presidency.

Eventually this region emerged as the Coastal Andhra region.
Later the Nizam rulers of Hyderabad ceded five territories to the British which eventually emerged as Rayalaseema region.
The Nizams retained control of the interior provinces as the princely state of Hyderabad, acknowledging British rule in return for local autonomy.
However, Komaram Bheem, a tribal leader, started his fight against the erstwhile Asaf Jahi Dynasty for the liberation of Hyderabad State.
Meanwhile, the French occupied Yanam, in the Godavari delta, and (save for periods of British control) would hold it until 1954.
In 1947 Vizianagaram was the largest Hindu Princely state in Andhra Pradesh.

1947 Independence:
The Nizam wanted to retain the independence of the Princely Hyderabad State from India, but the people of the region launched a movement to join the Indian Union.
The state of Hyderabad was forcibly joined to the Republic of India with Operation Polo in 1948.

In an effort to gain an independent state based on linguistic differences and to protect the interests of the Telugu-speaking people of Madras State, Potti Sreeramulu fasted until death in 1952.
As Madras became a bone of contention, in 1949 a JVP committee report stated "Andhra Province could be formed provided the Andhras give up their claim on the city of Madras (now Chennai)".
After Potti Sreeramulu's death, the Telugu-speaking areas, i.e. Andhra State, was carved out of Madras State on 1 October 1953, with Kurnool as its capital city.

On the basis of a gentlemen's agreement of 1 November 1956, the States Reorganisation Act formed Andhra Pradesh by merging Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking areas of the already existing Hyderabad State.
Hyderabad was made the capital of the new state.
The Marathi-speaking areas of Hyderabad State merged with Bombay State and the Kannada-speaking areas were merged with Mysore State.

Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014

In February 2014, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 bill was passed by the Parliament of India for the formation of Telangana state comprising ten districts.

Hyderabad will remain as a joint capital for 10 years for both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The new state of Telangana came into existence on 2 June 2014 after approval from the President of India.
The formation of a new state named Telangana from Andhra Pradesh is not considered an amendment to the Constitution of India per article 3 and 4 of that document.

Andhra Pradesh General Information

Andhra Pradesh
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••Coordinates: 16°30′N 80°38′E / 16.50°N 80.64°E
Country- India
Region- South India
Established- 1 October 1953;
1 November 1956; 58 years ago (re-organised for 1st time).
2 June 2014; 11 months ago (re-organised for 2nd time)

Capital city- Hyderabad (De jure - 2024)
Amaravati
Largest city- Visakhapatnam
Districts- 13
Government
• Governor- E. S. L. Narasimhan
• Chief Minister- Nara Chandrababu Naidu (TDP)
• Legislature- Bicameral (175 + 58 seats)
• Lok sabha constituencies- 25
• High Court- High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad
Area†
• Total160,205 km2 (61,855 sq mi)
Area rank- 8th
Population (2011)
• Total49,386,799
• Rank- 10th
• Density- 308/km2 (800/sq mi)
Demonym- Andhrite
Time zoneIST (UTC+05:30)
UN/LOCODEAP
Vehicle registration- AP
Coastline-972 kilometres (604 mi)
Literacy Rate- 67.41%
Official language- Telugu
Emblem: Poorna kumbham
Song: Maa Telugu Talliki
Dance: Kuchipudi
Animal: Krishna Jinka
Bird: Paala Pitta
Flower: Neeti Kaluva
Fruit:  Maamidi Kaaya
Tree: Vepa Chettu
River:  Godavari, Krishna, Penna and Thungabhadra
Sport: Kabbaddi

•The state has a coastline of 972 km (604 mi), the second longest among all the states of India after Gujarat.
It borders Telangana in the northwest, Chhattisgarh in the north, Odisha in the northeast, Karnataka in the west, Tamil Nadu in the south and the water body of Bay of Bengal in the east.

•There are two regions in the state namely Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.
These two regions comprise 13 districts, with 9 in Coastal Andhra and 4 in Rayalaseema.

Andman & Nicobar Islands

Andman Nicobar Islands:
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Coordinates (Port Blair): 11.68°N 92.77°E
Country-  India
Region- East India
Established- 1956-11-01
Capital and largest cityPort Blair
Districts- 3
Area:
• Total8,073 km2 (3,117 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• Total380,500
• Density47/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone- IST (UTC+05:30)
ISO 3166 codeIN-AN
HDI0.778 (High)
Languages:
Official: Hindi
English

Major spoken languages:
Bengali,Tamil, Telugu, Nicobarese

•The territory is 150 km (93 mi) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) by the Andaman Sea.
•It comprises two island groups, the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, separated by the 10°N parallel, with the Andamans to the north of this latitude, and the Nicobars to the south.
•The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west.

•The territory's capital is the Andamanese town of Port Blair.
•The Andaman Islands are home to the only known paleolithic people, the Sentinelese people, who have had no contact with any other people.

History:

•At the time of the European contact, the indigenous inhabitants were the Nicobarese people, speaking a Mon-Khmer language; and the Shompen, whose language is of uncertain affiliation. Both are unrelated to the Andamanese.

Chola empire period:
•Rajendra Chola I (1014 to 1042 CE), one of the Tamil Chola dynasty kings, conquered the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to use them as a strategic naval base to launch a naval expedition against the Sriwijaya Empire (a Hindu empire based on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia).

Maratha empire:
•The islands provided a temporary maritime base for ships of the Maratha Empire in the 17th century.

•The Danish settlers of the Danish East India Company arrived in the Nicobar Islands on 12 December 1755. On 1 January 1756, the Nicobar Islands were made a Danish colony, first named New Denmark,and later (December 1756) Frederick's Islands). During 1754–1756 they were administrated from Tranquebar (in continental Danish India).

•In 1789 the British set up a naval base and penal colony on Chatham Island next to Great Andaman, where now lies the town of Port Blair. Two years later the colony was moved to Port Cornwallis on Great Andaman, but it was abandoned in 1796 due to disease.

•In 1858 the British again established a colony at Port Blair, which proved to be more permanent. The primary purpose was to set up a penal colony criminal convicts from the Indian subcontinent. The colony came to include the infamous Cellular Jail.

•In 1872 the Andaman and Nicobar islands were united under a single chief commissioner at Port Blair.

World War II:

•During World War II, the islands were practically under Japanese control, only nominally under the authority of the Arzi Hukumate Azad Hind of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Bose visited the islands during the war, and renamed them as "Shaheed-dweep" (Martyr Island) and "Swaraj-dweep" (Self-rule Island).

•General Loganathan, of the Indian National Army was made the Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. On 22 February 1944 he along with four INA officers — Major Mansoor Ali Alvi, Sub. Lt. Md. Iqbal, Lt. Suba Singh and stenographer Srinivasan—arrived at Lambaline Airport in Port Blair.

•On 21 March 1944 the Headquarters of the Civil Administration was established near the Gurudwara at Aberdeen Bazaar.

•The islands were reoccupied by British and Indian troops of the 116th Indian Infantry Brigade on 7 October 1945.

The 2004 tsunami:

•On 26 December 2004 the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were devastated by a 10 m (33 ft) high tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. More than 2,000 people lost their lives, more than 4,000 children were orphaned or suffered the loss of one parent, and a minimum of 40,000 people were rendered homeless.The worst affected Nicobar islands were Katchal and Indira Point; the latter subsided 4.25 metres and was partially submerged in the ocean. The lighthouse at Indira Point was damaged but has been repaired since then. The territory lost a large amount of area which is now submerged. The territory which was at 8,073 km2 (3,117 sq mi) is now merely at 7,950 km2 (3,070 sq mi).

•There are 572 islands in the territory having an area of 8,073 km2 (3,117 sq mi).

•The highest point is located in North Andaman Island (Saddle Peak at 732 m (2,402 ft)).

•The Andaman group has 325 islands which cover an area of 6,170 km2 (2,382 sq mi) while the Nicobar group has only 24 islands with an area of 1,765 km2 (681 sq mi).[12]:33

•The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a tropical rainforest canopy, made of a mixed flora with elements from Indian, Myanmar, Malaysian and endemic floral strains.

•The present forest coverage is claimed to be 86.2% of the total land area.

•About 50 varieties of forest mammals are found to occur in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Mount Harriet National Park is one of the richest areas of butterfly and moth diversity on these Islands.

•Almost 90 % of the land area of the
A & N Islands is covered with rich
forest cover, probably the most area
(in % terms) covered among all the
states in the country.
•There are around 572 scattered
islands out of which only around 37
are inhabited. The rest are without
human population.
•The A & N Islands have probably the
longest coast line (around 2000 km)
among all the states. In fact, it
represents almost one fourth of total
coast line of India. Because, it is
surrounded by sea on both and in
fact on all sides.
•The islands are the home for the
endangered primitive tribes who
have survived for thousands of
centuries and continue to survive till
today. They include the Great
Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas,
Sentinelese, Shompens.
Dugong, an endangered marine
mammal, also known as Sea Cow,
has been reported from Ritchie”s
•Archipelago, North Reef, Little
Andaman and parts of Nicobars. This
mammal is unique to A & N Islands
and is the state animal .
Andaman Padauk is a tall deciduous
tree found only in Andaman. It grows
upto height of 120 feet. The timber is
highly valued for making furniture.
•The islands have about 25 harbours,
probably the largest number in the
country.
•The southern most point of India is
popularly mistaken to be
‘Kanyakumari’ in Tamil Nadu State. In
fact, the southern most point is in
Campbell Bay, called as “Indira
Point” .
•The islands are a rich and fascinating
blend of what is the best of India, a
heady mix of religions, languages,
cultures and beliefs.
•The A & N Islands are very much an
integral part of India but distance
wise they are much closer to
Indonesia and Burma than to
mainland India.