Karnataka

Karnataka State India:

Other States

Area : 1,91,791 sq km

Population: 5,7,33,958; growth rate (1991-2001): 17.25%

Density per sq km: 275

Sex ratio (females per 1,000 males): 964

Literacy rate: 67,04% (males: 76,29%; females: 57.45%)

Capital: Bangalore

No. of Districts: 27

Legislature: Bicameral

Principal language: Kannada

Important Cities, Towns and Religious/ Tourist Places:

Badami (later captial of Chalukyas, famous for rock-cut temples), Bandipur (Wildlife Sanctuary), Bangalore (Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Park, Chamaraja Sagar, Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, Fort, Tipu Sultan's Place, Bull Temple, Nandi summer resort), Belgaum (Fort, Gokak Falls), Bellary, Belur (Chenna Kesava Temple), Bhadravati, Bidar, Bijapur (known for Gol Gumbaz, Ibrahim Roza, Asar Mahal, Upli Buruj, Anand Mahal, Mecca Masjid), Chikmagalur, chitradurga, Devangere, Dharward, Gulbarga, Halebid (Joyasaleswara and Kedareswar5a Temples), Hampi (ruins of Vijayanagar empire), Hassan, Hubli, Jog Falls (Gersoppa Falls), Karwar (Port and beach), Kolar Gold Fields, Madikeri, Mandya, Mangalore (Port and beach), Mysore (known as "garden city" is famous for Brindavan Gardens and Dussehra Festivities, Chamundi Hills, Maharaja's Place), Raichur, Ranganathittoo (bird sanctuary), Shimoga, Shravanbelagola (famous for Gomatesbwara statue and pilgrinmage centre for Jains), Somanathapura, Sringeri, Srirangapatnam (capital of Tipu), Tumkur, Tungabhadra Dam.

Badami, Aihole and Pattadkal are known for rock-cut and structural temples. Gokarna, Udupi, Dharmasthala, Melkote, Gangapura and Saundatti are famous pilgrimage centres.

Judicature: High court at Bangalore.

Location: Located in south India, Karnataka is bounded north by Maharashtra, east by Andhra Pradesh, south by Tamil Nadu and Kerala, west by the Arabian Sea.

History: Karnataka has a glorious heritage of over two thousand years. The great Vijaynagar Empire and the Bhamani Kingdoms flourished here in medieval age. In the modern history, the great Tipu Sultan of Mysore under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, brought together the Kannada-speaking people distributed in five State of Mysore and coorg, the Bijapur, Kanara and Dharwar districts and the Belgaum district (except one taluk) in former Bombay, the major portions of the Gulbarga, Raichur and Bidar districts in former Hyderabad, Raichur and South Kanara district (apart from the Kasaragod taluk) and the Kollegal taluk of the Coimbatore district in Madras. Earlier known as Mysore, the State was renamed Karnataka in 1973.

Economy: Karnataka is Predominantly agricultural. About 65 percent of the working population is engaged in agriculture and allied activities which generate about 49 percent of the State's income. Out of the total land area of the State the net area sown forms 56 percent. about 22 percent of the total cultivated area is under irrigation. Rice, ragi, jowar, wheat, millets and pulses are the major food crops of Karnataka. Sugarcane, cotton, oilseeds, mulberry, Tobacco, coconut, arecant, coffee, cashew, cardamom, pepper, oranges and grapes are the main cash crops.

Forests occupy 20 percent of the area of the State. he State is rich in mineral resources. High grade iron ore, copper, manganese, chromite and china clay are the important minerals available in the State. Karnataka is the only State where gold mining is carried on. The large industries manufacture machine tools, aircraft, electronic products, watches and telecommunication equipment. Other flourishing industries of Karnataka are textiles, sugar, soap, chemical and pharmaceutical goods, fertilizer, paper, cement.

Glass, ceramics, porcelain and electrical goods. Important public sector undertaking are Bharat Heavy Electrical, Hindustan aeronautics Limited and Hindustan Machine Tools, etc. Kudremukh Iron Ore Project at Malleswaram in Chikamagalur District is a Major development the project of the State. Karnataka stands first in the production of raw silk accounting for about 85 percent of the raw silk produced in the country. Sandal soap and sandal oil of Karnataka are well known in world markets. Karnataka also stands first in the production of electronic equipments. In fact, Bangalore is known as the "Electronic City of India".

Karnataka is the first State in the country to have generated electricity in Gokak Falls in 1887.

The important power projects are: Kalinadi, Varahi, Gerusoppa (Sharavathi) and Shivasamudaram Hydro Electric Projects. A thermal power station is located at Raichur and another diesel unit at Yelahanka near Ban galore. An atomic power plant is also being installed at Kaiga near Karwar.

important seaport: New Mangalore

Important airports : Bangalore, Belgaum and Mangalore.