Karnatka

Karnataka/Carnatic, formerly Mysore,India, bordering on the Arabian Sea. It is bordered on the north by the states of Goa and Maharashtra, on the east by Andhra Pradesh, on the south by Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and on the west by the Arabian Sea. The capital is Bangalore.

Most of the area is a plateau (alt. 1,000–3,000 ft/305–915 m) traversed by the upper Kaveri, Tunga, and Bhadra rivers, flowing east. These plus its many other rivers are used for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. Coffee is the major crop, but cotton, millet, sugarcane, rice, and fodder are also grown. The state has the most valuable sandalwood forests in India. Karnataka produces nearly all of India's chromite and has considerable deposits of iron ore and manganese. The gold mines at Kolar are now closed, but some gold is still mined near Hutti. There is an excellent road and railway system, and the state manufactures steel and steel products, computer components and software, automobiles, and airplanes. At Karwar is a major modern Indian naval base. The population is largely Hindu and speaks Kannada (Kanarese). The linguistic uniformity of the state and its excellent education system contribute to one of India's highest literacy rates. Karnataka is governed by a chief minister and cabinet responsible to a bicameral legislature (with one elected house) and by a governor appointed by the president of India.

The region was part of the empire of the Mauryas (c.325–185 B.C.). From the 3d to the 11th cent. it was ruled by the Gangas and Chalukyas. In 1313 it was conquered by the Delhi Sultanate, but it was soon lost to the Vijayanagar kingdom. The region was the site of the earliest European settlements in India. During the 18th cent. the Carnatic plains became the arena for the struggle between Great Britain and France for supremacy in India. The early European settlers sometimes applied the term Carnatic to all of S India. In the late 18th cent. the Muslim leaders Haidar Ali and his son, Tippoo Sahib, conquered the Hindu rulers of Karnataka, but were defeated in 1799 by the British, who restored the Hindu dynasty and thereafter provided protection. In 1947 the state of Mysore acceded to the Indian Union. For centuries Kannada-speaking peoples had been fragmented by division into different regions; in the 1950s Mysore was granted additional territories, doubling its area and largely consolidating the linguistic group. In 1973 the state was renamed Karnataka.

Capital Bangalore
Largest city Bangalore 
Abbreviation IN-KA 
Official languages Kannada 
Formation 1956-11-01 
Density 290.98/km² 
Districts 27 

The state has three principal physical zones;

The coastal strip, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, which is lowland, with moderate to high rainfall levels. This strip is around 320 km in length and 48-64 km wide. The Western Ghats, a mountain range inland from the Arabian Sea, rising to about 900m average height, and with moderate to high rainfall levels.

The Deccan Plateau, comprising the main inland region of the state, which is drier and verging on the semi-arid. The humidity in these plains or maidans never exceeds 50 percent. There are several suggested etymologies for the name Karnataka. The most reasonable one is that it comes from "karu" + "nadu" meaning "elevated land". It is interesting to note that Karnataka has one of the highest average elevations of Indian states at 1,500 feet.

Economy

Karnataka is one of the more industrialised states in India. Its capital Bangalore has become a major hub of the Information Technology industry. 90% of India's gold production comes from Karnataka, and it is also the IT capital of india. Recently there has been a lot of activity in the extraction of manganese ore from the districts of Bellary and Hospet.

Language

Language was the basis for the formation of the Indian states after independence and the new Karnataka state was formed by the inclusion of 9 new districts from the erstwhile Madras state (present day Tamil Nadu), Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh states in 1957. Certain larger districts were further divided for asdministrative convenience resulting in 27 districts in total. The predominant language of Karnataka is Kannada, which is its official language. Other languages include Tamil, Marathi, Konkani, Kodava Thakk, Tulu, Sankethi, Hindi and Urdu.

Natural areas

Karnataka is home to several national parks, including Bandipur National Park in Mysore District, Bannerghatta National Park Savandurga forest Kempegowda Dhama Bangalore District, Nagarhole National Park in Mysore and Kodagu districts, Kudremukh National Park in Dakshina Kannada and Chickmagalur districts, and Anshi National Park in Uttara Kannada District.

There are also a number of wildlife sanctuaries and nature preserves. Jog falls of Shimoga District is the highest waterfalls in Asia.