Tamil Nadu Geography Notes

Tamil Nadu Geography Notes

Tamilnadu Notes in English Part 1

1. Tamil Nadu – Geography

Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, is bordered by Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The state, lying on the southern tip of the Indian peninsula, is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the East, Indian Ocean in the south, Kerala in the West, Karnataka in the North West and Andhra Pradesh in the North. The native language spoken here is Tamil which has become the official language with effect from January 14, 1958. It is the sixth most populous state of India and a leading producer of both agricultural and industrial products.

The state extends latitudinally between 8⁰4’ North and 13⁰35’ North and longitudinally between 76⁰18’ East and 80⁰20’East. The state of Tamil Nadu is a triangular landmass in shape. It is the eleventh largest state in India by area (about the size of Greece)

Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanized states of India. It is a home to many natural resources, rare flora and fauna, cool hill stations, grand Hindu temples of Dravidian architecture, beach resorts, multi religious, pilgrimage sites and few UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is one of the foremost states in the country in terms of overall development.

Administrative Division

Total area of Tamil Nadu is about 1,30,058 sq.km., which is 4% of the total land area of India. For the purpose of administration, the state has been divided into 37 districts. The following table gives the list of the districts.

Tn Administration Online Test

Tamilnadu Administration Notes

Table: Districts of Tamil Nadu

1. Chennai	21. Thiruvannamalai
2. Coimbatore	22. Thiruvarur
3. Madurai	23. Thoothukudi
4. Tiruchirappally	24. Tiruppur
5. Dindigul	25. Vellore
6. Erode	26. Villupuram
7. Cuddalore	27. Virudhunagar
8. Dharmapuri	28. Ariyalur
9. Nagapattinam	29. Kancheepuram
10. Namakkal	30. Kanniyakumari
11. Perambalur	31. Karur
12. Pudukottai	32. Krishnagiri
13. Ramanathapuram	33. Kallakkurichi
14. Salem	34. Thenkasi
15. Sivagangai	35. Chengalpattu
16. Thanjavur	36. Ranipet
17. Theni	37. Thirupattur(N)
18. The Nilgiris
19. Thirunelveli
20. Thiruvallur

Know the facts

State Bird: Emerald Dove State Flower: Gloriosa Lily

State Animal: Nilgiri Tahr State Tree: Palm Tree

The southernmost point of the Indian Union – “Indira Point” got submerged under the sea water in 2004 during the Tsunami.

Table: Local bodies of Tamilnadu

City Corporations	15
Municipalities	146
Town Panchayats	528
District Panchayats	31
Panchayat Unions	385
Village Panchayats	12628

History of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has a very ancient history that goes back to 6000 years or so. Though the state is a home for Dravidian culture, it also acquired Aryan culture almost a thousand years ago. It is regarded as the cradle of Dravidian culture with its cultural gear speckled all across the state in the form of magnificent temples, gateways, intricate carvings, and the society steeped in tradition.

Sangam or the Institute for the growth of Tamil language existed in three phases. The first one was at Madurai devastated by the sea, the intermediary one was at Kapadapuramand thethird one seated at Madurai. The Tamil language with its grammar Tholkappiyam belongs to the last sangam period. Classic works like Ettuthogai and Pathuppattu also belonged to the sangam period.

In his work Thirukkural, Thiruvalluvar has not mentioned any religion, country or people. It contains universally acceptable ideas and thoughts and is regarded as a renowned piece of world literature. Thiruvalluvar is often portrayed as a holy saint of Tamil Nadu. Tamil which has obtained the semmozhi status is now one of the eight classical languages of the world.

Tamil Nadu was once the home of four Tamil Kingdoms, namely, Chera, Chola, Pandya and Pallava. Their period was known as the golden age of Tamil Nadu during which art, music as well as trade and agriculture reached their peak.

The first Tamil printing press was established at Tarangambadi in Nagapattinam district by the Danish missionaries.