13°08N 80°19E, pop (2000e) 6 296 000. Capital of Tamil Nadu, SE India; on R Coom, 1360 km/845 mi SW of Kolkata (Calcutta); fourth largest city in India, and chief port of Tamil Nadu; founded by the British, 17th-c; airport; railway; university (1857); textiles, chemicals, tanning, glass, engineering, jewellery, clothing, cars, bicycles; trade in leather, wool, cotton, tobacco, mica, magnesite; Fort St George (1639), Kapaleeswara temple, Pathasarathy temple (8th-c), San Thome Cathedral; St Mary's Church (1680), thought to be the oldest Anglican church in Asia; Mount St Thomas nearby, traditional site of martyrdom of the apostle.
| Chennai | |
|
Chennai |
|
|
State - District(s) |
Tamil Nadu - Chennai • Kanchipuram • Tiruvallur |
| Coordinates | 13.09° N 80.27° E |
|
Area - Elevation |
1,180 km² - 6 m |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
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Population (2006) - Density - Agglomeration (2006) |
4,352,932 - 5,847/km² - 6,957,669 (4th) |
| Mayor | M. Subramanian |
|
Codes - Postal - Telephone - Vehicle |
- 600 xxx - +91 44 - TN-01 to TN-22 |
| Website: www.chennaicorporation.com | |
Chennai pronunciation (help·info) (Tamil: சென்னை), formerly known as Madras pronunciation (help·info), is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India's fourth largest metropolitan city. With an estimated population of 6.96 million (2006), the 368-year-old city is the 34th largest metropolitan area in the world.
Chennai is a large commercial and industrial centre, and is known for its cultural heritage and temple architecture. Chennai is considered the automobile capital of India, with a major percentage of the automobile industry having a base here and a major portion of the nation's vehicles being produced here. This has led to Chennai being referred to as the Detroit of South Asia. The city is known for its sport venues and hosts an ATP tennis event, the Chennai Open. Chennai is also one of the rare cities to accommodate a national park, the Guindy National Park, within its city limits.
Name
The name Madras is derived from Madraspatnam, the site chosen by the British East India Company for a permanent settlement in 1639. (A number of other Indian cities have enacted similar name changes.) It is believed that the original Portuguese name is Madre de Sois, named after a Portuguese high authority who was one among the early settlers in 1500.
History
The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre dating back to the 1st century.
When the Portuguese arrived in 1522, they built a port and named it São Tomé, after the Christian apostle St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached there between the years 52 and 70.
On 22 August 1639, the British East India Company was granted land by the Damerla Venkatadri, Nayak of Vandavasi, as a base for a permanent settlement, believed to be called Madrasemen.
The British regained control of the town in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and subsequently fortified the base to withstand further attacks from the French and Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore.
Under British rule the city grew into a major urban centre and naval base. With the advent of railways in India in the late 19th century, it was connected to other important cities such as Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), facilitating communication and trade with the hinterland. After independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State, which was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969.
From 1965 to 1967, Chennai was an important base for the Tamil agitation against the imposition of Hindi. Chennai had witnessed some political violence due to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, after 33 people were killed by a bomb planted by the Tamil Eelam Army at the airport in 1984 and following the assassination of thirteen members of the Sri Lankan separatist group EPRLF, and two Indian civilians by the rival LTTE in 1991.
In 2004 the Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing many and permanently altering the coastline.
Geography
Chennai is located at 13.04° N 80.17° E on the southeast coast of India and in the northeast corner of Tamil Nadu. Two rivers meander through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) in the central region and the Adyar River in the southern region. The Otteri Nullah, an east-west stream runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge.
Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Red Hills, Sholavaram and Chembarambakkam Lake supply Chennai with potable water. Water is a precious commodity in Chennai and this has given rise to private water tankers supplying many areas. Chennai Metrowater has currently finalised a bid to construct a reverse osmosis plant with a capacity of 100 million litres per day (about 15 litres per person per day).
The geology of Chennai comprises of mostly clay, shale and sandstone. The city is classified into three regions based on geology, sandy areas, clayey areas and hard-rock areas. In sandy areas such as Tiruvanmiyur, Adyar, Kottivakkam, Santhome, George Town and the rest of coastal Chennai, rainwater run-off percolates very quickly.
See also: Flora and fauna of ChennaiClimate
Chennai lies on the thermal equator, and thus sees little variation in seasonal temperature. Average daily temperature in Chennai during January is around 24 °C (75 °F), though the temperature rarely falls below 18 °C (64 °F).
The average annual rainfall is about 1,300 mm (47.2 inches).
Layout
For administrative purposes Chennai is divided into five talukas.
The Chennai Metropolitan area consists of three districts namely Chennai city and the districts of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur. The city is divided on the basis of composition into four major parts: North, Central, South and West.
North Chennai is primarily an industrial area. Central Chennai is the commercial heart of the city and the downtown area. South Chennai and West Chennai, previously predominantly residential areas are fast turning into commercial areas, hosting a large number of IT and financial companies.
Contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram to the south, Chengalpattu to the south west, Kanchipuram town, Sriperumpudur, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam to the west.
Administration
Chennai city is governed by the Corporation of Chennai, which consists of a Mayor and 155 Councillors representing the 155 Wards (all directly elected by the city residents), one of whom is elected by the other Councillors as a Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
The metropolitan region of Chennai covers many suburbs that are part of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts.
Chennai being the capital of Tamil Nadu houses the executive and legislative headquarters of the government of Tamil Nadu. The Madras High Court, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, is the highest judicial authority in the state and is located in the city.
Chennai has three Parliamentary constituencies – Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South. Chennai elects 18 MLAs to the state legislature.
Greater Chennai Police department, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police is the law enforcement agency in the city. The city police force is headed by a Commissioner of Police and the administrative control vests with the Tamil Nadu Home ministry. There are thirty six sub-divisions of the Greater Chennai Police, and 121 police stations. The city's traffic is managed by the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP).
Utility Services
The Corporation of Chennai and various Municipalities of the suburbs look after civic services. Chennai is the only city in India to have implemented the Conditional Access System for cable television.
Economy
Chennai has a diversified economic base. The Chennai Port and Ennore Port contribute greatly to its importance. Chennai has the fourth largest GMP(Gross Metropolitan Product)in India.
Since the late 1990s, software development and business process outsourcing and more recently manufacturing have emerged as major areas in the city's economy. Chennai has been rated as the most attractive Indian city for offshoring services according to A T Kearney's Indian City Services Attractiveness Index 2005. The Mahindra World City, a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with one of the world's largest information technology parks, is currently under construction in the outskirts of Chennai.
Multinational corporations like Dell, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens, Flextronics and Foxconn have or are in the process of setting up Electronics / Hardware manufacturing plants in the Sriperumbudur electronics SEZ .
Chennai is the base for around 48 per cent of India's auto components industry and 29 per cent of the vehicle industry. A large number of the automotive companies in India are based in Chennai. Several global automotive companies such as Hyundai, Ford, Mitsubishi, TVS, Ashok Leyland, Caterpillar, Royal Enfield, TI Cycles, TAFE, Dunlop, MRF have manufacturing plants in and around Chennai while BMW , Mahindra & Mahindra, and Apollo Tyres have plants under construction around chennai. The city is a major centre for the auto ancillary industry. Naza Auto has firmed up plans to invest $259 million in its proposed chennai plant. Several Petrochemical companies like Chennai Petro Chemicals Limited (CPCL), Manali Petro Chemicals Limited, Madras Refineries Limited (MRL), Petro Araldite and Orchid Pharmaceuticals are situated in the outskirts of Chennai.
The Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi produces military vehicles, including India's main battle tank: Arjun.
Chennai is an important centre for banking and finance. Several large financial companies and insurance companies are headquartered in Chennai. Many Indian banks, multi-national banks and the World Bank have located their back office operations in the city. The city serves as a major back up centre for operations of many banks and financial companies in India.
Other major manufacturing facilities range from small scale manufacturing to large scale heavy industrial manufacturing, pertochemicals and auto ancillary plants. Chennai is a textile industry hub with a large number of apparel industries located in the Ambattur-Padi industrial zone in the northern suburbs of the city.
The city is home to the Tamil entertainment (motion pictures, television, and recorded music) industry which is the second largest in Indian entertainment industries.
Demographics
Residents of Chennai are called Chennaiites. As of 2001, Chennai city had a population of 4.2 million, while the total metropolitan population was 6.4 million.
The population density in the city is 24,418 per km² while the overall population density is 5,847 per km².
The main problem Chennai faces is overpopulation and resulting water scarcity.
The majority of residents in Chennai are Tamilians and speak Tamil. Tamil spoken in Chennai uses English words liberally, so much so that it is often called Madras bhashai (Tamil for "Madras language"). Chennai also has a growing expatriate population who work in the industries and IT centres.
Culture
Chennai's culture reflects its diverse population. Every December, Chennai holds a five week-long Music Season, which has been described as one of the world's largest cultural events.
Chennai is also known for the classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam, which is also the official dance of Tamil Nadu.
Chennai has a vibrant theatre scene, with a large number of Tamil plays being performed. School and college cultural festivals (locally called culfests) play an important role by providing platforms for the city's youth to indulge in art and culture.
Chennai is the base for the large Tamil movie industry, dubbed Kollywood after the locality of Kodambakkam where most of the movie studios are located. The industry makes about 300 Tamil movies a year, and its film soundtracks dominate the music scene in the city.
Chennai celebrates a number of festivals.
Chennai is famous for its numerous restaurants that offer light meals or tiffin which usually include rice-based dishes like pongal, dosa, idli or vada, served with steaming hot filter coffee, a very popular beverage consumed in Chennai.
See also: Chennai tourism and Chennai cuisineTransport
Popularly known as "Gateway to South India", Chennai is well connected internationally and to other parts of India. The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), which serves as the terminus for all intercity buses from Chennai, is the largest bus station in South Asia. Seven government owned transport corporations operate inter city and inter state bus services. There are also many private inter city and inter state bus companies that operate services to and from Chennai.
The Chennai International Airport serves as the city's airport for both domestic and international flights and is the third busiest in India and is the premier international gateway in South India. The city is connected to major hubs in South Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America through over thirty national and international carriers.
The city is served by two major ports namely the Chennai Port which is one of the largest artificial ports and the Ennore Port. The Chennai port is India's second busiest container hub handling general industrial cargo, automobiles etc.
There are two main railway terminals, the Chennai Central station, which is the city's largest railway station with trains to all the major cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and towns in India, and Chennai Egmore, with trains for destinations within Tamil Nadu.
Buses and trains are the most popular form of public transport. The Chennai suburban railway network consists of four rail sectors, namely Chennai Central—Arakkonam, Chennai Central—Sullurpeta, and Chennai Beach—Chengalpattu.
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) runs an extensive city bus system. Besides MTC services, mini-bus services are present in the suburbs of the Chennai metropolitan area.
Media
Chennai has six major print media groups that publish about eight major newspapers and magazines. The major business dailies published from the city are The Economic Times, The Hindu Business Line, Business Standard, and The Financial Express. Magazines published from Chennai include Ananda Vikatan, Kumudam, Kalki, Kungumam, Frontline and Sportstar. Doordarshan runs two terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Chennai centre. Private Tamil satellite television networks like Sun TV, Raj TV, Star Vijay, Jaya TV broadcast out of Chennai. The city has two AM and six commercial FM radio stations, operated by All India Radio and private broadcasters.
Education
Schools in Chennai are either run publicly by the Tamil Nadu government, or run privately, some with financial aid from the government.
The University of Madras (1857), which has three campuses in the city, offers a range of programs in liberal arts, science and commerce. A large majority of city colleges are affiliated to the university and offer programs in medicine, law, science, Arts and commerce. Some such older institutions are the Madras Christian College (1837), Presidency College (1840), Pachaiyappa's College (1842), the Madras Medical College (1835), Stanley Medical College (1938) and Vivekananda College (1948), New College Chennai (1951) all of which affiliated themselves to the University of Madras on its formation. Other autonomous educational establishments include Women's Christian College (1915), Loyola College, Chennai (1925), Stella Maris College, (1947) the National Institute of Fashion Technology (1995), Asian College of Journalism (2000) and the Madras School of Social Work (1952).
The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras (1959), is located in the south of the city and is internationally renowned for its engineering program.
The Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai, a prominent law college in Tamil Nadu was founded in 1891. Stanley Medical College, Kilpauk Medical College and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute are the other notable medical colleges in the city.
The Connemara Public Library built in 1890 is one of the four National Depository Centres in India.
Sports
Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai.
Tennis is another popular game in Chennai. The stadium also hosts an ATP event, the Chennai Open. Indian tennis professionals such as Vijay Amritraj, Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan and Mahesh Bhupathi hail from Chennai. Leander Paes did his schooling and was trained in Chennai.
Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium is the venue for hockey matches and seats 4,000. The Chennai Veerans, a Premiere Hockey League team is based in Chennai.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium seats 40,000 and hosts football (soccer), and athletic competitions. Chennai has also hosted the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games 1995.
The Guindy Race Course for horse racing was set up in 1777.
Chennai was the venue in 2006 for the first Commonwealth Junior Fencing Championships.
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