Welcome to Tamil Nadu!
Tamil Nadu, the land of Tamils, is a state in Southern India known for its temples and architecture, food, movies and classical Indian dance and Carnatic music. The languages spoken here are predominantly Tamil (also written as Thamizh) and English in the larger cities and metro capital Chennai. It is the historical home of the famous Chera, Chola, Pandya and Pallava kingdoms which thrived in ancient and medieval India.
Tamil Nadu is a state in southern India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Lying in the southern-most part of the Indian subcontinent, Tamil Nadu is bordered by the Indian union territory of Puducherry and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, as well as an international maritime border with Sri Lanka. The state is bounded by the Western Ghats in the west, the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait to the south-east, and the Indian Ocean in the south. The official language is Tamil, one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world.
The region was ruled by several regimes, including the "three crowned rulers" – Chera, Chola and Pandyan states, which shape the region's cuisine, culture, and architecture. After the fall of the Kingdom of Mysore, the British Colonial rule during the modern period led to the emergence of Chennai, then known as Madras, as a metropolitan city. Modern-day Tamil Nadu was formed in 1956 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. The state is home to a number of historic buildings, multi-religious pilgrimage sites, hill stations and three World Heritage Sites.The economy of Tamil Nadu is the second-largest in India, with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of ₹21.6 trillion (US$290 billion) and has the country's 11th-highest GSDP per capita of ₹229,000 (US$3,000). It ranks 11th among all Indian states in human development index. Tamil Nadu is the most urbanised state in India, and one of the most industrialised states, the manufacturing sector accounts for more than one-third of the state's GDP. Tamil Nadu is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population.