About Andhra Pradesh

The name "Andhra" comes from the Andhra people, the ancient inhabitants of the region, mentioned in the Aitareya Brahmana and in the inscriptions of Ashoka; "Pradesh" means region. Andhra Pradesh lies on the southeast coast of India, bordered by Telangana and Chhattisgarh to the north, Odisha to the northeast, the Bay of Bengal to the east, Tamil Nadu to the south and Karnataka to the west. It is crossed by two great rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna, and is a beautiful state of exotic crafts, lively religious festivals, a glorious past and mouth-watering food.

Capital: Amaravati
Largest city: Visakhapatnam
Formed: 1 October 1953 as Andhra State; Andhra Pradesh from 1 November 1956; Telangana separated on 2 June 2014
Area: about 163,000 km²
Population: about 4.9 crore (49 million, 2011 census)
Language: Telugu; Urdu is an additional official language
Coastline: about 974 km, the second longest in India

Regions

The state has two regions. Coastal Andhra runs along the Bay of Bengal from Srikakulam to Nellore; its northern districts around Visakhapatnam are often called Uttarandhra, and its heart is the rich rice-growing delta of the Godavari and Krishna. Rayalaseema, in the southwest, lies on the drier Deccan plateau in the basin of the Pennar river, with Tirupati, Kurnool, Kadapa and Anantapur as its main towns.

A short history

The Satavahanas, who ruled much of the Deccan around the beginning of the Christian era, had a capital at Amaravati, where a great Buddhist stupa flourished. The Ikshvakus, Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas and the Vijayanagara emperors followed; Krishnadevaraya's court was a golden age of Telugu literature. After centuries under the Qutb Shahis, the Nizams and the British Madras Presidency, Andhra State was created in 1953 after the fast unto death of Potti Sriramulu, the first state in India formed on the basis of language. It was joined with the Telugu-speaking areas of Hyderabad State to form Andhra Pradesh in 1956, with Hyderabad as its capital. In 2014 the Telangana districts became a separate state, and Andhra Pradesh began building a new capital at Amaravati.

Economy

The Godavari and Krishna deltas make Andhra Pradesh one of India's leading producers of rice, and it leads the country in aquaculture, especially shrimp. Guntur's chillies, tobacco, cotton and turmeric are traded worldwide. Visakhapatnam has a major port, a steel plant, shipbuilding and a naval command, and the Krishna-Godavari basin holds oil and gas fields. India's satellites are launched from Sriharikota.

Places to visit

The Venkateswara temple at Tirumala, the beaches and hills of Visakhapatnam, the Araku Valley and Borra Caves, the Kanaka Durga temple at Vijayawada, Srisailam, Lepakshi, Gandikota and the Buddhist sites of Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda. See Andhra Pradesh Tourist Attractions.

Cities of Andhra Pradesh

Maps of Andhra Pradesh cities

More about Andhra Pradesh

For Hyderabad and the Telangana region, see About Telangana.