Profile of Tamilnadu
INTRODUCTION
Tamilnadu State is situated at the South Eastern
extremity of the Indian Peninsula bounded on the north by Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh on the east by Bay of Bengal, on the South by the Indian Ocean and on
the West by Kerala State.
LAND
The State can be divided broadly into two natural
divisions (a) the Coastal plains of South India and (b) the hilly western area.
Parallel to the coast and gradually rising from it is the broad strip of plain
country. It can further be sub- divided
into coromandal plains comprising the districts of Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur, Cuddalore and Vellore. The
alluvial plains of the Cauvery Delta extending over Thanjavur and part of
Tiruchirapally districts and dry southern plains in Madurai, Dindigul,
Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Virudhnagar, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts. It
extends a little beyond Western Ghats in Kanyakumari District. The Cauvery
Delta presents some extremely distinctive physical and human features, its
power being a main factor in the remarkable growth, the towns of Tamilnadu have
witnessed. It is associated intimately with the life of all its broader
regions. In the east the low country 500 feet below, varies from 50 to 80 miles
in width. This plain extends almost upto the feet of the ghats and only minor elevation
can be found here and there. For instance the Valanad hills. The Eastern Ghats
enter the State from Andhra Pradesh in the north cut across the State and merge
with The Nilgiris Hills on the Western Ghats. The region is bounded on
South-West by the crest of the Cardamom hills and on the North-West by the
slopes of the plateau. The region is in the form of a Rhombus and the longer
diagonal of its stretches from the Pulicat lake in the north to Cape Comorin in
the South and the shorter diagonal from the Palghat ghat in the west to point
calimere in the east.
The State has an uninterrupted coastline of 922 Kms. It
includes the coastline of Pondicherry and Karaikkal. The
coastline is a lengthy boundary on the east. Not a single natural harbour
capable of accommodating ocean - going vessels can be found on the coast.
Madras City has an artificial harbour. While it is a major Port and Tuticorin a
medium one, several smaller ports like Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Colochel are found.
HILLS
The Western Ghats averaging 3000 to 8000 feet height run
along the western part with the hill group of the Nilgiris and Anaimalai on
either side of it. Palani Hills, Varushanad and Andipatti ranges are the major
off-shoots of the Ghat. The other prominent hill group comprises the Javadir,
the Shevaroys, the Kalrayan and the Pachaimalai. These ranges continue south of
the river Cauvery. A plateau is found between these hills and the Western Ghats
with an average elevation of 1000 feet rising westward. The highest peak of
Doddabetta in the Nilgiris is 8650 feet above sea level. The characteristic feature of the hills of
Tamilnadu is that they have flatfish
surface at the height. In general the
summits are higher than those of Mysore
Plateau area. A detailed description of the hill ranges in the State is given
below.
a. EASTERN GHATS
With an average elevation of 2000 feet, the Eastern ghats beginning
in Orissa State run through all the districts lying between Ganjam and
The Nilgiris plateau. No river of any
great importance runs from these ranges.
b. WESTERN GHATS
The Western Ghats are 1000 Miles in length and run
southward and terminate at Cape Comorin, the southern most extremity. They are
joined by the Eastern Ghat and at the point of junction, from the high plateau
of The Nilgiris. Near Coimbatore district the range is interrupted by the
Palghat Gap. The south of the gap is known as Anaimalais (Elephant Hill) and
the east as Palanis. The river Cauvery, Vaigai and Tamiraparani originate from
the Anaimalai ranges.
c. SHEVAROY HILLS
The range is in Salem District with an area of 150
Square miles. The Vanniar Stream divided the range and the western portion
consists of three plateaus of which Pachaimalai (Green Hills) is the largest.
Hardly any forest of importance is found
in the range.
d. PALANI HILLS
Palani Hills measuring 54 miles in length and the 15
miles in width and occupying an area of 800 Square miles is found in Dindigsul
District. The hills' health resort Kodaikanal is 7200 feet above sea level. The
ranges are steep in the south and slope
more gradually down the plains in the north. Teak and blackwood are found in
the higher level forests, while coffee is cultivated in the lower
palani.
e. ANAIMALAI
The range covering 80 to 100 Square miles consists of a
plateau 7000 feet above sea level, with peaks of over 8000 feet. The Anaimalai
peak of 8837 feet height is the highest point in South India. Coffee is grown
on a considerable area on the lower ranges. The forest contains a teak belt and
elephants are found in abundance.
RIVERS
The Western ghats form complete water shed and no river
pierces through them. The main stream viz., Paralliyar and Vattaseri Phazhayar
are 37 and 23 miles respectively in length and fall in the Arabian Sea. All the other rivers are east flowing rivers. The Eastern Ghats are not a
complete watershed and as a result the river pierce through them and notable
among them is the river Cauvery.
a. CAUVERY
The river is 475 miles long and drains an area of 28,000
square miles. It takes its origin on the Brahragiri in Coorg in the Western
Ghats. After travelling some distance in Karnataka State, the river enters
Tamilnadu. Across the river a huge reservoir has been constructed called the
Mettur Dam. Near Tiruchirapalli there is an Anaicut called “Grand Anaicut”. The
Cauvery has been so well utilised that its drainage channel, the coleroon is
always dry. The tributaries of the river Cauvery are Bhavani, Amaravathy and
Noyal.
b. VAIGAI
This is the second most important river in Tamilnadu. It
originates in Varushanad hills and receives much of the drainage from the upper
and lower plains. The river has been dammed in Madurai close to
Theni and there is also an anaicut at
Anaipatti in Manamadurai .
c. THAMIRAPARANI
This river which is 70 miles long, rises in the southern
portion of the Western Ghats and drains an area equal to 1937 Square miles. The
valley of the river contains some of the richest lands in the State. The chief
tributaries of the river are Ramanadhi, Ghatana, Pachaiyar and Chittar.
d. PALAR
The river palar rises in Nandhi Hills of Kolar,
Karnataka State. It is 182 miles long and runs through Chingleput and North
Arcot districts. Its chief tributaries are Cheyyar and Ponni.
e. PONNIYAR
This river rises very near to Nandhi Hills in Karnataka
State. It enters Tamilnadu near Dharmapuri and rust 200 miles before joining
sea near Pondicherry with a drainage area of 620 square miles. The river has no
delta on its mouth.
f. VELLAR
This river rises in Kalrayan hills flows in the easterly
districts and joins the Sea near Port- Nova. The length of the river is 134
miles and drains an area of 266 square miles.
g. SMALL RIVERS
Among the small rivers worth mentioning in the context
is Couralayar, which flows from the surplus waters of Kaveripakkam tank. The
river runs through Chennai City and joins the sea.
AREA
It lies between 8 5' and 13 35' of northern latitude and
76 15' and 80 20' of eastern longitude with an area of 1,30,058 square
kilometres. It is the 11th State
in India in area forming 4.11 percent of the Union areas.
POPULATION
The provisional population of India (2001 Census) is
1,027,015,247 comprising of 531,277,078 males and 495,738,169 females. The population
of Tamil Nadu stood at 62,110,839 comprisingg of 31,268,654 males and
30,842,185 females. The population of Tamil Nadu constitutes 6.05% of the
India’s population. It ranks 6th among the States/Uts. The population, which was
55,858,946 in 1991, has gone up by 6,251,893 over the last ten years. This
represents an increase of 11.19% during the period 1991-2001 as against the
growth rate of 15.39% during the period 1981-91.
The density of population per Sq. Km. Is 478 in 2001 as against 429 in 1991.
|
|
Total population in Million
|
|
|
YEAR
|
TAMILNADU
|
INDIA
|
|
1941
|
26.27
|
318.66
|
|
1951
|
30.12
|
361.09
|
|
1961
|
33.69
|
439.23
|
|
1971
|
41.20
|
548.23
|
|
1981
|
48.41
|
683.33
|
|
1991
|
55.86
|
846.30
|
|
2001*
|
62.11
|
1027.02
|
In 1991, there were only 21 districts in the State of
Tamil Nadu. In 2001, eight new districts were created by reorganising the
territorial jurisdiction. The nine
districts are – Thiruvallur, Namakkal, Karur, Perambalur, Viluppuram,
Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Theni. The population and its growth trend are
important economic factors in a developing economy. As the development
programme and policies depend on its growth, trend in the growth of population
and its constituents are analysed here. The following table gives total
population and decennial growth rate.
CLIMATE AND
TEMPERATURE
The Tamilnadu has an equatorial, tropical climate in the
inland and an equatorial, maritime climate in its coastal regions. In the
inland, the temperature may go to
extreme in some places while it tends to be moderate in the coastal areas.
By and large, the average temperature for most parts
of the state range between 28 C and 40 C in the summer season and between 18 C
and 26 C in the short-lived winter seasons. In the more hilly terrain, the
maximum temperature may be as low as 26 C and the minimum temperature may go
down to 3 C. The normal rainfall is 945.0 mm.
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
The State of Tamilnadu is divided into 29
administrative districts, which in turn
are further bifurcated into smaller divisions and sub-divisions, including a
total of 16,317 villages. The state
capital, Madras now renamed, as Chennai is the fourth largest city in the
Indian Sub-continent and 30th largest
city in the world. It extends over an area of 174 sq. km.
THE LANGUAGES
This history of Tamilnadu dates back to Paleolithic age.
The Official languages spoken in the state is Tamil one of the oldest languages
greatly influenced by its rich and
colourful past. Concerted efforts have
been made over the last decade or so to
preserve the purity and identity of the Tamil language. More recently, there
has been a steady stream of people migrating into the state from all parts of
India, particularly to the state’s urban centres, making Tamilnadu truly
cosmopolitan in its composition. Today, one can hear several languages such as
Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and other Indian languages being spoken in the state.
Above all, the foreign visitor need have no fear of not being understood as
English is spoken with considerable fluency in most parts of the state. Two
prominent English newspapers and a number of economic dailies besides several
newspapers in the local vernacular are brought out here.
CULTURE AND TRADITION
Tamilnadu has a legacy of ancient tradition and rich
cultural heritage. Dance forms like Bharathanatyam and various forms of music,
including carnatic music, have flourished here for centuries. The awe-inspiring
sculptures at the Shore Temple in
Mahabalipuram and other similar art forms and sculptors found in the state date
as far back as the 7th century AD famous
temples, which still stand in all their pristine glory in several parts of this
land, speak for themselves of the rich heritage of the Tamil people.
Handicrafts include the most intricately carved designs in wood, stone and
metal. The exquisitely carved Bronze and Tanjore plates deserve special mention here.
LIFESTYLES
The people of Tamilnadu lead, by and large, relaxed
lifestyles. The urban social recreations include clubs, golf, links, beach
resorts, theme parks, racecourses, art
and theatre. Visits to game reserves holiday resorts, long sandy beaches,
zoological and entertainment parks are the other way of social pastimes
available. Tourists’ spots include hill stations like Ooty and Kodaikanal,
which are all time favourites.
