Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh is also known as Andhra, the seventh-largest state of India with an area of 160,205 sq. km. and it is located on the south-east coast of the country. According to the last census of India in 2011, the state has a population of about 49.67 million, which enlists it as the tenth most populous state in India. Andhra Pradesh shares its border with the neighbouring states Orissa and Chhattisgarh to the north, Tamil Nadu to the south, Karnataka to the west and south-west, Telangana to the north-west and the eastern part is entirely bordered by the Bay of Bengal (also known Ba?g???kh?ta? in Telugu). It is the second largest coastline in India, about 974 km after the Gujarat coastline.
In 1953, Andhra Pradesh state was formed based on the Telugu language, and this is the first state in India which formed based on a linguistic basis. It is the largest rice producing state in India, so the state is called the "Rice Bowl of India". Andhra Pradesh is also famous for its diamond mine Kollur. The official language of the state, Telugu is the fourth most spoken language in India as well as the eleventh most spoken language in the world.
Hyderabad is jointly the capital city of Andhra Pradesh and newly formed Telangana. In 2014, Telangana was formed after the bifurcation of the north-western part of the state and next ten years Hyderabad will remain the capital city of the state Andhra Pradesh. Amaravati currently serves as the seat of the government, legislature, and the High Court also located here. It will be the new capital of the state. The state is build up with three distinct regions, namely Coastal Andhra, Uttarandhra and Rayalaseema. The state farther divided into 13 districts, six in Coastal Andhra, three in Uttarandhra, and four in Rayalaseema Region. The state has a total of 32 cities including 16 municipal corporations and 16 municipalities. Major cities or locations of the state are Visakhapatnam or Vizag, Vijayawada, Chittoor, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Guntur, Nellore, Srikakulam, Kurnool, and Kadapa.
Climate of Andhra Pradesh
The climate type of the state is semi-arid, where three main seasons are observed, March to June it is summer, the rainy season lasts between July to October and the winter lasts from Mid-November to next year February. Andhra Pradesh receives heavy rainfall in Monsoon Season due to the winds of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
Summer season: Usually this season is continued from March to June and temperature varies between 20° C and 41° C during this season.
Monsoon in Andhra: Usually this season is continued from July to Mid-November. The first three month (July, August and September) receive the rainfalls due to the Southwest Monsoon which is produced in Arabian Sea. Between October and November the state gets a heavy rainfall due to Northeast Monsoon which produced in the sea Bay of Bengal.
Winter season: Usually this season is continued from mid-November to February and temperature varies from 30° C to 12° C during this season.
Culture of Andhra Pradesh
Languages: Telugu is the main dialect and official language of Andhra Pradesh and a majority percentage of residents (89.3%) use this as their mother tongue. Telugu is declared as the classical language by the Tourism and Culture Ministry of Indian Government. Other used dialects of the state are Urdu (speak 6.54% of the population), Tamil (speak 1.16% of the population), and Hindi. Besides this, many other linguistic groups also reside here with a less percentage namely the Marathi, Kannada, and Oriya.
Religions: The people of Andhra Pradesh mainly follow Hindu religion (90.87%) rest are Muslim (7.32%), Christians (1.38%), and others.
Major Festivals: The people of Andhra Pradesh traditionally practice a rich culture with several attractive religious and cultural festivals. Some festivals are so enjoyable that thousands of travelers journey here to enjoy those festivals. Among them, most attractive religious festivals are Pongal (13th to 15th of January every year), Ganesh Chaturthi (August or September), Diwali (October or November) and Muharram. Some traditional festivals of the state are Deccan Festival (February), Utsav at Visakahapatan (January), and Rayalaseema Food and Dance Festival in Chitoor district (October).