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Karnataka state was formed on Nov 1, 1973. Karnataka's total land area is 1,91,791 sq.km. It accounts for 5.83 percent of the total area of the country (32.88 lakh sq.km) and ranks eighth among major States of the country in terms of size. Located in the southern part of the country, it is surrounded by other states like Maharashtra and Goa in the north, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the south, Andhra Pradesh in the east and the Arabian Sea in the west. The state of Karnataka is situated approximately between the latitudes 11.5° and 18.5° North and the longitudes 74° and 78.5° East. The state's long and colourful history, and the many forts, temples, mosques, and churches make Karnataka a great place. The majority of the Karnataka state lies on the Deccan Plateau. Bangalore is the state capital. Karnataka is an enchanting land abounding in scenic beauty, rich is flora and fauna. It has pomp and pageantry of glorious traditions and marvels of modern engineering. Bijapur occupies the largest geographical area of the State with 8.89 per cent and Bangalore has the smallest area with only 1.94 per cent. Karnataka has always been at the forefront of industrial growth in India. With its inherent capabilities coupled with its enterprising citizens, Karnataka provides the ideal choice for investment opportunities. Karnataka is well known for producing some of the country's foremost statesmen, scholars and sportspersons, and is one of the major revenue rakers through its strong tourism industry. Majority of IT activity in Karnataka is concentrated in Bangalore. The state possesses six percent of the total water resources in the country as there are many rivers flowing through it
Mineral Resources
The State contains deposits of asbestos, bauxite, chromite, dolomite, gold, iron ore, kaolin, limestone, magnesite, manganese, ochre, quartz and silica sand. Karnataka is the sole producer of felsite and leading producer of gold (84%), moulding sand (63%) and fuchsite quartzite (57%). It has one of the oldest Geological Survey Department in the country, started as far back as 1880.
Water Resources
Karnataka accounts for about six per cent of the country's surface water resources of 17 lakh million cubic metres (Mcum). About 40 percent of this is available in the east flowing rivers and the remaining from west flowing rivers.
There are seven river basins with which their tributaries drain the State. The river systems include:
- The Krishna System- Krishna, Tungabhadra,Vedavati, Hagari Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Doni, Bhima.
- The Kaveri System- Kaveri, Hemavati, Harangi,Kapila, Shimsha.
- The Godavari - Manjra and Karanja
- West flowing rivers - Kalinadi, Gagavali,Aghanashini, Sharavati, Varahi, Netravati.
- North Pennar
- South Pennar
- Palar
Forests
Karnataka State has a geographical area of 1,91,791 sq.km of which 38,724 sq.km (20 per cent) is under the control of the Forest Department. The forests are classified as reserved (28,611 sq.km), protected (3,932 sq.km), unclassified (5,748 sq.km), village (124 sq.km) and private (309 sq.km)
The percentage of forest area to geographical in the State is less than the all-India average of about 23%, and 33% prescribed in the National Forest Policy.
Premier Educational Centres
Indian Institute of Science
Raman Research Institute
National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences
Central Food Technological Research Institute
Indian Space Research Organisation
National Aeronautical Laboratory
National Institute for Sports(South).
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Major Cities/Towns
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| Major Cities/Towns : |
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| With population over 10 lakhs | Bangalore |
| Over 5 lakhs | Hubli-Dharwad |
| Over 2 lakhs | Belgaum, Bellary, Gulbarga, Mangalore, Mysore |
| Over 1 lakh | Bhadravati, Bijapur, Chitradurga,Gadag-Betagiri, Hospet, KGF, Mandya, Raichur,Shimoga, Tumkur. |
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How to reach
By Air
The Indian Airlines and some private domestic airlines connect Bangalore to all the major metropolitan and other cities of India like Thiruvananthpuram, Hyderabad, Goa, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Mangalore. International flights link Bangalore directly to Singapore, Dubai, London, Oman, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.
By Train
A good rail network connects Bangalore to various parts of India. The major Indian cities connected with Bangalore through regular trains are Chennai, Mysore, New Delhi, Calcutta, and Mumbai.
By Road
There are national highways and a number of other roadways leading to the major cities and important towns. There are regular bus services to and from Bangalore for the nearby cities and towns.
Tourism Offices in Karnataka
Director, Dept of Tourism, 1st Floor, F Bk, Cauvery Bhavan, K.G.Road Bangalore - 9
KSTDC, 104/1, Kasturba Road, Bangalore -1
Tourism Information Counter, Railway Station, Bangalore
Tourism Information Counter, Airport, Bangalore, Karnataka
Manager,Tourist Cottages, Belur, Karnataka
Tourist Cottages, Dept of Tourism, Halebid, Karnataka
Karnataka at a glance
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| Karnataka at a glance : |
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| Area | 1,91,791 sq. Km (eighth largest state in India) |
| Length | 760 Km. (north-south) |
| Breadth | 420 Km. (east-west) |
| Population | 52,733,958 (approx) (2001) |
| Females per 1000 males | 964 females |
| Capital | Bangalore |
| Literacy | 67.04 % |
| Female Literacy | 27.7% |
| Climate | Semi-tropical |
| Seasons Summer | March to May (18oC to 40oC); |
| Winter | Oct to Dec (14oC to 32oC); |
| South-West Monsoon | June to August; |
| North-East Monsoon | October to December |
| Rainfall | 500 mm to over 4000 mm. Agumbe in theSahyadris receives the second heaviest annual rainfall (7600 mm) in India |
| Physiograpy | Karavali, the Coastal Plain; Sahyadris,the Western Ghats; Malnad, the Transitional Belt;the Southern Plateau; the Northern Plateau;the Eastern Ghats. |
| Traditional Products | Coffee, silk, sandalwood, agarbathis, ivory carvings, inlay work, badriware, lacquerware |
| Greens | Tropical Evergreen, Tropical Semi-evergreen, Dry Deciduous (Malnad), Dry Deciduous(Plateau), Shrub |
| Prime Industries | Electronics, Computer Engineering, Aeronautics, Machine Tools, Watch-making, Electrical Engineering, Aluminiun, Steel |
| Major Crops | Ragi, jowar, rice; sugarcane, coconut, groundnuts; coffee; cotton |
| Major Minerals | Gold (90% of India's production), iron ore, manganese, maganesite |
| Roads | Total length of roads: 1,22,489 kms |
| National Highways | 2,357 kms |
| State Highways | 28,311 kms |
| Major District roads | 2,090 kms |
| Languages | Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Urdu, Marathi, Tulu, Kodagu, Konkani, Hindi |
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