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Chennai City Guide |  |
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Chennai Overview |
| Area - 174 square kilometres. |
| Population - As per the 2001 Census, Chennai has a population of 42.16 lakh. Density of population: 24,231 persons per square kilometre. |
| Altitude (Above mean sea level) - Meenambakkam - 16 mts/ Nungambakkam - 6 mts |
Geographical Location - Chennai is situated by the 13th north parallel and 80° longitude, along the Coromandel Coast in the southern part of the Indian peninsula. The city stretches 19 km along the Coromandel Coast, a linear metro that hugs the shoreline, much like Mumbai. Chennai is divided by the two east-flowing rivers of Cooum and Adayar. |
| Average Rainfall - Meenambakkam - 1333.8 mm, Nungambakkam - 1266.9 mm. |
The People - The majority is the native Tamil population. But the city is home to a sizable population from other states. Visitors can manage their way with English. Dubbed a sleepy and slow-paced city for long, is today abuzz with activity - in business, industry, entertainment and leisure. This surge is most marked by the changing lifestyles of Chennai folk, who were once thought to be extremely tradition-bound.
Male - Female break-up: 21,61,605 male and 20,054,663 female |
| Local languages: Tamil and Hindi. |
| Best time to visit: November (can be rainy) to February. |
History of Chennai |
Chennaipattinam was a popular trading center for spices and clothes for more than 2000 years. Portuguese and Dutch arrived in the 16 th century followed by the British and French. In 1639 the British East India Company established a settlement in the fishing village of Madraspattnam that they leased from the local Nayaks. In Madraspattnam they started construction of Fort St. George. George Town grew in the area of fort and neighboring villages ultimately becoming the oldest Municipality of India in 1668. During the 17 th and 18 th centuries Europeans competed for supremacy in India and Briton became the ultimate gainer. Under the command of Robert Clive, British launched a campaign against French, a series of war known as the Carnatic Wars. Finally the French were forced to withdraw to Pondicherry. The city grew into modern day Madras City merging all neighboring areas. In the 19th century the city became the seat of Madras Presidency, the southern division of British Imperial India. After independence in 1947 it became the capital of Madras State that was renamed Tamil Nadu. Very recently Madras was renamed Chennai. |
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