Maharashtra state was formed in 1960, when former Bombay
state was divided. Bombay (Mumbai) became capital of the new state.
Maharashtra state includes a part of Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Konkan,
Vidharbha & parts of erstwhile Sangli state which was merged into Indian
union after independence. The state consists of large number of Forts which
remind us of the great maratha dynasty which once ruled large parts of India.
Caves, temples & beautiful beaches are a symbol of geographical diversity
of the state. Today, Maharashtra is one of the major industrial states of the
country. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India is now one of the largest
cosmopolitan cities of the world. Pune, the second largest cities of India is
a cultural & educational city now coming up as an Information Technology
hubs of India. Maharashtra is a highly developed urbanized state & has
the highest number of cities as compared to any other state of India.
Other important cities are Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nasik,
Sangli, Kolhapur & Solapur.
General Information
Area :- 307,690 sq kms.
Location:- Located in Western India with Arabian
Sea on the western side, while Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh states lie on the
northern side. Andhra Pradesh lies on the East and Karnataka & Goa on
South.
Languages:- Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, English
Crops:- Cotton, Sugarcane, Oilseeds, Pulses,
Rice, Grapes, Tobacco, Wheat.
Minerals:- Coal, Iron Ore, Limestone, Bauxite,
Manganese Ore
Industries:- Automobiles, Chemicals, Dairy products,
Electronics, Fertiliser, Films(Bollywood), Light & Heavy Engineering, Liquor,
Paper, Pharmaceuticals, Sugar, Textiles, Oils, Wine, etc.
Important Railway Junctions:
Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur,
Manmad, Bhusawal & Miraj(Sangli)
Important Business Cities:
Mumbai(Bombay):
Commercial Capital of
India houses National Stock Exchange of India. Mumbai houses India's largest
port Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. The Hindi Film industry is also located at
Mumbai. Apart from this, Mumbai has one of the largest international airports
of India. Mumbai is also know for its textile industry.
Pune:
Largest Educational
City in Maharashtra also known for its cultural values. Pune was once the
capital of the mighty Maratha(Peshwa) dynasty which ruled most parts of
India. Pune houses some of the largest automobile industries of India. Now,
Pune is a modern city & is coming up as Information
Technology-Biotechnology Hub. Pune city is fast developing into a Cosmopolitan city with large number of Indian and Multi-national giants setting up offices here. Pune city also has one of the largest number of English speaking youth in India.
Nagpur:
Known as Orange City of
India is also the second capital of Maharashtra. Nagpur enjoys a central
location in India & many important national highways & railway routes
pass through Nagpur. The Vidharbha region around Nagpur is rich in minerals.
Cotton is also grown in large quantity in Vidharbha region.
Sangli:
Sangli city also known as Natyapandhari,
is the birth place of Marathi theatre. Erstwhile capital of the
prosperous Sangli state was merged into India after independence. Sangli is
the largest trade center for Turmeric in Asia. Sangli region is also known
as Sugar Belt of India which has large number of sugar factories. Vasantdada Sugar
Factory in Sangli city is the largest co-operative sugar plant in Asia. Sangli has a
very large market for grapes & commodities. Sangli-Miraj twin cities are a renowned health
care center. Miraj is one of the largest railway junctions of the state. Magnificient Temples of Lord Ganesh in Sangli city and Tasgaon attract Tourist from all parts of the world.
Now,
Sangli is a modern well planned city with very good telecommunications
infrastructure. Many large industrial
estates including Infotech Park, Food Park & Wine Park have come up in Sangli.
Nasik:
Nasik houses many industries
including the Security Printing Press of the government, the nation's
currency printer. Other industries
include large automobile manufacturers.
Nasik is a religious city
known for Triambakeshwar, a holy place on the banks of river
Godavari. Nasik is a large agriculture
market for onions in the state. Nasik is now developing into a large industrial township with many industrial groups setting up plants there.
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