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| Date of formation | May 1, 1960 | |||||||
| Capital | Mumbai | |||||||
| Auxiliary Capital | Nagpur | |||||||
| Largest City | Mumbai | |||||||
| Governor | Mohammad Fazal | |||||||
| Chief Minister | Sushil Kumar Shinde | |||||||
| Area | 308,000 km² | |||||||
| Population - Total - Density | Ranked 2nd in India
322.5/km² | |||||||
| Literacy rate: - Total - Male - Female | 77.27% 86.27% 67.51% | |||||||
| Urbanization: | 42.11% | |||||||
| state in west-central India. Its capital is Mumbai, the economic powerhouse of India.
Maharashtra's population was 96,752,247, per the 2001 provisional results of Census of India, making it the second most populous state in India. Only eleven countries of the world have a population greater than Maharashtra. The state was created on May 1, 1960 to satisfy demands of the Marathi linguistic group, who form the majority ethnic group in the state, for their own state. Bombay state, which had been enlarged in 1956 to include Marathi-speaking portions of Hyderabad state and Madhya Pradesh as well as Gujarati-speaking areas to the north, was split into two linguistic states, Maharashtra and Gujarat. [Top] Timeline
See also: Shivaji, Social Reform Movement in Maharashtra [Top] GeographyMaharashtra borders Goa and Karnataka to the south, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, and the Arabian Sea to the west. The Western Ghats mountains, which run north and south, parallel to the Arabian Sea coast, separate the western coastal portion of Maharashtra from the eastern portion of the state, which lies on the Deccan plateau. Maharashtra has five geographic regions. Konkan is the western coastal region, between the Western Ghats and the sea, which includes Mumbai. Other major cities of Konkan include Thane, Ulhasnagar, and Bhiwandi, north of Mumbai, and Ratnagiri and Chiplun to the south. Kandesh is the the northwestern region, lying in the valley of the Tapti River, which flows west off the Deccan plateau into the Arabian Sea at Surat, in Gujarat. Jalgaon, Dhulia and Bhusawal are the major cities. Desh is in the centre of the state, east of the Ghats. Desh is the historic core of the Marathi state, and Pune, the capital of the Marathas, is the second largest city in the state. Other cities include Ahmednagar, Sholapur, Nasik, Sangli, and Kolhapur. The Western Ghats in Desh are the source of Deccan's great rivers; the Godavari River rises at Trimbak, between Nasik and Mumbai, and flows eastward through Marathwada to empty into the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh. The Krishna River, which originates at Mahabaleswar and passes through Sangli, and its tributary the Bhima, which rises north of Pune, enter Karnataka state and ultimately empty into the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi, Andhra Pradesh. Marathwada is located in the south-eastern part of the state, and was part of the former princely state of Hyderabad until 1956. Aurangabad is the main city of the region, which also includes the famous sculpture caves of Ajanta and Ellora. Vidarbha is the easternmost region of the state, formerly part of Central Provinces and Berar. Nagpur is the main city in the region. The Penganga and Aurangabad, Amravati, Konkan, Nagpur, Nashik, and Pune. [Top] EconomyMaharashtra is one of the most advanced states in India, with a strong industrialized economy, and the largest power production and consumption in the nation. Mumbai is the financial capital of India, and home to India's film industry. Maharashtra is the top state in India in foreign investment, receiving 17% of all foreign direct investment in India. 32% of all exports from India are from the state of Maharashtra, per economic survey of Government of Maharashtra in 2002-03. [Top] Main items of export from Maharashtra
[Top] Specialized Industrial Parks in Maharashtra
[Top] Infotech /IT Parks
[Top] CultureThe Indian film industry, commonly called Bollywood (the largest film industry in the world), is centered here. It has a rich history, and has given birth to great warriors, like Shivaji, and Bajirao, and to national leaders, including M. G. Ranade and Lokamanya Tilak. Mumbai was home to B. R. Ambedkar, India's most prominent Untouchable leader of the 20th century, for most of his life. Maharashtra is still the center of neo-Buddhist movement that he founded. [Top] Transport and communications
[Top] Tourism[Top] List of prominent shrines in Maharashtra
[Top] List of hill stations
[Top] Natural AreasMaharashtra is home to several National Parks, including Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Borivali National Park) in Mumbai, Chandoli Wildlife Sanctuary in Sangli District, Tadoba National Park in Chandrapur District, Panch National Park in Nagpur District, Nawegaon National Park in Bhandara District and Gugmal National Park in Amravati District. There are also a number of wildlife sanctuaries and nature preserves, including Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary near Sangli. Others are Andhari, Aner Dam, Bhimashankar, Bor, Chandoli, Chaprala, Gautala Autramghat, Great Indian Bustard, Jaikwadi, Kalsubai Harishchandra, Katepurna, Koyana, Malvan, Melghat, Nagzira, Nandur, Madmeshwar, Painganga, Phansad, Radhangiri, Tansa, and Yawal. [Top] Miscellaneous[Top] Government resources[Top] Colleges and universities
|- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | Andhra Pradesh | Arunachal Pradesh | Assam | Bihar | Chhattisgarh | Goa | Gujarat | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu and Kashmir | Jharkhand | Karnataka | Kerala | Madhya Pradesh | Maharashtra | Manipur | Meghalaya | Mizoram | Nagaland | Orissa | Punjab | Rajasthan | Sikkim | Tamil Nadu | Tripura | Uttaranchal | Uttar Pradesh | West Bengal |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Chandigarh | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Daman and Diu | Lakshadweep | Pondicherry |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | National Capital Territory: Delhi |}
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