Andhra Pradesh

STATE OVERVIEW

State Capital :  Hyderabad

Governor:  ESL Narasimhan (Add.)

Chief Minister:  Sri. N.Kiran Kumar Reddy

Lok Sabha seats:  42

Legislature :  Unicameral

Judicature :  Hyderabad HC

No. of Districts :  23

Languages :  Telugu, Urdu

Main crops :  Rice, tobacco, oilseeds, jute, cotton,   sugarcane, turmeric, groundnut, cashewnuts

Rivers

Godavari, Krishna, Pennar, Musi, Vamsadhara, Tungabhadra and Nagavali Minerals :  Copper, mica, manganese, gold, asbestos, petroleum, coal, magnesite, iron Industries:  Cement, paper, asbestos, units of HMT, BHEL, Hindustan Shipyard, Bharat Dynamics Limited Airports :  Hyderabad, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam

PHYSICAL FEATURES
Andhra Pradesh has three main physiographic regions: a coastal plain, the Eastern Ghats, and a plateau west of the Eastern Ghats. The coastal plain extends from the Bay of Bengal to the mountain ranges and runs nearly the entire length of Andhra Pradesh. A number of rivers flow across the coastal plain, through the hills into the bay, from west to east. The Krishna and the Godavari Deltas form the central part of the plains. The Eastern Ghats are broken up by the numerous river valleys and do not form a continuous range in Andhra Pradesh.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Andhras is said to be mentioned in Aitereya Brahmana (2000 BC); which indicates that the Andhras, originally an Aryan race living in north India migrated to south of the Vindhyas and later mixed with non-Aryans. Regular history of Andhra Desa, according to historians, begins with 236 BC, the year of Ashoka’s death. During the following centuries, Satavahanas, Sakas, Ikshvakus, Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas ruled the Telugu country. Other dynasties that ruled over the area in succession were the kingdoms of Vijayanagar and Qutub Shahi followed by Mir Qumruddin and his successors, known as the Nizams.

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS:

17th century - British annexed territories of the Nizam, constituted the single province of Madras.

Independence - Teluguspeaking areas were separated from the composite Madras Presidency and a new Andhra State came into being on 1 October 1953.

States Reorganisation Act, 1956 - merger of Hyderabad State and Andhra State.

Andhra Pradesh came into being on 1 November 1956.