India's
fourth largest metropolitan city, Chennai (formerly Madras) is the
capital of Tamil Nadu and the gateway of Southern India. Apart from
being renowned worldwide for its rich cultural heritage, the city is
also a large commercial and industrial center.
Demographics
Till 2000, Chennai city had a population of 4.2 million. The sex ratio
is 948 females for every 1000 males which is slightly higher than the
national average of 934. The average literacy rate is 80.14% which is
much higher than the national average.
Climate in Chennai
Chennai is on the thermal equator, and hence there is little variation
in seasonal temperature. Since it lies close to the sea gives, it has a
hot and humid climate for most of the year. The highest temperatures are
experienced in May and June and usually ranges between 38 °C and 44°C.
During winters, the temperature rarely falls below 18 °C. The city
gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds,
between Mid October to Mid December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal
sometimes hit the city.
How to visit Chennai?
Popularly known as "Gateway to South India", Chennai is well
connected internationally and to other parts of India.
- Air : The Chennai International Airport serves
as the city's airport for both domestic and international flights.
The city is connected to major hubs in South Asia, South East Asia,
the Middle East, Europe and North America. The airport is also the
second busiest cargo terminus in the country. Also, there are daily
flights from Chennai to Bombay and Delhi.
- Road : There are good road networks that make
the tiniest village easily accessible by comfortable trains and
deluxe buses. The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), is the
largest bus station in South Asia.
- Rail : There are two main railway terminals,
The Chennai Central Station and Chennai Egmore. The former is the
city's largest railway station with trains to all the major cities
like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and towns in
India, and the latter is for destinations within Tamil Nadu.
Tourist Destinations in Chennai
| TIDEL Park |
Fort St. George (Secretariat) |
Museum & Art Gallery |
| Connemara Public Library |
Marina Beach |
Kapaleeswarar Temple |
| Santhome Church |
Thousand Lights Mosque |
Anna Memorial |
| MGR Memorial |
Vivekanandar House |
Raj Bhavan |
| Kalakshetra |
Ripon Building |
|
Education in Chennai
The literacy rate of Chennai is much higher than the national average.
The city has a good base for higher education. There are number of
Government run and private schools in Chennai affiliated to CBSE, Tamil
Nadu State Board and also ICSE. A large number of city colleges are
affiliated to the University of Madras (1857), which has three campuses
in the city, and offer programs in medicine, law, science, Arts and
commerce. Some of the premier institutes of this region are:
- Anna University
- Madras Christian College
- Presidency College
- The Madras Medical College
- Vivekananda College
- Women's Christian College
- National Institute of Fashion Technology
- Asian College of Journalism
- Madras School of Social Work
- Indian Institute of Technology
- Madras Institute of Technology
- School of Architecture and Planning etc.
Economy of Chennai
- Chennai is an automobile capital of India, with around 40% of the
automobile industry having a base there.
- With the developed communication and infrastructural facilities,
Chennai has also become a major center for outsourced jobs from the
Western world.
- It has been rated as "The most attractive Indian city for
offshoring services" (according to A T Kearney's Indian City
Services Attractiveness Index 2005).
- The place attracts millions of tourists every year, from across
the globe because of its beautiful temples and Marina Beach (one of
the longest beaches in the world).
- A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with one of the world's largest
information technology parks, is currently under construction in the
outskirts of Chennai.
- Also, MNC's like Nokia, Flextronics and Foxconn are setting up
electronics manufacturing SEZs in the satellite towns.
- The city is home to the Tamil entertainment industry which is the
second largest in Indian entertainment industries.
- The city has a fully computerised stock exchange called the
Madras Stock Exchange.
- Chennai is an important centre for banking and finance.
Important Industries in Chennai
- Automobile
- Software Services
- Hardware Manufacturing
- Financial Services
- Petrochemicals
- Textiles
- Apparels
- Leather
Reputed corporates, having their manufacturing plants at Chennai
- Hyundai
- Ford
- Mitsubishi
- TVS
- Ashok Leyland
- Caterpillar
- Royal Enfield
- MRF
- BMW (soon to set up)
