Tamil Nadu lies in the, south for of the country. The eastern part of the state is a broad, flat plain. This faces the Bay Bengal. The western part of the state is very hilly. There are many ranges of hills. The most important are the Nilgiri hills. The Cauvery and Ponnaiyar rivers begin in the hills and flow into the Bay of Bengal.

Tamil Nadu has a very warm climate. The summers are hot. The winters are not cold like those in the northern states. They are just a little cooler than the summers. Tamil Nadu gets rain both in winter and summer.

The farmers can grow many kinds of crops as the climate is warm. Rice is the most important crop. It is grown in the coastal plains, especially at the mouth of the rivers. Here the soil is rich. The land is flat and the fields can be flooded easily. Maize, jawar, bajra and dals are also planted. Very little wheat is grown as the climate is too warm. Sugar cane, cotton and tobacco grow well on the lowlands. In the Nilgiri hills the crops are very different. Near the foot of the hills, rubber trees are grown. Higher up there are tea and coffee gardens. Tamil Nadu grows rubber and coffee also.

The coastline of Tamil Nadu is over 1500 km long. All along the coast there are many small fishing villages. The fishermen are poor. They do not have enough money to buy large ships and machinery. Their small fishing boats are made of wood. Some boats have motors but most are sail-boats. They are not very strong and are easily turned over in a storm. In this way many fishermen are drowned. However, fishing industry is improving and some fishermen can afford to buy modern fishing boats. They can go further out into the sea and catch much more fish. Satellites are being used to help located shoals of fish and to give storm warnings. The most important fish are Pomfret, mackerel and prawns. Some of these are tinned. Others are packed in ice and sent to the northern states.

Tamil Nadu has the third largest number of mills and factories among the Indian states. Most of these have been built around the cities of Chennai and Coimbatore. They make cotton and silk cloth, paper, cigarettes, cement, rubber tyres, scooters, cars and army tanks. In the rest of the state there are many cloth, cement and cigarette factories. There is an iron and steel plant at Salem.

Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu. It is the biggest city of south India. It is also an important port, but it is not as important as either Mumbai or Calcutta. This is because its harbor is not very good. It is open to the strong winds that blow from the Bay of Bengal. To protect the ships, two strong walls have been built into the sea. These are called `breakwaters’ because they break the strong waves from the sea. At Perambur near Chennai is a very big factory that makes railway coaches and wagons.

Tuticorin is growing quickly into an important port. Many tourists visit Udagamandalam (Ooty), hill –station in the Nilgiri. They also go to see famous temples –Meenakshi temple in Madurai and those at Mamallapuram near Chennai.

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is situated on the eastern coast of India, along the Bay of Bengal. The states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are its neighbors. It has a larger coast line than any other Indian state. The eastern parts of Andhra Pradesh are fertile coastal plains. The major part of the state lies in the rocky regions of Deccan plateau and the Eastern Ghats.

There are main rivers Godavari, Krishna and Penner. All these rivers flow eastwards into Bay of Bengal. There are big deltas, where river branches into several channels and meets the sea. The river water not flow throughout the year, they are only Rain Rivers. The water used for irrigation.

In Andhra Pradesh in coastal area cyclones cause huge damages.

Paddy is main crop in Andhra Pradesh. Maize, gram, millets, sugar –cane sun flower, ground nut, tobacco and cotton are other important crops. The great Nagarjuna Sagar dam is across river Krishna. It is for electricity and water for irrigation.

The people of Andhra Pradesh speak Telugu language. Some speak Urdu. Their food consists of rice and Jowar rotis with plenty of fish or vegetables. Pickles and chilies are important part of their food. Kuchipudi is the famous classical dance style of Andhra Pradesh.

Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the historical and beautiful cities of India. Salarjung Museum, Charminar and Husain Sagar are the places worth visiting, it is also important as an industrial, commercial and educational centre. The ruins of Golconda fort are situated near Hyderabad.

Visakhapatnam is a major of Andhra Pradesh. It is a famous ship building center of India. It has also a fertilizer plant and an oil refinery. Other important towns are Nellore, Anantapur, Vijayawada and Chittor.

The famous temple of Sri Venkatewsara (Balaji) at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh is visited by lacks of pilgrims from all over the country.