About Chennai

About Chennai

C, now known as Chennai, is a city on the east coast of southern India. Situated on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, this capital of the state of TamilNadu is India's fourth largest metropolitan city and one of the 36th largest metropolitan areas in the world. Its name was officially changed to Chennai.

                  Area 172.00 Sq Km

                  Population 7.60 million, 2006

                  Population density 24,418 per km²

                  Altitude 0 ft. Sea Level

                  sex ratio 948 females for every 1000 males

                  Average Literacy Rate 80.14%

                  Warmest Months March - October

                  Coolest Months November - February

                  Religion Hindus, Christians, Muslims

                  Languages Tamil is the main language. Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi are some of the other widely spoken Indian languages. English is also used for business purposes.

                  Clothing Cotton

                  Time 5.30 GMT

                  STD Code 044

                  ISD Code +91

                  State TamilNadu

                  Country India

Climate
                            Chennai lies on the thermal equator, and thus sees little variation in seasonal temperature. Its proximity to the sea gives it a hot and humid climate for most of the year. The highest temperatures are experienced in late May and early June and usually vary between 38 °C (100.4 °F) and 42 °C (107.6 °F) though it sometimes nearly touches 45 °C (113 °F) for a few days. Average daily temperature in Chennai during January is around 24 °C (75 °F), though the temperature rarely falls below 18 °C (64 °F). The lowest temperature recorded is 15.8 °C (60.4 °F) and highest 44.1 °C (111.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is about 1,300 mm (47.2 inches). The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds, from Mid October to Mid December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city.

The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre dating back to the 1st century. It has been ruled by South Indian kingdoms, notably the Pallava, the Chola, the Pandya, and Vijaynagar empires. The town of Mylapore, now part of the metropolis, was once a major port of the Pallava kingdom.

Chennai International Airport is situated at Tirisulam, 7 Km south of Chennai. It has two terminals, Kamaraj Terminal, handles domestic flights connecting 20 destinations across the country with Chennai. The International Terminal, named Anna Terminal, connects major destinations like London, Frankfurt...

The IT Corridor, on Old Mahabalipuram Road in the southeast of the city houses several technology parks. The largest of these is Tidel Park, built by TIDCO.

Chennai's culture reflects its diverse population. The city is known for its classical dance shows and Hindu temples. Every December, Chennai holds a five week-long Music Season, which has been described as one of the world's largest cultural events. The Music Season encompasses performances (kutcheries) of traditional Carnatic music by hundreds of artists in and around the city.

Chennai is also known for the classical Indian dance, the Bharatanatyam, which is also the official dance of Tamil Nadu. An important cultural centre for Bharatanatyam is Kalakshetra (Sanskrit for "place of the arts"), located on the beach in the south of the city.