Karnataka

Andhra Pradesh in the East, Maharashtra in the north and Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the south bound Karnataka, "The Lofty Land". A long coastline hedged by miles and miles of tall waving palmgroves frames this pretty land.Karnataka, the "Lofty land" is bounded by Andhra Pradesh in the east, Maharashtra in the north and Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the south. A long coastline hedged by miles and miles of tall, waving, palmgroves frames this pretty land. The majority of the state lies on the Deccan Plateau Bangalore is the state capital.Karnataka boasts a diverse flora and fauna, which make it a nature tourist's paradise. The state's long and colourful history, and the many forts, temples, mosques, and churches make it a great place to explore. Garden city Bangalore, Jog Falls, the beaches of Karwar and Malpe, Golgumbuz in Bijapur, the stone temples of Belur and Halebid, Mysore Palace, the list is endless.

Karnataka is one of the four southern states of India. Before 1973, the state was known as Mysore state, as it was formed out of the former Kingdom of Mysore in 1950, and enlarged in 1956 to include the Kannada-speaking regions of neighboring states. Karnataka's capital Bangalore is the only city in the state with a population of more than 1 million. Other major cities include Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Bellary and Belgaum. Kannada is the official language of Karnataka. As of 2001, it is one of 10 Indian states with a population greater than 50 million.

Karnataka is one of the more industrialised states in India. Its capital, Bangalore has become a major worldwide hub of the Information Technology industry and is the IT capital of India producing approximately 35% of India's software. It is dubbed as the Silicon Valley of India with more than 50% of all software companies based here. Bangalore has approximately 40% of India's Bio-Technology companies. Also, Bangalore is one of the fast growing cities in the world with more than 6 million people and is considered the only truly global city in the country. Over 90% of India's gold production comes from Karnataka. Recently there has been a lot of activity in the extraction of manganese ore from the districts of Bellary and Hospet. Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee, raw silk and sandalwood based products like perfumes.