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Andhra
Pradesh is situated on the Deccan (south) plateau - one of
the oldest geological formations in India and is sprawled
over an area of 276,754 sq. km. The mighty Godavari and
Krishna rivers cut their way through the plateau, forming
large deltas before entering the Bay of Bengal. Andhra
Pradesh, situated south of the Vindhyas, is surrounded by
Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, the Bay of Bengal in the east and
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the south and by Maharashtra in
the west. It is the fifth largest state in India in area and
population. With a 970 km coastline, it has the largest
coastline in India. The port of Vishakapatinam caters to
Madhya Pradesh and Orissa too. Andhra Pradesh was, in fact,
created by combining the old princely state of |
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Hyderabad
with the Telegu speaking portions of the former state of
Madras. Beautiful crafts, vibrant religious festivals, a
varied cuisine and the sonorant mother tongue, Telugu, are
some of the indelible impressions of this state. Kuchipudi
is the famous classical dance form of Andhra Pradesh. Tribal
dances contribute in equal measure to the artistic heritage
of Andhra Pradesh. Tholubommalaata, a shadow puppetry
theatre is a fascinating folk art of Andhra Pradesh.
Architecture in Andhra Pradesh ranges from prehistoric
cairns to Buddhist Setups; Hindu and Jain temples of great
importance to imposing churches, secular monuments such as
the Charminar of Hyderabad to some of the most beautiful
mosques and Islamic tombs of India. Andhra Pradesh has a
wide variety of wildlife and natural beauty. The state is
home to India's largest tiger reserve, in the Nallamai
forest. The Godavari river delta is famous for reptiles like
the salt water crocodile, fishing cats and other exotic
animals. The medieval city of Hyderabad is its capital. The
state can be divided into three important regions-the
coastal region, comprising of nine districts, generally
called Andhra; the interior region, consisting of four
districts collectively known as Rayalaseema; and the
Telengana region, consisting of the capital Hyderabad and
nine adjoining districts. Eight of its 23 districts have
direct access to the sea. Famous beaches are Visakhapatnam
Bheemunipatnam, Kakinada, Chirala, Kalingapatnam and Mypad.
The legislature in Andhra Pradesh is unicameral, the
legislative assembly has 295 seats. The Andhra Pradesh
Legislative Council was abolished in 1985.
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