Goa , a former
Portuguese colonyThe Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
, is
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's smallest
stateIndia is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in
South West IndiaSouth West India extends over the regions in the states and territories of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Goa, Orissa, and Lakshadweep....
in the region known as the
KonkanThe Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
, it is bounded by the state of
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
to the north, and by
KarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
to the east and south, while the
Arabian SeaThe Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
forms its western coast. Goa is India's richest state with a GDP per capita two and a half times that of the country as a whole. It was ranked the best placed state by the Eleventh Finance Commission for its infrastructure and ranked on top for the best quality of life in India by the National Commission on Population based on the 12 Indicators.
Panaji is the state's capital, while
Vasco da GamaVasco da Gama is the largest city in the state of Goa on the west coast of India. It is named after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Vasco has Goa's largest population, estimated at over 100,000. It is also the headquarters of the Mormugao taluka...
is the largest city. The historic city of
MargaoMargao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
still exhibits the cultural influence of the
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, who first landed in the early 16th century as merchants and conquered it soon thereafter. The
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
overseas territory of
Portuguese IndiaThe Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
existed for about 450 years until it was annexed by India in 1961.
Renowned for its beaches, places of worship and
world heritage architectureA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year. It also has rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the
Western GhatsThe Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
range, which is classified as a
biodiversity hotspotA biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans.The concept of biodiversity hotspots was originated by Norman Myers in two articles in “The Environmentalist” , revised after thorough analysis by Myers and others in...
.
Mythological origins
The first literary reference to Goa is mentioned in the Bhishma Parva of
MahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
as
GomantaGomanta was a kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. It was an extension of the kingdom of Yadavas at Dwaraka. It is identified to be the Goa state of India, situated in the western coast...
which means the region of cows.
Even though there are no archeological and historical evidences, Hindu scriptures mention
ParashuramaParashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...
, as its creator (see:
Skanda PuranaThe Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
:
SahyadrikhandaSahyādrikhaṇḍa or Sahyadri Khand, written in Sanskrit, is claimed as a part of Skandapurāṇa. From the old records it can be seen that Sahyādrikhaṇḍa is a later inclusion in the original Skandapurāṇa...
). He is said to have settled ten sages in this land and performed fire sacrifices. Another legend has that after performing the penance, the seven sages or the
SaptarshiThe Saptarishi are the seven rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never actually enumerate these rishis by name, though later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. They are regarded in the Vedas as the patriarchs of the...
s were blessed by lord
ShivaShiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
therefore known as
SaptakoteshwarThe Saptakotishwar temple at Narve, Goa, India is considered to be one of the six great sites of temples of Lord Shiva in the Konkan area.-History:...
. Further Lord Shiva is believed to have taken up temporary residence after having tiff with his consort
ParvatiParvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
. Yet another legend says that Lord
KrishnaKrishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
defeated
JarasandhaJarasandha was a great and legendary king of Magadha. He was the son of a vedic king named Brihadratha. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahābhārata....
the king of
MagadhaMagadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
on
Gomanchal mountain in Goa. (see:
Hari Vamsha purana)
In
Suta Samhita Govapuri or Goa is associated with spiritually cleansing touch:
... The very sight of Govapuri destroys any sin committed in former existence just as sunrise dispels darkness... Certainly there is no other kshetra equal to Govapuri
A similar hymn praising Govapuri city is found in Sahyadrikhanda of Skanda Purana, which says the extent of Goapuri was about seven YojanaA Yojana is a Vedic measure of distance used in ancient India. The exact measurement is disputed amongst scholars with distances being given between 6 to 15 kilometers ....
s.
According to the Parshurama legend, Parashurama, the sixth reincarnation of lord
VishnuVishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
faces with an order of banishment from the lands that he had once conquered, sets seven arrows fly from the Sahyadris to push back the sea and create a stretch of land which he could claim for himself. The sea-god is believed to have acceded his to wish and crated a regionShurparaka
(literally:winnowing fan). This region is also known as Parashurama Kshetra
. The legend further tells us that having created Goa thus, Parashurama brought Brahmins from the North and settled them in this land.(See:Shree Scanda Puran (Sayadri Khandha) -Ed. Dr. Jarson D. Kunha, Marathi version Ed. By Gajanan shastri Gaytonde).
The Parashurama legend personifies the geological process of elevation of submerged land along the west coast, which must have taken place around 12,000 BC. There is evidence to support this theory as indicated by presence of marine fossilsFossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
, buried seashells and other features of reclaimed topographyTopography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
in the coastal belt. The evidence provided by the conch (Shankh) at SurlaSurla is a village located in Ganjam district of Orissa, India at Andhra-Orissa border on National Highway-5. On one side of Andhra-Orissa border on NH-5, village Purushottamapuram under Ichchapuram municipality limits is located an on other side, village Surla of Ganjam district is located...
Village, fossilized marine conches discovered in 1863, petrified roots, fossilied branches have been found later in many villages on the foothills of the Sahyadri dating back more than 10,000 BC. Thus the geologists concluded that Goa has risen up from seabed as a result of violent tectonic movementsTectonics is a field of study within geology concerned generally with the structures within the lithosphere of the Earth and particularly with the forces and movements that have operated in a region to create these structures.Tectonics is concerned with the orogenies and tectonic development of...
. At the decline of the intensity of pluviationIn geology and climatology, a pluvial was an extended period of abundant rainfall lasting many thousands of years. Pluvial is also applied to the sediments of these periods . The term is especially applied to such periods during the Pleistocene Epoch...
in the last Pleistocenic ageThe Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
around 10.000 BC, the bottom of Deccan plateauThe Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country. It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometers high in the south, forming a raised triangle nested within the familiar downward-pointing triangle of...
was lifted up and out of sea-waters by the tectonic movements, formed the West-coast of India, Goa being a part thereof.
Etymology
The origin of the city name Goa
is unclear, it may have originated from PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
or from Vikings (see month of Góa in the Old Norse Calendar and Góa in Orkneyinga Saga). In ancient literature, Goa was known by many names such as GomantaGomanta was a kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. It was an extension of the kingdom of Yadavas at Dwaraka. It is identified to be the Goa state of India, situated in the western coast...
, Gomanchala
, Gopakapattam
, Gopakapuri
, Govapuri
, Govem
, and Gomantak
. The Indian epic MahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
refers to the area now known as Goa, as Goparashtra
or Govarashtra
which means a nation of cowherds. Gopakapuri
or Gopakapattanam
were used in some ancient SanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
texts, and these names were also mentioned in other sacred HinduHindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
texts such as the HarivansaHarivansa, a chapel in Old Goa, is an example of Portuguese architecture from the Portuguese colonisers. It was mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and other sacred Hindu texts, such as 'Gopakapuri' or 'Gapakapattana' ....
and the Skanda PuranaThe Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
. In the latter, Goa is also known as Gomanchala
. Parashurambhoomi
is a name that the region is referred to in certain inscriptions and texts such as the Puranas
. In the third century BCE, Goa was known as Aparantha
, and is mentioned by the Greek geographer PtolemyClaudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
. The Greeks referred to Goa as Nelkinda
in the 13th century. Some other historical names for Goa are Sindapur
, Sandabur
, and Mahassapatam
.
History
Goa's history stretches back to 8000-6000 BC. Early PaleolithicThe Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
and MesolithicThe Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
rock artRock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
engravings have been found on the bank of river Kushavati*Kushavati was a city in Kosala Kingdom as per epic Ramayana. The king of Kosala Raghava Rama installed his son Lava at Sravasti and Kusha at Kushavati. The city is identified to be Kushinagar a town near Gorakhpur....
at Usgalimal
. Petroglyphs, cones, stone-axe, and choppers dating back 10,000 years back have been found in many places in Goa like Kazur
, Mauxim, and the Mandovi-Zuari basin. Palaeolithic cave existence is seen at Dabolim, Adkon, Shigao, Fatorpa, Arli, Maulinguinim, Diwar, Sanguem, Pilerne, and Aquem-Margaon etc. Difficulty in carbon dating the laterite rock compounds poses problems in determination of exact time period. These discoveries have shed light on Goa's prehistory.
The Sumerians inhabited Goa around 2200 BC which was followed by several waves of Indo-Aryan people and the Dravidians from the Deccan. The early Goan society underwent radical changes when aboriginal locals and the migrants amalgamated, forming the base of early Goan culture.
In 3rd century BC, it formed part of the Mauryan Empire, ruled by the Buddhist emperor,
AshokaAshok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
of
MagadhaMagadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
. Buddhist monks laid the foundation of
BuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
in Goa. Between the 2nd century BCE and the 6th century CE, Goa was ruled by the
ChutuThe Chutu kingdom was located in the Deccan region of South India in the 3d and 4th centuries AD. Its capital was in Banavasi and it was ruled by a feudatory dynasty of the Satavahanas...
s of
KarwarKarwar is the administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, India. It is a seaside town situated on the banks of the Kali river which is on the west coast of the Indian peninsula. The town lies about 15 kilometres south of the Karnataka–Goa border and 519 km north-west...
as feudatories of the
SatavahanaThe Sātavāhana Empire or Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar and Prathisthan in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward...
s of
Kolhapur (2nd century BCE to the 2nd century CE),
Western KshatrapasThe Western Satraps, Western Kshatrapas, or Kshaharatas were Saka rulers of the western and central part of India...
(around 150 CE), the Abhiras of Western
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, Bhojas of the Yadav clans of
Gujarat, and the Konkan Mauryas as feudatories of the
KalachuriKalachuri Empire is this the name used by two kingdoms who had a succession of dynasties from the 10th-12th centuries, one ruling over areas in Central India and were called Chedi or Haihaya and the other southern Kalachuri who ruled over parts of Karnataka...
s. The rule later passed on to the Chalukyas of
BadamiBadami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...
, who controlled it between 578 to 753, and later the
RashtrakutaThe Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. During this period they ruled as several closely related, but individual clans. Rastrakutas in inscriptions represented as descendants of Satyaki, a Yadava well known...
s of Malkhed from 753 to 963. However from 765 to 1015, the Southern Silharas of
KonkanThe Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
ruled Goa as the feudatories of the Chalukyas and the Rashtrakutas. Over the next few centuries, Goa was successively ruled by the Kadambas as the feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyani. They patronised
JainismJainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
in Goa.
In 1312, Goa came under the governance of the
Delhi SultanateThe Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
. However, the kingdom's grip on the region was weak, and by 1370 they were forced to surrender it to
Harihara IHarihara I , also called Hakka ಹಕ್ಕ and Vira Harihara I, was the founder of the Vijayanagara empire. He was Bhavana Sangama’s eldest son, belonged to the Kuruba clan and was founder of the Sangama dynasty, the first among the four dynasties that ruled Vijayanagara...
of the
Vijayanagara empireThe Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
. The Vijayanagara monarchs held on to the territory until 1469, when it was appropriated by the
Bahmani sultansThe Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in southern India and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms...
of
GulbargaGulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...
. After that dynasty crumbled, the area fell to the hands of the
Adil ShahiThe Adil Shahi or Adilshahi dynasty ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur in the Western area of the Deccan region of Southern India from 1490 to 1686. Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate , before its political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century and eventual break-up in 1518...
s of Bijapur who established as their auxiliary capital the city known under the
PortugueseThe Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
as Velha Goa.
In 1510, the
PortugueseThe Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
defeated the ruling Bijapur kings with the help of a local ally, Timayya, leading to the establishment of a permanent settlement in Velha Goa (or Old Goa).
In 1843 the capital was moved to Panjim from Velha Goa. By the mid-18th century the area under occupation had expanded to most of Goa's present day state limits. Simultaneously the Portuguese lost other possessions in India until their borders stabilised and formed the
Estado da India PortuguesaThe Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
, of which Goa was the largest territory.
After India gained independence from the British in 1947, Portugal refused to negotiate with India on the transfer of sovereignty of their Indian enclaves. On 19 December 1961, the
Indian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
commenced with Operation Vijay resulting in the annexation of Goa, Daman and Diu into the Indian union. Goa, along with
Daman and Diu was made into a centrally administered
Union TerritoryA Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...
of India. On 30 May 1987, the Union Territory was split, and Goa was made India's twenty-fifth state, with Daman and Diu remaining Union Territories.
Geography
Goa encompasses an area of 3702 km² (1,429.4 sq mi). It lies between the latitudes 14°53′54″ N and 15°40′00″ N and longitudes 73°40′33″ E and 74°20′13″ E. Most of Goa is a part of the coastal country known as the
KonkanThe Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
, which is an escarpment rising up to the
Western GhatsThe Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
range of mountains, which separate it from the
Deccan PlateauThe Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country. It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometers high in the south, forming a raised triangle nested within the familiar downward-pointing triangle of...
. The highest point is the
SonsogorSonsogor is the highest peak in the state of Goa, India, at an altitude of aboove sea level. It is located in the taluk of Sanguem. It is also called Sonsogodd, Darsingha or Darsinga. the Western Ghat mountain range....
, with an altitude of 1,167 meters (3,827 feet). Goa has a coastline of 101 km (62.8 mi).
Goa's main rivers are the
Mandovi, the
ZuariThe Zuari River is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. It is a tidal river with a total length of 34 kilometres. The Zuari originates at Hemad-Barshem in the Western Ghats. The Zuari is also referred to as the Aghanashani in the interior regions...
, the
TerekholThe Terekhol River is a river in western India. In its upper reaches it is known as the Banda River and in the lower reaches as the Terekhol. It forms the boundary between Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra state and North Goa district of Goa state for some distrance...
,
Chapora RiverThe Chapora Fort occupies an important position which, in every direction commanded distant approaches. Rising above the wide Chapora River, long before the Portuguese arrived in Goa, was a fort in place of the present one built. Even after the Portuguese acquired Bardez, the fort changed hands...
and the
SalSal River is a river in South Goa, India. The river opens near Cavelossim. Villagers here have been fighting to save the river from dredging.It passes through Margao, Navelim,Dramapur, Chinchinim, Assolna and drains itself into the Arabian Sea at Betul, Goa....
. The Mormugao harbour on the mouth of the River Zuari is one of the best natural harbours in
South AsiaSouth Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. The Zuari and the Mandovi are the lifelines of Goa, with their tributaries draining 69% of its geographic area. These rivers are some of the busiest rivers in India. Goa has more than forty estuarine, eight marine and about ninety riverine islands. The total navigable length of Goa's rivers is 253 km (157.2 mi). Goa has more than three hundred ancient
tanksFor etymology, see Storage tank#Etymology.In India, an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. . It can also have a natural or man-made spring included as part of a structure...
built during the rule of the Kadamba dynasty and over a hundred medicinal springs.
Most of Goa's soil cover is made up of
lateriteLaterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
s which are rich in
ferricFerric refers to iron-containing materials or compounds. In chemistry the term is reserved for iron with an oxidation number of +3, also denoted iron or Fe3+. On the other hand, ferrous refers to iron with oxidation number of +2, denoted iron or Fe2+...
aluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
oxides and reddish in colour. Further inland and along the riverbanks, the soil is mostly alluvial and
loamLoam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
y. The soil is rich in minerals and
humus, thus conducive to plantation. Some of the oldest rocks in the
Indian subcontinentThe Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
are found in Goa between
MolemMollem in Konkani, is a small village in Goa, South India on National Highway 4 near the border with Karnataka in the foothills of the Sahyadri Mountain range at the beginning of Anmod Ghat...
and
AnmodAnmod is a town at the Goa-Karnataka border.Some of the oldest rocks in the Indian subcontinent are found in Anmod on Goa's border with Karnataka...
on Goa's border with Karnataka. The rocks are classified as
Trondjemeitic GneissGneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
estimated to be 3,600 million years old, dated by the
RubidiumRubidium is a chemical element with the symbol Rb and atomic number 37. Rubidium is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali metal group. Its atomic mass is 85.4678. Elemental rubidium is highly reactive, with properties similar to those of other elements in group 1, such as very rapid...
isotope datingRadiometric dating is a technique used to date materials such as rocks, usually based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates...
method. A specimen of the rock is exhibited in the
Goa UniversityGoa University was established in 1985 and merged with the Centre for Post Graduate Instruction and Research of the University of Bombay that functioned at state-capital Panaji or Panjim. Goa University offers both graduate and post-graduate studies and research programmes...
.
Climate
Goa features a
tropical monsoon climateTropical monsoon climate, occasionally also known as a tropical wet climate or tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate in climate classification, is a relatively rare type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category "Am."Tropical monsoon climates have monthly...
under the
Koppen climate classificationThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
. Goa, being in the tropical zone and near the
Arabian SeaThe Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
, has a hot and
humidHumidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
climate for most of the year. The month of May is the hottest, seeing day temperatures of over 35 °C (95 °F) coupled with high humidity. The
monsoonMonsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
rains arrive by early June and provide a much needed respite from the heat. Most of Goa's annual rainfall is received through the monsoons which last till late September.
Goa has a short winter season between mid-December and February. These months are marked by nights of around 21 °C (68 °F) and days of around 28 °C (84 °F) with moderate amounts of humidity. Further inland, due to altitudinal gradation, the nights are a few degrees cooler.
During March 2008 Goa was lashed with heavy rain and strong winds. This was the first time in 29 years that Goa had seen rain during March.
Subdivisions
The state is divided into two districts:
North GoaNorth Goa is one of the two districts that make up the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of 1736 km², and is bounded by Sindhudurg and Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra state to the north and east respectively, by South Goa District to the south, and by the Arabian Sea to the...
and
South GoaSouth Goa is one of the two districts that comprise the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of 1,966 km² and a population of 586,591...
. Each district is governed by a
district collectorThe District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
, an administrator appointed by the Indian government.
North GoaNorth Goa is one of the two districts that make up the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of 1736 km², and is bounded by Sindhudurg and Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra state to the north and east respectively, by South Goa District to the south, and by the Arabian Sea to the...
District:
Panaji is the headquarters of the North Goa district.
The North Goa District is further divided into four subdivisions -
MapusaMapusa also spelt at Mapuca, Mhapsa or Mapsa is a town in North Goa, India. It is situated 13 km north of the capital Panaji. The town is the headquarters of Bardez Taluka. It is located on the main highway NH-17, linking Mumbai to Trivandrum...
,
BicholimBicholim is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a town in the territory of Goa, and the headquarters of the concelho of the same name; the Concelho of Bicholim, located in the north-east quarter is one of the seven that make up the Novas...
,
Panaji, and
PondaPonda is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is located in the central part of Goa. Ponda lies about 29 km south-east of Panaji and 18 km north-east of Margao and is also the capital of Ponda taluk. Ponda is well connected by road to the...
; and six taluks,
PernemPernem is a northmost administrative region or Taluka in North Goa. It is also the name of the town of Pernem, which is its headquarters. It has a Municipal Council...
,
BardezBardez is the name of a region and taluka in North Goa. The name is credited to the Brahmin immigrants who migrated to the Konkan via Magadha in Gangetic India from Aryavarta, in the north-western part of the Indian sub-continent. Bardez or more properly Bara desh means "twelve countries"...
(
MapusaMapusa also spelt at Mapuca, Mhapsa or Mapsa is a town in North Goa, India. It is situated 13 km north of the capital Panaji. The town is the headquarters of Bardez Taluka. It is located on the main highway NH-17, linking Mumbai to Trivandrum...
),
BicholimBicholim is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a town in the territory of Goa, and the headquarters of the concelho of the same name; the Concelho of Bicholim, located in the north-east quarter is one of the seven that make up the Novas...
,
SattariSattari is a taluka on North East side of Goa known for its greenary and dense forest. Its headquarters is Valpoi . It is the 'Fenny capital' of Goa. The Western Ghats form the eastern part of the Sattari Taluka. The Mhadei River is considered to be the lifeline of Sattari. It has a...
(
ValpoyValpoi or Valpoy is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is the headquarters of the Sattari Taluk. The Western Ghats are to the east of the town.- Demographics :...
),
TiswadiTiswadi is a taluka of North Goa district of the state of Goa, India.The word Tiswadi itself means thirty settlements. It refers to the thirty settlements in which the Goud Saraswat Brahmins settled when they migrated to Goa. It is geographically an Island with the Mandovi river forming its...
(
Panaji) and
PondaPonda taluk is a comunidade of Goa, India. Ponda taluk is part of North-Goa district. Ponda taluk is almost in middle of Goa state. Ponda taluk hosts many educational institutes and industries . The Belagavi - Panaji Highway passes through this taluka.-External links:**...
.
South GoaSouth Goa is one of the two districts that comprise the state of Goa, India. The district has an area of 1,966 km² and a population of 586,591...
District:
MargaoMargao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
is the headquarters of the South Goa district.
The South Goa District is further divided into three subdivisions -
MargaoMargao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
,
MormugaoMormugao or Marmagao is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa’s main port. It was featured in the 1980 film The Sea Wolves and the Bollywood film Bhootnath....
(Vasco), and
QuepemQuepem is a town and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa.The town is the administrative capital for the Quepem district. Curchorem and Sanvordem are the a major towns located in the Quepem District.-Geography:...
; and six taluks,
MormugaoMormugao or Marmagao is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa’s main port. It was featured in the 1980 film The Sea Wolves and the Bollywood film Bhootnath....
, Salcete (
MargaoMargao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
),
QuepemQuepem is a town and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa.The town is the administrative capital for the Quepem district. Curchorem and Sanvordem are the a major towns located in the Quepem District.-Geography:...
,
CanaconaCanacona is an administrative region in south Goa, in India.Canacona is one of the five talukas that constitute the South Goa district. It is bounded on the north by the taluka of Quepem, on the northeast by Sanguem, on the south by the state of Karnataka, and on the west by the Arabian Sea...
(
ChaudiChaudi is a town in the South Goa District and is approximately two km from Kankon....
),
SanguemSanguem is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa.Notable landmarks include the Sagameshwar Temple, Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park and the Salaulim Dam.-Geography:...
, and Dharbandora.
Municipal Corporation & Municipal Councils
Goa's major cities include Ponda,
MapusaMapusa also spelt at Mapuca, Mhapsa or Mapsa is a town in North Goa, India. It is situated 13 km north of the capital Panaji. The town is the headquarters of Bardez Taluka. It is located on the main highway NH-17, linking Mumbai to Trivandrum...
,
MargaoMargao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
,
MormugaoMormugao or Marmagao is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa’s main port. It was featured in the 1980 film The Sea Wolves and the Bollywood film Bhootnath....
, Vasco and
Panaji. The region connecting the last four cities is considered a de facto
conurbationA conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
, or a more or less continuous urban area.
Municipal Corporation (1): Panaji
Municipal Councils (13): PernemPernem is a northmost administrative region or Taluka in North Goa. It is also the name of the town of Pernem, which is its headquarters. It has a Municipal Council...
,
MapusaMapusa also spelt at Mapuca, Mhapsa or Mapsa is a town in North Goa, India. It is situated 13 km north of the capital Panaji. The town is the headquarters of Bardez Taluka. It is located on the main highway NH-17, linking Mumbai to Trivandrum...
,
BicholimBicholim is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a town in the territory of Goa, and the headquarters of the concelho of the same name; the Concelho of Bicholim, located in the north-east quarter is one of the seven that make up the Novas...
,
Sanquelim,
ValpaiValpoi or Valpoy is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is the headquarters of the Sattari Taluk. The Western Ghats are to the east of the town.- Demographics :...
,
PondaPonda is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is located in the central part of Goa. Ponda lies about 29 km south-east of Panaji and 18 km north-east of Margao and is also the capital of Ponda taluk. Ponda is well connected by road to the...
,
MormugaoMormugao or Marmagao is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa’s main port. It was featured in the 1980 film The Sea Wolves and the Bollywood film Bhootnath....
(including Vasco),
MargaoMargao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
,
CuncolimCuncolim is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the state of Goa, India.-Etymology:The name Cuncolim is derived from the fact that the village was known as Kumkumahalli .-Geography:Cuncolim is located at...
,
QuepemQuepem is a town and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa.The town is the administrative capital for the Quepem district. Curchorem and Sanvordem are the a major towns located in the Quepem District.-Geography:...
,
CurchoremCurchorem is a city and a municipal council in the South Goa District in India, and is part of the Quepem Taluka, in the State of Goa. Curchorem and Sanvordem are twin towns on either side on the Zuari river...
-Cacora,
SanguemSanguem is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa.Notable landmarks include the Sagameshwar Temple, Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park and the Salaulim Dam.-Geography:...
, (
CanaconaCanacona is an administrative region in south Goa, in India.Canacona is one of the five talukas that constitute the South Goa district. It is bounded on the north by the taluka of Quepem, on the northeast by Sanguem, on the south by the state of Karnataka, and on the west by the Arabian Sea...
)
Flora and fauna
Equatorial forest cover in Goa stands at 1424 km² (549.81 sq mi), most of which is owned by the government. Government owned forest is estimated at 1224.38 km² (472.74 sq mi) whilst private is given as 200 km² (77.22 sq mi). Most of the forests in the state are located in the interior eastern regions of the state. The
Western GhatsThe Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
, which form most of eastern Goa, have been internationally recognised as one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. In the February 1999 issue of
National Geographic MagazineNational Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
, Goa was compared with the
AmazonThe Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
and
CongoThe Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...
basins for its rich tropical biodiversity.
Goa's wildlife sanctuaries boast of more than 1512 documented species of plants, over 275 species of birds, over 48 kinds of animals and over 60 genera of reptiles.
RiceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
is the main food crop with pulses,
ragiEleusine coracana, commonly Finger millet , also known as African millet or Ragi is an annual plant widely grown as a cereal in the arid areas of Africa and Asia. E...
and other food crops are also grown. Main cash crops are
coconutThe coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s, cashewnuts, arecanuts,
sugarcaneSugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
and fruits like
pineapplePineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
s,
mangoThe mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
s and
bananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s. The State has a rich forest cover of more than 1,424 km². Goa's state animal is the
GaurThe gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
, the state bird is the Ruby Throated Yellow Bulbul, which is a variation of
Black-crested BulbulThe Black-crested Bulbul, Pycnonotus melanicterus, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent including in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, and eastwards in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia....
, and the state tree is the Asan.
The important forests products are
bambooBamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
canes,
MarathaThe Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
barks, chillar barks and the bhirand. Coconut trees are ubiquitous and are present in almost all areas of Goa barring the elevated regions. A large number of
deciduousDeciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
vegetation consisting of
teakTeak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
, sal,
cashewThe cashew is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae. Its English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree, caju, which in turn derives from the indigenous Tupi name, acajú. It is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew nuts and cashew apples.-Etymology:The...
and
mangoThe mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
trees are present. Fruits include
jackfruitThe jackfruit is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family . It is native to parts of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh, . The jackfruit tree is believed to be indigenous to the southwestern rain forests of India...
s,
mangoThe mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
s,
pineapplePineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
s and 'black-berry' ('podkoam' in
konkaniKonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
). Goa's forests are rich with medicinal plants.
FoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, wild boars and
migratingBird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
birds are found in the jungles of Goa. The
avifaunaBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
includes
kingfisherKingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s,
mynaThe myna is a bird of the starling family . This is a group of passerine birds which occur naturally only in southern and eastern Asia...
s and
parrotParrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s. Numerous types of fish are also caught off the coast of Goa and in its rivers.
CrabTrue crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s,
lobsterClawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
s, shrimps,
jellyfishJellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
, oysters and
catfishCatfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
form some of the piscine catch. Goa also has a high
snakeSnakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
population, which keeps the
rodentRodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
population under control. Goa has many famous National Parks, including the renowned
Salim AliSálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Known as the "birdman of India", Salim Ali was among the first Indians to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and his bird books helped develop ornithology...
bird sanctuary. Other wildlife sanctuaries include the
Bondla Wildlife SanctuaryBondla Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Northeastern Goa, India in the Ponda taluka of the state. The total area of the park is 8km2. It is a popular destination for both tourists and schoolchildren...
, Molem Wildlife Sanctuary,
Cotigao Wildlife SanctuaryThe Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Canacona taluka of Goa, in India . Founded in 1968, this is the southernmost sanctuary in Goa...
,
Madei Wildlife SanctuaryMahadeyi Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Sattari takula of Goa, in India. The size of this area is about 208 km². This sanctuary covers much of the north-eastern portions of Goa and is connected to the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary. Together the two wildlife areas have a total area of 420 km²....
,
Netravali Wildlife SanctuaryNetravali Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Eastern Goa, India. It is connected to The Madei Wildlife Sanctuary. Together the two parks have a total area of 420 km² of which Netravali is 211 km². One can find many animals here including the black panther, the slender loris and giant...
, Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and the
Salim Ali Bird SanctuaryThe Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary located on western tip of the Island of Chorao along the river Mandovi, Goa, in India. The size of the sanctuary is 1.78 km²...
located on the island of
ChoraoChorao is an island along the river Mandovi near Panaji, Goa, India.The island was historically called Chudamani, meaning stunning precious stone in Sanskrit. Local legends tell of the islands emerging from diamonds that were thrown away by Yashoda the mother of Lord Krishna. The Islanders call...
.
Goa has more than 33% of its geographic area under government forests (1224.38 km²) of which about 62% has been brought under Protected Areas (PA) of Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park. Since there is a substantial area under private forests and a large tract under cashew, mango, coconut, etc. plantations, the total forest and tree cover constitutes 56.6% of the geographic area.
Economy
Gross State Domestic Product (in millions of RupeesThe Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
) |
| Year |
GSDP |
| 1980 |
3,980 |
| 1985 |
6,550 |
| 1990 |
12,570 |
| 1995 |
33,190 |
| 2000 |
76,980 |
Goa's gross
state domestic productState Domestic Product, or SDP, is the total value of goods and services produced during any financial year within the geographical boundaries of a province or state. Also called the state income, SDP is always calculated or estimated in monetary terms, and is instrumental in the evaluation of per...
for 2007 is estimated at $3 billion in current prices. Goa is one of India's richest states with the highest GDP per capita — two and a half times that of the country as a whole — and one of its fastest growth rates: 8.23% (yearly average 1990–2000).
Tourism is Goa's primary industry: it handles 12% of all foreign tourist arrivals in India. Goa has two main tourist seasons: winter and summer. In the winter time, tourists from abroad (mainly Europe) come to Goa to enjoy the climate. In the summer time (which, in Goa, is the rainy season), tourists from across India come to spend the holidays.
The land away from the coast is rich in minerals and ores and
miningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
forms the second largest industry. Mining in Goa focuses on ores of
iron,
BauxiteBauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
,
manganeseManganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, clays,
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and silica. The Marmagao Port handled 31.69 million tonnes of cargo last year, and accounts for over 39% of India's Iron Ore exports. The leaders in the Goan Iron Ore industry include
Sesa GoaSesa Goa is India's largest producer and exporter of iron ore in the private sector. For over five decades it has been engaged in the business of exploration, mining and processing of iron ore. In fiscal 2010, it produced 21.4 million tonnes and sold 20.5 million tonnes of iron ore...
(now owned by
Vedanta ResourcesVedanta Resources plc is a global mining and metals company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest mining and non-ferrous metals company in India and also has mining operations in Australia and Zambia. Its main products are copper, zinc, aluminium, lead and iron ore...
) and Dempo.
Rampant mining in areas rich in Iron Ore and other minerals is now threatening the forest cover as well as posing a health hazard to the local population. Mining corporations are also indulging in illegal mining in some areas without proper permits.
Agriculture, while of shrinking importance to the economy over the past four decades, offers part-time employment to a sizable portion of the populace.
RiceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
is the main agricultural crop, followed by
arecaAreca is a genus of about 50 species of single-stemmed palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from Malaysia to the Solomon Islands. The generic name Areca is derived from a name used locally on the Malabar Coast of India....
,
cashewThe cashew is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae. Its English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree, caju, which in turn derives from the indigenous Tupi name, acajú. It is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew nuts and cashew apples.-Etymology:The...
and
coconutThe coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
. The fishing industry provides employment for about forty thousand people, though recent official figures indicate a decline of the importance of this sector and also a fall in catch, perhaps coupled with the fact that traditional fishing has given way to large-scale mechanised trawling.
Medium scale industries include the manufacturing of
pesticidePesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s, fertilisers,
tyresA tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
, tubes,
footwearFootwear consists of garments worn on the feet, for fashion, protection against the environment, and adornment. Being barefoot is commonly associated with poverty, but some cultures chose not to wear footwear at least in some situations....
, chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
wheatWheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
products, steel rolling, fruits and fish canning, cashew nuts, textiles,
breweryA brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
products.
The Goa government has recently decided to not allow any more
special economic zonesA Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic and other laws that are more free-market-oriented than a country's typical or national laws...
(SEZs) in Goa. This is in stark contrast to policy followed by other states of India. SEZs are known to bring tax revenues for the government and employment option for local citizens since industries flock there for lower tax rates as compared to other areas. Currently there are 16 planned SEZs in Goa. This decision was taken by state government after strong opposition to SEZs by political parties and Goa Catholic Church.
Goa is also notable for its low beer, wine and spirits prices due to its very low
excise dutyExcise tax in the United States is a indirect tax on listed items. Excise taxes can be and are made by federal, state and local governments and are far from uniform throughout the United States...
on
alcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
. Another source of cash inflow into the state comes from many of its citizens who work abroad and remit money to their families.
Transport
Goa's sole airport, the
Dabolim AirportDabolim Airport is located in the village of Dabolim in Goa, India. It is the only airport in the state and operates as a civil enclave in a military airbase named INS Hansa.-History :...
, is both a military and civilian airport catering to domestic and international airlines that stop en route to other Indian destinations. The airport also handles a large number of chartered flights. Goa receives international flights from
QatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
,
DubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
,
SharjahSharjah is the third largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.Sharjah is the seat of government of the emirate of Sharjah...
and
KuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
in the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and from
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
,
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
during the charter flight tourist season. Dabolim Airport is serviced by the following carriers –
Air ArabiaAir Arabia is a low-cost airline with its head office in the Sharjah Freight Center, Sharjah International Airport, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates....
,
Indian AirlinesIndian , formerly Indian Airlines was a major Indian airline based in Delhi and focused primarily on domestic routes, along with several international services to neighbouring countries in Asia. It was state-owned, and was administered by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It was one of the two flag...
,
Kingfisher AirlinesKingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is Kingfisher House in Vile Parle , Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red....
, Go Air,
SpiceJetSpiceJet is a low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, India. It began service in May 2005 and by 2008, it was India's second-largest low-cost airline in terms of market share. SpiceJet was voted as the best low-cost airline in South Asia and Central Asia region by Skytrax in...
,
Jet AirwaysJet Airways is a major Indian airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India's largest airline and the market leader in the domestic sector. It operates over 400 flights daily to 76 destinations worldwide. Its main hub is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, with secondary hubs at Delhi,...
,
Qatar AirwaysQatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. , operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, it operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 100 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of over 100 aircraft...
, besides charter flights from the UK, Netherlands, Russia, Germany operated by
Thomas CookThomas Cook of Melbourne, Derbyshire, England founded the travel agency that is now Thomas Cook Group.- Early days :...
, Condor,
ArkeflyArkeFly is a Dutch charter airline headquartered in Schiphol-Rijk on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands. It is the charter carrier of the Dutch arm of the German travel conglomerate TUI and its main base is Schiphol Airport...
,
Monarch AirlinesMonarch Airlines, often shortened to and trading as Monarch, is a British charter and scheduled airline based at London Luton Airport in Luton. It is one of the United Kingdom's largest charter airlines, operating to Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, India and Africa, serving mainly leisure...
etc. Another international airport at Mopa is proposed.
Goa's
public transportPublic transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
largely consists of privately operated buses linking the major towns to rural areas. Government-run buses, maintained by the
Kadamba Transport CorporationKadamba Transport Corporation is a Government of Goa road transport undertaking. It was set up in 1980 by the Congress government, then headed by Pratapsing Rane. Goa has long dependent on privatised bus-transport, and the blue-and-red-and-white Kadamba buses are an exception to this rule...
, links both major routes (like the Panjim–Margao route) and some remote parts of the state. In large towns such as Panjim and Margao, intra-city buses ply. However, public transport in Goa is less developed, and residents depend heavily on their own transport, usually motorised two-wheelers. Goa has two National Highways passing through it. NH-17 runs along India's west coast and links Goa to
MumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in the north and
MangaloreMangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
to the south. NH-4A running across the state connects the capital Panjim to
BelgaumBelgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....
in east, linking Goa to cities in the Deccan. The NH-17A connects NH-17 to
MormugaoMormugao or Marmagao is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa’s main port. It was featured in the 1980 film The Sea Wolves and the Bollywood film Bhootnath....
Harbour from Cortalim, and the new NH-17B, is a four lane highway connecting Mormugao Harbour to NH-17 at another location, Verna, via Dabolim airport. Goa has a total of 224 km (139 mi) of National highway, 232 km (144 mi) of state highway and 815 km of district highway.
Hired forms of transport include unmetered taxis, and, in urban areas, auto rickshaws. A unique form of transport in Goa is the
Motorcycle taxiA motorcycle taxi is a licensed form of transport in some countries. Typically, they will carry one passenger , who rides as the pillion, behind the motorcycle operator.-Cambodia:...
, operated by drivers who are locally called "pilots". These vehicles transport a single
pillion riderA pillion is a mostly British English term for a secondary pad, cushion, or seat behind the main seat or saddle on a horse, motorcycle, bicycle or moped...
, at fares that are usually negotiated. River crossings in Goa are serviced by flat-bottomed
ferry boatsA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
, operated by the river navigation departments.
Goa has two
rail linesRail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
—one run by the South Western Railway and the other by the
Konkan RailwayThe Konkan Railway is a railway line which runs along the Konkan coast of India. It was constructed and is operated by the Konkan Railway Corporation...
. The line run by the
South Western RailwayThe South Western Railway is one of the 16 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Hubli and comprises Bangalore, Mysore divisions of the erstwhile Southern Railway and the reorganized Hubli division of the erstwhile South Central Railway which includes Hospet and Bellary. The division...
was built during the colonial era linking the port town of
Vasco da Gama, GoaVasco da Gama is the largest city in the state of Goa on the west coast of India. It is named after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Vasco has Goa's largest population, estimated at over 100,000. It is also the headquarters of the Mormugao taluka...
with
BelgaumBelgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....
, Hubli,
KarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
via
MargaoMargao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
. The Konkan Railway line, which was built during the 1990s, runs parallel to the coast connecting major cities on the western coast.
The Mormugao harbour near the city of Vasco handles mineral ore, petroleum, coal and international containers. Much of the shipments consist of minerals and ores from Goa's hinterland. Panjim, which is situated on the banks of the Mandovi, also has a minor port, which used to handle passenger
steamersA steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
between Goa and Mumbai till the late 1980s. There was also a short-lived catamaran service linking Mumbai and Panaji operated by Damania Shipping in the 1990s.
Demographics
A native of Goa is called a
GoanGoan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...
in English, Goenkar
(गोंयकार) in KonkaniKonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
, Govekar (गोवेकर ) in
MarathiMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
. Goa has a population of 1.344 million residents, making it India's fourth smallest (after
SikkimSikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
,
MizoramMizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North Eastern India, sharing borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur and with the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Burma. Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987. Its capital is Aizawl. Mizoram is located in the...
and
Arunachal PradeshArunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
). The population has a growth rate of 14.9% per decade. There are 363 people for each square kilometre of the land. Goa is the State with highest proportion of Urban Population with 49.76% of the population living in urban areas. The literacy rate of Goa is over 87%. The
sex ratioSex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
is 968 females to 1000 males. The birth rate is 15.70 per 1,000 people in 2007. Goa also is the State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes at 0.04% in India.
According to the 2001 census out of a total population of 1,343,998. 886,551 (60%) were
HinduHindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s, 359,568 (20%) were
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s, 92,210 (10%) were
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, 970 (2.5%) were
SikhA Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s, 649 (2.5%) were
BuddhistsBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, 820 (2.5%) were
JainsJainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and 3530 (2.5%) belonged to other religious communities.
Languages
The Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language Act, 1987 makes
KonkaniKonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
in the
DevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
script the sole official language of Goa, but provides that
MarathiMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
may also be used "for all or any of the official purposes". The
Portuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
was used extensively as an administrative language during the colonial era but today is only spoken by the upper strata of society. The Government also has a policy of replying in Marathi to correspondence received in Marathi. Whilst there have been demands for according Marathi and
Konkani in the Roman scriptKonkani is a language that is spoken by 3.6 million speakers mostly on the western coast of the Indian states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. Konkani is written in five scripts – Devanagari, Roman, Kannada, Malayalam and Perso-Arabic. Of these, the Roman script has the oldest preserved ...
co-equal status in the state, , Konkani remained the sole official language.
Konkani is spoken as a native language by about 60% of the people in the state. Other linguistic minorities in the state as of 1991 are
MarathiMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
(20%),
KannadaKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
(10%), Urdu (5%), and Hindi (5%). All these minority languages except
MarathiMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, are spoken by the recent migrants and not the natives.
Tourism
Tourism is generally focused on the coastal areas of Goa, with decreased tourist activity inland. In 2010, there were more than two million tourists reported to have visited Goa, about 1.2 million of whom were from abroad.
Goa has two main tourist seasons: winter and summer. In the winter time, tourists from abroad (mainly Europe) come to Goa to enjoy the climate. In the summertime (which, in Goa, is the rainy season), tourists from across India come to spend the holidays.
With the rule of the Portuguese for over 450 years and the consequential influence of Portuguese culture, Goa presents a somewhat different picture to the foreign visitor than other parts of the country. The state of Goa is famous for its excellent beaches, churches, and temples. The Bom Jesus Cathedral, Fort Aguada and a new wax museum on Indian history, culture and heritage in Old Goa are other tourism destinations.
Historic sites and neighbourhoods
Goa has two World Heritage Sites: the
Bom Jesus BasilicaThe Basilica of Bom Jesus or Borea Jezuchi Bajilika is located in Goa, India, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. The church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule.'Bom Jesus' is the...
and
churches and convents of Old GoaOld Goa or Velha Goa is a historical city in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. The city was constructed by the Bijapur Sultanate in the 15th century, and served as capital of Portuguese India from the 16th century until its abandonment in the 18th century due to plague...
. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier, regarded by many Catholics as the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Goa (the patron of the Archdiocese of Goa is actually the Blessed
Joseph VazBlessed Joseph Vaz was a Catholic Oratorian priest from Goa. He is known as theApostle of Ceylon....
). Once every twelve years, the body is taken down for veneration and for public viewing. The last such event was conducted in 2004. The
Velhas ConquistasThe Velhas Conquistas or “Old Conquests” are a group of four concelhos or administrative districts in Goa which were incorporated into Portuguese India in the 16th century...
regions are also known for its Goa-Portuguese style architecture. There are many forts in Goa such as
TiracolTerekhol fort, also called Tiracol fort, is a fort in Goa, India. Located on the northern tip of Goa at the mouth of Terekhol river, Terekhol fort is reached by a car ferry from Querim, 42 km North of Panaji...
, Chapora,
CorjuemCorjuem Fort is a fortress situated 4 kilometers from the village of Aldona on the island of Corjuem, Goa. It was constructed in the year 1551. It is smaller than the other forts in Goa, but it gives a good view of the surrounding river and land....
,
AguadaFort Aguada and its lighthouse is a well-preserved seventeenth-century Portuguese fort standing in Goa, India, on Sinquerim Beach, overlooking the Arabian Sea.-Origins and history:...
, Gaspar Dias and
Cabo de RamaThe popular Goan beach fort Cabo De Rama Fort is named after Lord Rama. Also known as Cape Rama fort, this ancient fortress is located in the Canacona district of Goa, India just 25 km south of Margao. This is one of the oldest forts in Goa, build here before the arrival of the Portuguese. With...
.
In many parts of Goa, mansions constructed in the Indo-Portuguese style architecture still stand, though in some villages, most of them are in a dilapidated condition.
FontainhasFontainhas is an old Latin Quarter in the city of Panaji in Goa, India. It maintains to this day its Portuguese influence, namely at the architectonic level, such as narrow streets, old villas and buildings painted in lively colors. The quarter shows how Panaji was during the Portuguese rule of...
in Panaji has been declared a cultural quarter, showcasing the life, architecture and culture of Goa. Some influences from the Portuguese era are visible in some of Goa's temples, notably the
Shanta Durga TempleShantadurga Temple is a large temple complex from Panaji at the foothill of Kavalem village in Ponda Taluka, Goa, India.-Deity:The temple is dedicated to Shantadurga, the goddess who mediates between Vishnu and Shiva...
, the
Mangueshi TempleShri Mangueshi temple is located at Mangeshim in Priol, Ponda taluk, 1 kilometer from Mardol close to Nagueshi, 22 km from Panaji the capital of Goa and 26 km from Margao....
and the
MahalasaMahalasa is the Mohini avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is also known as Mhalshi and Mahalasa. In Goa and elsewhere, Mahalasa is considered as the Mohini form of Lord Vishnu and hence she is referred to as "Mahalasa Narayani". The deity, it may particularly be noted, also wears the holy thread,...
Temple, although after 1961, many of these were demolished and reconstructed in the indigenous Indian style.
Museums and science center
Goa also has a few museums, the two important ones being
Goa State MuseumGoa State Museum is located in Panjim, which is the capital city of Goa. This new museum complex, located in the EDC Complex in Patto, was inaugurated by the President of India when it first opened on June 18th, 1996. Prior to this date, artifacts was set up in the Department of Archives in Goa by...
and the Naval Aviation Museum. The Aviation museum is the only one of its kind in the whole of India. Also, a place not well known to tourists is the
Goa Science CenterGoa Science Center is located on New Marine Highway, Miramar, Panjim. Initial work on the construction for this building started in 1999 and took two and a half years to finish. Goa Science Center is a division of the National Council of Science Museums, which is a project headed by the Ministry...
, which is located in Panjim. The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) is also located in Goa at Dona Paula.
People and culture
The tableau of Goa showcases religious harmony by focusing on the Deepastambha, the Cross, Ghode Modni followed by a chariot. Western royal attire of kings and regional dances being performed depict the unique blend of different religions and cultures of the State. The festival of music and dance,
Shigmo MelShigmo , or Shishirotsava, is a spring festival celebrated in the Indian state of Goa, where it is one of the major festivals of the Hindu community...
or the Holi and Spring celebrations, signify unity in diversity. Prominent local festivals are
ChavothGanesh Chaturthi , also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in Tamil Nadu, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival...
,
DiwaliDiwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
,
ChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
,
EasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
,
ShigmoShigmo , or Shishirotsava, is a spring festival celebrated in the Indian state of Goa, where it is one of the major festivals of the Hindu community...
,
Samvatsar PadvoGudi Padwa or Gudhi Padwa , is the Marathi name for the Hindu holiday of Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. It is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month to mark the beginning of the New year according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar...
, Dasara etc. The Goan Carnival and new year celebration is known to attract a large number of tourists.
Dance and music
Goan Hindus are very fond of
NatakNatak is a 1975 Bollywood film directed by Sohanlal Kanwar. The film stars Vijay Arora and Moushumi Chatterjee....
,
BhajanA Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
and
KirtanKirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
. Many famous
Indian ClassicalThe origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
singers hail from Goa, including
Kishori AmonkarKishori AmonkarN- is an Indian singer who performs in the classical genre khyal and the light classical genres thumri and bhajan. Amonkar trained under her mother, classical singer Mogubai Kurdikar of the Jaipur gharana , but experimented with a variety of vocal styles in her career...
, Kesarbai Kerkar,
Jitendra AbhishekiPandit Jitendra Abhisheki was an Indian vocalist, composer and scholar of classical, semi-classical, and devotional music...
and Pandit Prabhakar Karekar. Some traditional Goan art forms are dekhnni,
fugdiFugdi is a Goan folk dance performed by the women in the Konkan region during Hindu religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Vrata or towards the end of other dances like Dhalo.-Traditional Roots:...
,
corridinhoThe corridinho is a form of Portuguese dance, namely in the Algarve. It is danced with the pairs always embraced, forming a circle, girls inside and the boys outside the circle. By rotating the circle the pairs evolve side by side. At a certain time, when the music as a stronger beat, their feet...
,
MandoMando or Manddo is a musical form that evolved during the 19th and 20th century among Goan Catholics of Goa, India. It represents the meeting point of Indian and western musical traditions. The music has elements of both Indian and western culture. The males wear formal coats, showing Portuguese...
and
dulpodDulpod is a Goan dance song with quick rhythm and themes from everyday Goan life. The plural of dulpod in Konkani is dulpodam. The dulpod is a folk song, anonymous, freely improvised, and sometimes lacking in thematic unity. The tunes of the dulpod are usually in the six-eight measure, though the...
.
Goa is also known as the origin of
Goa tranceGoa trance is a form of electronic music that originated during the late 1980s in Goa, India.-History:The music has its roots in the popularity of Goa in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a hippie capital, and although musical developments were incorporating elements of industrial music and EBM...
. While Goa trance never achieved widespread popularity itself, it heavily influenced later forms of music such as psytrance,
technoTechno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, and
dubstepDubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
.
Theatre
NatakNatak is a 1975 Bollywood film directed by Sohanlal Kanwar. The film stars Vijay Arora and Moushumi Chatterjee....
,
TiatrTiatr is a type of musical popular in the state of Goa on the west coast of India where they originated as well as in Mumbai and with expatriate communities in the Middle East. The dramas are performed in the Konkani language and include music, dancing and singing...
and
ZagorZagor , mainly celebrated in Siolim, in Bardez taluka of Goa is a festival highlighted by dance, drama and music....
are the chief forms of Goa's traditional performance arts. Other forms are Ranmale, Dashavatari, Kalo, Goulankala, Lalit, Kala and Rathkala. Stories from the
RamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and the
MahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
along with more modern social subjects are narrated with song and dance. The drummers, keyboard artists, and guitarists are part of the show and give the background score.
Food
Rice with fish
curryCurry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
(Xit kodi in
KonkaniKonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
) is the staple diet in Goa.
Goan cuisineGoan cuisine consists of regional foods popular in Goa, located along India's west coast along the Arabian Sea. Seafood, coconut milk, rice and paste are main ingredients of Goan delicacies. The area is located in a tropical climate, and spices and flavors are intense. Use of Kokum is another...
is famous for its rich variety of fish dishes cooked with elaborate recipes.
CoconutThe coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
and
coconut oilCoconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world, it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...
are widely used in Goan cooking along with chili peppers,
spiceA spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
s and
vinegarVinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
giving the food a unique flavour.
PorkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
dishes such as
VindalooVindaloo is an Indian curry dish from the region of Goa. It is popular globally in its Anglo-Indian form as a staple of curry house menus, often renowned as a particularly spicy dish, though it is not necessarily always the hottest available. The name Vindaloo is derived from the Portuguese dish...
,
XacutiXacuti is a curry prepared in Goa, India with complex spicing, including white poppy seeds, sliced/grated coconut and large dried red chilies. It is usually prepared with chicken or lamb...
, chorisa and
SorpotelSarapatel, also called Sorpotel, is a dish of Portuguese origin now commonly cooked in the coastal Konkan region of India primarily Goa and Mangalore and in northeastern Brazil. Ingredients include meat and offal, which varies depending on region from pork to lamb and even beef...
are cooked for major occasions among the
Goan CatholicsThe Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Roman Catholics and their descendants from the state of Goa, located on the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language...
. An exotic Goan vegetable stew, known as
Khatkhate-Khatkhate Surname:Khatkhate is a well-known last name in Saraswat Brahmin community hailing from Konkan province of Maharashtra State and the coastal region of Goa in India. Additional information on Khatkhate as surname is available at link.-Khatkhate Curry:In Indian Cuisine, Khatkhate Curry...
, is a very popular dish during the celebrations of festivals, Hindu and Christian alike. Khatkhate contains at least five vegetables, fresh coconut, and special Goan spices that add to the aroma.
SannasSannas, are a spongy, white, and slightly sweet steamed rice and coconut bread. They are considered to be a Goan variant of idli, a South Indian dish....
, Hitt
are variants of idli and Polle
,Amboli
,Kailoleo are variants of
dosaDosa or Dhosai is a fermented crepe or pancake made from rice batter and black lentils. It is indigenous to and is a staple dish in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, as well as being popular in Sri Lanka...
;are native to Goa. A rich
eggEggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
-based multi-layered sweet dish known as
bebincaBebinca, also known as bibik or bebinka, is a type of pudding and a traditional Goan dessert. The ingredients include plain flour, sugar, ghee and coconut milk....
is a favourite at Christmas. The most popular alcoholic beverage in Goa is
feniFenny or Feni is a Goan Spirit made from either coconut or the juice of the cashew apple. The popular brands of fenny are 'Cashyo' , 'Reals' , and 'Big Boss'...
; Cashew feni is made from the fermentation of the fruit of the cashew tree, while coconut feni is made from the sap of toddy palms.
Architecture
The architecture of Goa is a combination of
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n,
IslamicIslamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
and
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
styles. Since the Portuguese ruled for four centuries, many churches and houses bear a striking element of the Portuguese style of architecture. Goan Hindu houses do not show any Portuguese influence, though the modern temple architecture is a spectacular amalgam of original Goan temple style with
DravidianDravidian architecture was a style of architecture that emerged thousands of years ago in Southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South India. They consist primarily of pyramid shaped temples called Koils which are dependent on intricate carved stone in order to create a step design consisting...
,
HemadpanthiHemadpanthi Sculpture is an architectural form or a style, which is named after its introducer and founder, the prime minister named Hemadpant in the court of Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri. The period of discovery was during the 13th Century in Maharashtra. Main ingredients in the construction include...
, Islamic, and Portuguese architecture. The original Goan temple architecture fell into disuse as the temples were demolished by the Portuguese and the Sthapati
known as Thavayi
in Konkani were converted to Christianity though the wooden work and the Kavi
murals can still be seen. (see:Goa:Hindu temples and deities by Rui Gomes Periera).
Sports
Football is a popular sport in Goa and is embedded in Goan culture. Its origins in the state are traced back to 1883 when the visiting Irish priest Fr. William Robert Lyons established the sport as part of a "Christian education". On 22 December 1959, the Associação de Futebol de Goa was formed, which continues to administer the game in the state under the new name, Goa Football Association. Goa, along with
West BengalWest Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and
Keralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. is the locus of football in the country and is home to many football clubs in India's
I-LeagueThe I-League is an Indian football league for association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 14 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation of two teams each year with the I-League 2nd Division...
. The state's football powerhouses include
SalgaocarSalgaocar Sporting Club is a professional football club who currently play in the I-League. They are based in Vasco, Goa. They are owned by the V. M...
,
DempoDempo Sports Club is a sports club based in Panjim, Goa. Its football side is one of India's most prominent football teams. The club is owned and sponsored by the Dempo group of companies...
, Churchill Brothers,
Vasco Sports ClubVasco Sports Club are a football club from Goa, India. They currently play in the I-League 2nd Division which is India's second most prominent football league.-History:...
and
Sporting Clube de GoaSporting Clube de Goa is a association football club based in the Indian state of Goa who currently participate in the I-League which is India's number one league competition in the country...
. The state's main football stadium,
Fatorda (or Nehru stadium)The Fatorda Stadium, is a football stadium located in Margao, Goa and is the current home of Churchill Brothers S.C., Dempo S.C., Salgaocar S.C., and Sporting Clube de Goa. The stadium opened in 1989 and has an capacity of 27,300...
, is located at Margao and also hosts cricket matches. A number of Goans have represented India in football, and four of them, namely
Brahmanand SankhwalkarBrahmanand S. K. Sankhwalkar is a prominent Indian soccer player and former captain of Goan football team. He played the position of goalkeeper, and represented India at international tournaments. In 1997, Brahmanand received Arjuna Award for his achievements in sports.-References:...
,
Bruno CoutinhoBruno Coutinho is a football player from Goa, and winner of the Arjuna Award in 2001, a national Indian award for excellence in sport.-Former Indian captain:...
,
Mauricio AfonsoMauricio Afonso is an ex Indian football Midfielder who played for India in the 1984 Asian Cup. He also played for Chinchinim, Salcete, Salgaocar and Dempo S.C..He is currently the assistant coach of Dempo SC in the I-League-References:**...
, and
Roberto FernandesRoberto Fernandes is a Brazilian football manager.- Coaching career :On March 12, 2009, Fernandes transferred from his position at Náutico to coach Figueirense until December 2009....
have all captained the national team at one time or another. Goa also has its own state football league. The biggest peak of the league is Goa pro league which is sponsored by Kingfishers.
Goa has its own
cricket teamThe Goa cricket team has never been an overly strong team in the Ranji Trophy. Confined to the plate group, Goa bottomed the table in 2005/06 by not achieving a win in their 5 matches, losing 3 matches. In 2006/07 they again finished bottom of the plate group without a win this time losing 4...
.
Dilip SardesaiDilip Narayan Sardesai was a former Indian Test cricketer. He was the only Goan-born cricketer to play for India, and was often regarded as India's best batsman against spin bowling.-Early career:...
remains the only Goan to date to play international cricket for
IndiaThe Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
.
The
Elite Football League of IndiaThe Elite Football League of India is a proposed men's professional American football league in India. When play begins in late 2012, there will be ten teams, located in various cities across India...
(EFLI) - an
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
league slated for a November 2012 kickoff - has announced that the Goa Swarm will be a member franchise. Goa is one of eight cities to be awarded a team for the inaugural season. The Swarm's first season will be played in
PunePune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, and it will be Goa's first professional American football franchise.
Government and politics
In the
Parliament of IndiaThe Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
, Goa has two seats in the
Lok SabhaThe Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
, one representing each district, and one seat in the
Rajya SabhaThe Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
.
Goa's capital is
Panaji, known as Panjim in English and earlier called Pangim in Portuguese times, and known in the local language as Ponnje is the administrative capital of Goa lying on the left bank of the Mandovi near Panaji. Goa's legislative assembly building is located in
PorvorimPorvorim is the legislative capital of the state of Goa, India. It is situated on the right bank of the Mandovi River. The administrative capital Panaji is located on the opposite bank...
– the seat of the
Goa assemblyThe Goa Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the state of Goa in western India. It consists of 40 members. In charge of the budget, the Assembly appropriates money for social programs, agricultural development, infrastructure development, etc...
, which lies across the Mandovi River. The state's judicial hierarchy relates to
MumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
(formerly known as Bombay, which is the capital of Goa's neighbouring Maharashtra state), as the state comes under the
Bombay High CourtBombay High Court at Mumbai, Maharashtra, is the High Court of India with jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra & Goa, and, the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli...
. A bench of the High Court is present in Panaji. Unlike other states, which follow the British Indian model of civil laws framed for individual religions, the Portuguese
Uniform Civil CodeUniform civil code of India is a term referring to the concept of an overarching Civil Law Code in India. A uniform civil code administers the same set of secular civil laws to govern all people irrespective of their religion, caste and tribe. This supersedes the right of citizens to be governed...
, based on the
Napoleonic codeThe Napoleonic Code — or Code Napoléon — is the French civil code, established under Napoléon I in 1804. The code forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and specified that government jobs go to the most qualified...
, has been retained by the Goa government.
Goa has a unicameral legislature consisting of a forty member
Legislative AssemblyThe Goa Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the state of Goa in western India. It consists of 40 members. In charge of the budget, the Assembly appropriates money for social programs, agricultural development, infrastructure development, etc...
, headed by a
Chief MinisterA Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
who wields the
executive powerExecutive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
. The present Chief Minister of Goa is Mr.
Digambar KamatDigambar Kamat is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Goa, since June 2007. He belongs to the Indian National Congress.-Political career:...
and the Leader of Opposition is Mr.
Manohar ParrikarManohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Goa from 2000 to 2005....
. Both of them are Brahmins. The ruling government consists of the party or coalition garnering the most seats in the state elections and enjoying the support of a
simple majorityA majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
of the House. The governor is appointed by the
President of IndiaThe President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
. The governor's role is largely ceremonial, but plays a crucial role when it comes to deciding who should form the next government or in suspending the legislature as has happened in the recent past. After having stable governance for nearly thirty years up to 1990, Goa is now notorious for its political instability having seen fourteen governments in the span of the fifteen years between 1990 and 2005. In March 2005 the assembly was dissolved by the governor and
President's RulePresident's rule is the term used in India when a state legislature is dissolved or suspended and the state is placed under direct federal rule...
was declared, which suspended the legislature. A
by-electionA by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in June 2005 saw the Congress coming back to power after winning three of the five seats that went to polls. The
Congress partyThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and the
Bharatiya Janata PartyThe Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) are the two largest parties in the state. In the assembly poll of 2007, Congress-led coalition won and started ruling the state. Other parties include the
United Goans Democratic PartyUnited Goans Democratic Party is one of two formerly dominant political parties in the Indian state of Goa. UGDP has its base amongst the Christian part of the population....
, the
Nationalist Congress PartyThe Nationalist Congress Party is a centre to centre left political party primarily based in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Background:...
and the
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak PartyMaharashtrawadi Gomantak Party was Goa's first ruling party after the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1961. In the first elections held after India took over the former Portuguese colony, it ascended to power in December 1963 and stayed on, till being ousted from power by defections in early...
.
Media and communication
Goa is served by almost all
television channelA television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
s available in India. Channels are received through cable in most parts of Goa. In the interior regions, channels are received via
satellite dishA satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...
es.
DoordarshanDoordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
, the national television broadcaster, has two free terrestrial channels on air.
DTH (Direct To Home) TV services are available from
Dish TVDish TV India Limited is an Indian company engaged in the business of providing direct-to-home satellite television service, which includes teleport service, customer support and transponder space leasing. Dishtv is a division of Zee Network Enterprise . It uses MPEG-2 digital compression...
,
Tata SkyTATA Sky is a direct broadcast satellite television provider in India, using MPEG-2 digital compression technology, transmitting using INSAT 4A at 83.0°E....
&
DD Direct PlusDD Direct+ is an Indian free-to-air digital satellite television owned by Doordarshan. Which provides digital video and audio programming to households and businesses in India. It offers a satellite alternative to the free-view service on digital terrestrial television, with a broadly similar...
. The
All India RadioAll India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
is the only radio channel in the state, broadcasting in both
FMIn telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
and
AMAmplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
bands. Two AM channels are broadcast, the primary channel at 1287 kHz and the Vividh Bharati channel at 1539 kHz. AIR's FM channel is called FM Rainbow and is broadcast at 105.4 MHz. Private FM radio channels available are Big FM at 92.7 MHz,
Radio MirchiRadio Mirchi is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the Entertainment Network India Ltd , which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group....
at 98.3 MHz, and
Radio IndigoRadio Indigo 91.9 is the one of the all English radio stations in India. Its headquarters is based in Bangalore and was launched in 2006. It is broadcasted mainly in Bangalore, but is also available in Goa....
at 91.9 MHz. There is also an educational radio channel,
Gyan VaniGyan Vani is an educational FM radio station in several cities of India.-Description:Gyan Vani is an educational FM Radio station in several cities of India...
, run by IGNOU broadcast from Panaji at 107.8 MHz. In 2006, St Xavier's College, Mapusa, became the first college in the state to launch a campus community radio station 'Voice of Xavier's'.
Major cellular service operators include
Bharti AirtelBharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
,
Vodafone EssarVodafone Essar, formerly Hutchison Essar, is a cellular operator in India that covers 23 telecom circles in India. It is based in Mumbai. On July 2011, Vodafone Group agreed terms for the buy-out of its partner Essar from its Indian mobile phone business. The UK firm paid $5.46 billion to its...
(Previously Hutch),
Idea CellularIdea Cellular, usually referred to as Idea, is an Indian wireless telecom company based in Mumbai, India. Idea is the 3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, and recorded of over 98.4 million customers as of August 2011....
,
UninorUninor is a mobile operator in India. The company holds Unified Access Service licences to offer mobile telephony services in each of India’s 22 telecom circles, and has received spectrum to roll out services in 21 of these...
, Reliance Infocomm,
Tata IndicomTata Teleservices Limited is a Indian broadband and telecommunications provider based in Mumbai, India. It is a subsidiary of the Tata Group, an Indian conglomerate...
/
Tata DoCoMoTATA DoCoMo, referred to as DoCoMo , is a Tata Teleservices Limited owned cellular service provider on the GSM and CDMA platform-arising out of the Tata Group's strategic joint venture with Japanese telecom giant NTT Docomo in November 2008...
and BSNL
CellOneCellOne now Bsnl mobile was a mobile phone service provided by the Indian public enterprise BSNL.It provides pre-paid and post-paid mobile services as well as many value added services....
.
Local newspaper publications include the
English languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
The Herald
(Goa's oldest, once a Portuguese language paper known as O Heraldo-History:The firm was established as the first Portuguese newspaper on 22 January 1900 by Prof. Messias Gomes and Luís de Menezes Bragança in Goa, the O Heraldo which was critical of Portuguese colonial rule, which was later transformed into an English daily in 1987....
), the Gomantak Times
and the Navhind TimesThe Navhind Times is Goa's most widely read English newspaper. It is one of the better English dailies in Goa covering most issues concerning public life with a high quality of editing.-External links:*...
. In addition to these, The Times of India
and the Indian Express
are also received from Mumbai and Bangalore in the urban areas. The Times of India
has recently started publication from Goa itself serving the local population news directly from the state capital. Among the list of officially-accredited newspapers are Sunaparant
in Konkani (Devanagari script), The Navhind Times
, The Herald Times
and The Gomantak Times
in English; and Tarun Bharat
,Gomantak
, Navprabha
, Goa Times
, Sanatan Prabhat
, Govadoot
(all in Marathi). All are dailies. Other publications in the state include Goa Today
(English-language, monthly), Goan Observer
(English, weekly), Vavraddeancho IxttVavraddeancho Ixtt is a Goan weekly magazine in Romi Konknni. It has been published continuously since 1933 and is one of the oldest publications in the state.It was started on January 4 1933 by Fr Arsencio fernandes and Fr Graciano Moraes...
(Roman-script Konkani, weekly) Goa Messenger',
Vasco Watch,
Gulab (Konkani, monthly),
Bimb (Devanagari-script Konkani) .
In 2010, director
Venkat PrabhuVenkat Kumar Gangai Amaren , better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu is an Indian filmmaker, who has worked as an actor, director and playback singer in the Tamil film industry...
hailing from
Tamil CinemaTamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
, also known as Kollywood, made a romantic-comedy film called
Goa (film)Goa is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, who with the project, directed his third film following two previous successes...
. In this movie, three youngsters who were born and raised in a village had decided to run away. Due to particular events, the three of them decided to to Goa where their goal of marrying a white woman would be fulfilled when a not-so-handsome friend of theirs, got married to a beautiful white lady when he was in Goa as well.
Education
According to the 2011 census, Goa has a literacy rate of 87% with 90% of males and 84% of females being literate. Each taluka is made up of villages, each having a school run by the government. Due to the low levels of corruption and the quality of the government schools, private schools are less in demand, compared to the rest of the country. All schools come under the
Goa Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary EducationThe Goa Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education is a Board native to the state of Goa and is affiliated to the Goa Board of Education....
whose syllabus is prescribed by the state Education department. There are also a few schools run by the all-India
ICSEThe Indian Certificate of Secondary Education or ICSE examination is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental board of school education in India, for class 10, i.e., grade 10...
board or
NIOSNios may refer to:*National Institute of Open Schooling, Board of Education for school level in India *Nios embedded processor*Nios II*Lake Nyos, a crater lake in the Northwest Province of Cameroon in Africa...
board. Most students in Goa complete their high school using English as the medium of instruction. Primary schools, on the other hand are largely run in Konkani and marathi (in private, but government-aided schools). As is the case in most of India, enrollment for vernacular media has seen a fall in numbers in favour of English medium education. As per a report published in the times of India, 84% of Goan schools run without an administrative head.
After ten years of schooling, students join a Higher Secondary school, which offers courses in popular streams such as
ScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
,
ArtsThe term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
,
LawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and
CommerceWhile business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
.A student may also opt for a course in vocational studies. Additionally, many join three year
diplomaA diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
courses. Two years of college is followed by a professional degree.
Goa UniversityGoa University was established in 1985 and merged with the Centre for Post Graduate Instruction and Research of the University of Bombay that functioned at state-capital Panaji or Panjim. Goa University offers both graduate and post-graduate studies and research programmes...
is the sole
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in the state located in
TaleigaoTaleigao is a town in Goa, India near the capital Panaji.Brahmanand Shankwalkar, ex football captain of India, was born in Taleigao. Narayan Hari Naik, a veteran freedom fighter of the Goan liberation movement was also born in Taleigao....
and all Goan colleges are affiliated to it. There are four
engineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
colleges and one medical college in the state. The
Goa Engineering CollegeGoa Engineering College is a government-run college in Goa, India, offering courses in engineering disciplines. It is located in Farmagudi, Ponda. Founded in 1967, it is the oldest engineering college in Goa and is one of the three engineering colleges in the state. It is a NBA accredited degree...
and
Goa Medical CollegeGoa Medical College is a medical college and hospital in Goa, India. It was built by the Portuguese in 1842 as the Escola Médico-Cirúrgica de Goa . It is the oldest Medical College in Asia...
are run by the state whereas the other three engineering colleges are run by private organisations.
Among the best known schools in Goa include Vidya Prabhodini at Porvorim, K.B. Hedgewar High School, the Progress high school, Don Bosco High School, People's high school, Mushtifund high school in Panaji, A. J. De Almeida high school in Ponda, S.S.Samiti's I.V.B.D. High school in Dhawali-Ponda, Vidya Bharati, Mahila And Nutan English High School in
MargaoMargao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
, Manovikas in Margao and the prestigious Sharada Mandir School in Miramar.
Among the best known colleges in Goa include V.V.M's R.M.Salgaocar Higher Secondary School in
MargaoMargao and commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is the administrative headquarters of South Goa district and of the Salcete taluka.- Etymology :...
G.V.M's S.N.J.A higher secondary school, Don Bosco College, D.M's college of Arts Science and Commerce, St Xavier's College, Carmel College, Chowgule College, Dhempe College, Damodar College, MES College, S. S. Samiti's Higher Secondary School of Science, etc.
The private engineering colleges are Shree Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering and Information Technology, Shiroda, and
Padre Conceicao College of EngineeringPadre Conceicao College of Engineering is a private engineering college in Verna, Goa, India. The college is affiliated to Goa University, Taleigao, Goa, and the programmes are approved by All India Council for Technical Education , New Delhi. It is a sister institute of Fr. Conceicao Rodrigues...
, Verna. There are also colleges offering
pharmacyPharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
,
architectureArchitecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and
dentistryDentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
along with numerous private colleges offering
lawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
,
artsThe term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
,
commerceWhile business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and
scienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. There is also two National Oceanographic Science related centres,
NCAORThe National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research as an Indian research and development institution, and an autonomous Institution of the Department of Ocean Development , Government of India. Situated at Vasco, Goa, it is responsible for administering the Indian Antarctic Program and maintains...
and the
National Institute of OceanographyThe National Institute of Oceanography is one of 39 constituent laboratories of the CSIR - Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, an autonomous research organization in India. The institute has its headquarters in the coastal state of Goa, and regional centres in Kochi , Mumbai and...
(NIO) in Vasco and Panjim. In 2004, BITS Pilani university started its Third Campus,
BITS Pilani Goa CampusBirla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani - Goa Campus is a campus of BITS Pilani. The Institute is privately supported and fully residential....
near Dabolim.
In addition to the engineering colleges, there are quite a few polytechnic institutions such as the Father Agnel Polytechnic, Verna and the Institute of Shipbuilding Technology, Vasco da gama which impart technical and vocational training.
Many residents, however, choose to take up courses in other states as the demand for a course in Goa is more than that available. Goa is also well known in India for courses in marine engineering, fisheries, hotel management and
cuisineCuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
. The State also hosts one of the best
business schoolA business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
in the country – the
Goa Institute of ManagementThe Goa Institute of Management is a business school located in the state of Goa, India.The autonomous school is governed by a Board, and offers a full-time MBA program and executive MBA and also is a resource center for PhD programs in Management for Goa University. Current MBA classes have a...
which is autonomous and was founded in 1993 by
Romuald D'SouzaRomuald D'Souza is a Jesuit priest and the Founder Director of Goa Institute of Management.Director of XLRI, Jamshedpur from 1982-1989. In 1987, he founded Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar and was its Director till 1993. Fr...
. Portuguese is taught as a part of the school curriculum, often as a third language in some schools. The Goa University also offers Bachelors and Masters degrees in Portuguese.
See also
- Goans
Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...
- History of Goa
Goa is a small state on the western coast of India. Though the smallest Indian state, Goa has played an influential role in Indian history. Goa was one of the major trade centers in India, thus it had always been attracting the influential dynasties, seafarers, merchants, traders, monks and...
- Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
- Christianity in India
Christianity is India's third-largest religion, with approximately 24 million followers, constituting 2.3% of India's population. The works of scholars and Eastern Christian writings and 14th century Portuguese missionaries created an illusion to convert Indians that Christianity was introduced to...
- Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
- 1961 Indian annexation of Goa
- Goa Trance
Goa trance is a form of electronic music that originated during the late 1980s in Goa, India.-History:The music has its roots in the popularity of Goa in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a hippie capital, and although musical developments were incorporating elements of industrial music and EBM...
Further reading
- Andrada (undated). The Life of Dom John de Castro: The Fourth Vice Roy of India. Jacinto Freire de Andrada. Translated into English by Peter Wyche. (1664). Henry Herrington, New Exchange, London. Facsimilie edition (1994) AES Reprint, New Delhi. ISBN 81-206-0900-X.
External links