Vasco da Gama (
Vasku, ) (often shortened to
Vasco) is a small city in
GoaGoa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.Panaji is...
state on the west coast 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, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. It is named after the
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
explorer
Vasco da GamaDom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
. Vasco has Goa's largest population, estimated at over 100,000. It is also the headquarters of 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....
taluka. The town lies on the western tip of 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....
peninsula, at the mouth of the
Zuari RiverThe Zuari River is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. The Zuari River, with its cerulean waters, has 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...
, about from
PanajiPanaji is the capital of the Indian state of Goa. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi estuary, in the district of North Goa. With a population of 65,000 , Panaji is Goa's third largest city after Vasco da Gama and Margao.Panaji means “Land that never floods”...
(Panjim), Goa's capital, and about from the Dabolim Airport (GOI).
The place was founded in 1543, and remained in Portuguese hands until 1961, when Goa was annexed to India.
Vasco da Gama (
Vasku, ) (often shortened to
Vasco) is a small city in
GoaGoa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.Panaji is...
state on the west coast 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, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. It is named after the
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
explorer
Vasco da GamaDom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
. Vasco has Goa's largest population, estimated at over 100,000. It is also the headquarters of 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....
taluka. The town lies on the western tip of 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....
peninsula, at the mouth of the
Zuari RiverThe Zuari River is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. The Zuari River, with its cerulean waters, has 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...
, about from
PanajiPanaji is the capital of the Indian state of Goa. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi estuary, in the district of North Goa. With a population of 65,000 , Panaji is Goa's third largest city after Vasco da Gama and Margao.Panaji means “Land that never floods”...
(Panjim), Goa's capital, and about from the Dabolim Airport (GOI).
The place was founded in 1543, and remained in Portuguese hands until 1961, when Goa was annexed to India. The Indian Navy's Goa Naval Area (base) is located at Vasco from which it controls Dabolim airport and, in effect, the entire tourism-dependent state of Goa.
There have been aborted attempts in the past to change the name of the city to Sambhajinagar.
Transport and Industry
Vasco city is well connected by road, rail, sea and air; by road by the NH 17A (National Highway), by rail 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 and Mysore divisions of the erstwhile Southern Railway and reorganized Hubli division of the erstwhile South Central Railway including Hospet-Bellary. It came into existence on...
, by the sea through 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....
Harbour and by air through
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 :...
, thus serving as the main hub for most tourists visiting the state of Goa.
Vasco is heavily reliant on the port for most of its economic activity.
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...
ore mined in interior regions is brought to Marmugoa by barges navigating the rivers Mandovi and Zuari, and then either collected in the Mormugao Port to be loaded onto bulk carrier ships or directly loaded onto the ships using trans-shippers. Ore which is collected on the port is handled by state-of-the-art machinery called MOHP (Mechanical Ore Handling Plant). This includes massive bucket wheel loaders and miles of conveyor belts. The port has berthing facilities for large cruise liners as well as a floating dry dock. There are numerous shipping and freight forwarding agents as well as offices of major mining companies based in the city.
The Mormugao Port Trust which operates the port is the largest employer in the Vasco region and has a complete mini-township in Headland Sada which includes schools, residential complexes and amenities for employees of the Port.
Tourism and Culture
Bogmalo BeachBogmalo is a small beach-side village in Goa, India. Despite its small size, Bogmalo has a range of accommodation and places to eat. It is situated in a small bay, with around a mile of curving sandy beach, which is generally very quiet. It benefits from some beautiful sunsets.The beach is located...
is from Vasco. This beach is quite risky as it has underwater currents and is therefore usually monitored by lifeguards. Khollant (Issorcim) and Baina are two smaller beaches around Vasco.
Apart from the nearby beaches, the city of Vasco is bereft of any major tourist attractions, the salient monument being the 400-year old St. Andrews Church located at the entrance of the city. However the
Naval Aviation MuseumThe Naval Aviation Museum is a military museum located in Bogmalo, 6km from Vasco da Gama, Goa, India. This museum contains exhibits that show the evolution of India's Naval and Aviation forces over the decades...
nearby the city center is a popular tourist spot and is the only such museum in India. It profiles the evolution and history of Indian naval aviation through aircraft exhibits and rare photographs.
The people from Vasco love fun and music, so it is a matter of fact that Goa's premier musical group, Diamond Orchestra hails from Vasco. The town is also home to several English bands from Goa namely, Lynx, Heaven's Touch, and Kollectiv Soul.
Vasco is also famous for the annual Shri Damodar Bhajani Saptah fair held in the week preceding the
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Like all towns and cities in Goa, Vasco also celebrates the
CarnivalCarnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during January and February...
and
ShigmoŚigmo or शिगमो in Koṅkaṇī ,is a spring festival celebrated in the Indian state of Goa.One of the prominent festivals of the Hindu community in Goa, and is the an alternative name for the Indian festival of Holī.Śigmo is also known as Śiśirotsava....
annually with a street parade where floats from all over Goa participate.
Sports
Like the rest of Goa, football is the most popular sport in Vasco. Two teams from the town have participated in the
I-LeagueI-League is the top tier league in the Indian football league system. It was started by the All India Football Federation in 2007-08. It replaced the National Football League which lasted for 11 seasons. The 2007-08 season was the first season for the I-League...
-
Vasco Sports ClubThe Vasco Sports Club is a football club from Goa, India.In 1951, residents from the port town of Vasco da Gama, Goa, including the Portuguese garrison stationed there formed a football club called Clube de Desportos Vasco da Gama....
and
Salgaocar Sports ClubSalgaocar Sports Club, found in 1956, is an Indian professional football club based in Vasco, Goa. They are owned by the V. M. Salgaocar Group of Companies...
. Salgaocar SC were Champions of the 1998-99 season of the erstwhile
NFLThe National Football League was a football league competition in India which was organised into three divisions. The league was now transformed into I-League and continues with that name...
.
Tilak MaidanTilak Maidan Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Vasco da Gama, Goa, India. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 15,000 people....
is a 15,000 capacity football ground based in the city, although it is rarely used for national league matches.
Although cricket is not as popular as football, a Vasco resident
Shadab JakatiShabab Bashir Jakati is an Indian first class cricketer. He is a left handed batsman and a slow left arm orthodox bowler. He represents Goa in first class cricket and Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League...
plays for Goa in the
Ranji TrophyThe Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
first-class competition and has also been selected to play for the
Chennai Super KingsChennai Super Kings is the Chennai based franchise of the Indian Premier League. The team is led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, currently the captain of the Indian cricket team, and coached by Stephen Fleming. The M. A...
IPLThe Indian Premier League , is a Twenty20 cricket competition created by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and chaired by the Chairman & Commissioner IPL, BCCI Vice President Lalit Modi...
franchise.
Politics
The city of Vasco falls under the boundaries of the Mormugao (South Goa) constituency in the
Lok SabhaThe Lok Sabha is the directly elected lower house of the Parliament of India. As of 2009 there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
. The current Member of Parliament is Fransisco Sardinha of the
Indian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is a major political party in India. Founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji, Dinshaw Wacha, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, Surendranath Banerjee, Monomohun Ghose, and William Wedderburn, the Indian National Congress became the leader of the Indian...
.
Vasco elects its representative to the Goa Legislative Assembly, the current MLA is Jose Philip D'Souza of the
Nationalist Congress PartyThe Nationalist Congress Party is an Indian political party based primarily in the state of Maharashtra.- Background:NCP was formed on 25 May 1999, by Sharad Pawar, P.A. Sangma, and Tariq Anwar after they were expelled from the Indian National Congress on May 20, 1999, for disputing the right of...
.
Research
The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) located at Headland Sada is a research and development institution administered by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It is responsible for administering the Indian Antarctic Program and maintains the Indian government's Antarctic research station, Maitri. In addition to laboratories for marine sample processing/analyses, it hosts a special low-temperature ice core sample storage facility.