GENERAL PROFILE OF THE DISTRICT

  1. Location and Area.
    2.

    Chennai District is one of the important Metropolitans in India and the capital of Tamilnadu State. It plays an important role in the historical, cultural and intellectual development of the State. Chennai is one of the most important commercial cities in India and the anchor of the entire State of Tamilnadu.

    Chennai District is situated in the North East of Tamilnadu on the coast of Bay of Bengal. The average elevation of the city is 6.7 meters above the sea level and most of the localities are just at sea level. It stretches nearly 25.60 kilometers along the Bay of Bengal coast from Thiruvanmiyur in the south to Thiruvotiyur in the north. The Marina is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and it is the second largest beach in the world.

    Chennai District lies between 12.9° and 13.9° of the northern latitude and between 80.9° and 80.19’’ of the eastern longitude. The district is bounded by Bay of Bengal on the West and by Kancheepuram district and Thiruvalluvar district on the north west.

    Chennai is the fourth largest city in the Indian sub-continent and 30th largest city in the world. It extends an area of 174 Sq. km which accounts for only 0.13% of the State’s total area of 1,30,058-sq. km. The entire area of the district has been classified as urban.

  2. Administrative Set up
    3.

    The headquarters (Secretariat) of the district is located at Fort St. George . The entire area of Chennai district comes under Chennai Corporation. The district is divided into 155 divisions/wards and 10 zones for administrative purposes. There are 5 revenue taluks. 20 revenue firkas and 55 revenue villages in the district.

    Names of the taluks, division/wards of Chennai District are given in the following table :-

    Table 2.1.
    Taluks and Wards in Chennai District.

    S. No.

    Taluks

    Division/wards

    1

    Fort – Thondiarpet

    1 - 31

    2

    Perambur – Pursawalkam

    32 - 63

    3

    Egmore - Nungambakam

    64 - 78 & 97 – 129

    4

    Mylapore - Triplicane

    79 - 96 & 142 – 155

    5

    Mambalam - Guindy

    130 - 141


Source : Office of the Assistant Director (Stat), Chennai.

  1. Administrative Centres.
    2.

    There are number of administrative offices located in Chennai district, prominent being St.George fort (Secretariat), D.M.S, Shastri Bhavan and Rajaji Bhavan, Southern Railway Head Quarters and many other Central and State Government Offices are located in Chennai district

  2. The Languages.

    3. The history of Tamilnadu dates back to Paleolithic age. The Official languages spoken in the District/State is Tamil one of the oldest languages greatly influenced by its rich and colourful past. Concerted efforts have been made over the last decade or so to preserve the purity and identity of Tamil language. More recently there has been a steady stream of people migrating into the district from different parts of the State/country making Chennai district truly cosmopolitan in its composition. To day one can hear several languages such as Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada and other Indian languages being spoken in the Metro. Above all, the foreign tourists, industrial and other delegates need not have any fear of not being understood as English is spoken with considerable fluency in the district.

  3. Culture and Life styles.

    4. Chennai district, the capital of Tamilnadu has a legacy of ancient tradition and rich cultural heritage. Dance forms like Bharathanatyam and various forms of dance and music including Carnatic music have flourished here for centuries. The people of Chennai city lead by and large, a relaxed lifestyle. The urban social recreation include, clubs, golf, links, beach resorts, theme parks, race courses, art and theatre. Visits to game reserves, long sandy beaches, zoological and entertainment parks are the other way of social pastimes available in the Chennai district.

  4. Climate and Rainfall.

    5. Chennai district has a hot climate, which can be termed as tropical maritime monsoon type. As the district is tropical in nature, the temperature is bound to be high. By and large, the average temperature for most parts of the district range between 30°C and 40°C in the summer and between 25°C to 30°C in short lived winter season. The weather is hot during March to May.

    The city receives more rainfall during north-east monsoon i.e., in the month of October to December. Cold weather prevails during January and February. The weather is hot during the period March to May. In the year 1999-2000 the rainfall during south-west monsoon (June to September) was 521.7 m.m. and the rainfall during north east monsoon (October – December) was 517.7 m.m as against the normal rainfall of 758.7 m.m. (1999-2000). The total rainfall for 1999-2000 was 1288.1mm as against the normal rainfall of 1264.4mm. The details of rainfall during different seasons are given below.

    1. Rainfall (m.m. )
      2.

      i Normal North East Monsoon 758.7 Highest rain fall
        South West Monsoon 396.04 Lowest Rain fall


      ii. Actual North East Monsoon 517.7
        South West Monsoon 521.7

    2. Temperature (in Degree Centigrade)

    i. Maximum 38 C
    ii. Minimum 21 C

  1. Rivers
    2.

    The city is intersected by two streams viz., Coovam river and the Adyar river. The Coovam river passes through the heart of the city and enters the sea. The Adyar river passes the way through the north part of the city and enters the sea.

  2. Forests
    3.

    Area under reserve forest is 300 hectare in which a National Park has been formed.

  3. Places of Tourist Attraction
    4.

    Chennai attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year. For those who just want to have fun, the city offers a multitude of amusement parks, each with exciting joy rides and games etc. The major Tourist places in Chennai district are as follows:

    1. Fort St. George
    2. Santhome
    3. Anna square
    4. High Court
    5. Valluvar kottam
    6. Children’s Park
    7. Marina Beach
    8. Snake Park
    9. Gandhi Mandapam
    10. Aquarium
    11. Kalakshetra
    12. Museum
    13. Anna Zoological Park
    14. MGR Memorial
    15. Velanganni and Ashtalakshmi Temple.


  4. Places of Worship and Pilgrim Centres

The main pilgrim centers in the district are as follows

  1. Kapaleeswarar Temple
  2. Parthasarathy Temple
  3. Velanganni
  4. Ashtalakshmi Temple
  5. Vadapalani Temple
  6. Santhome Church
  7. St.Thomas Church