Government

 • Body Government of Andhra Pradesh

 • Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan

 • Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP)

 • Legislature Bicameral (175 + 58 seats)

 • Parliamentary Rajya Sabha 11

Symbols of Andhra Pradesh
constituency Lok Sabha 25

Emblem Poorna Ghatam [1]

High Court of Judicature at
 • High Court
Hyderabadβ
Language
Area Telugu

[1]

Song Maa Telugu Thalliki[5]

 • Total 162,970 km2 (62,920 sq mi)

Animal
Area rank 8th
Blackbuck[6]

Population

(2011)[2] Bird
Rose-ringed parakeet[6]
 • Total 84,580,777

 • Rank 10th
Flower

 • Density 308/km2 (800/sq mi)

Jasmine[6]

Demonym(s) Telugu / Andhraite

Tree
GDP (2018–19)
Neem
[3]

ANDHRA PRADESH divided into two states in

2014 as TELENGANA and ANDHRA PRADESH
 • Total ₹8.70 lakh crore (US$120 billion)

 • Per capita ₹142,054 (US$2,000)

Time zone UTC+05:30 (IST)

ANDHRA PRADESH is divided (Unofficially) into two regions

Costal Andhra
Rayalaseema
In costal Andhra the districts are
 East Godavari
 West Godavari
 Krishna
 Guntur
 Prakasam
 Sri potti sri ramulu Nellore
 Srikakulam (smallest)
 Vijayanagaram
 Vishakapatnam
In Rayalaseema the districts are
 Kurnool
 Chittoor (largest)
 YSR Kadapa

Anathapur
Andhra Pradesh (/ˌɑːndrə prəˈdɛʃ/) ( pronunciation (help·info)) is one of the 29 states of
India. Situated in the south-east of the country, it is the eighth-largest state in India, covering an
area of 162,970 km2 (62,920 sq mi).[7] As per the 2011 census, it is the tenth most populous state,
with 49,386,799 inhabitants. The largest city in Andhra Pradesh is Visakhapatnam. Telugu, one
of the Classical Languages of India,[8] is the major and official language of Andhra Pradesh.[9][10]

On 2 June 2014, the north-western portion of Andhra Pradesh was separated to form the new
state Telangana and the longtime capital of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, was transferred to
Telangana as part of the division. However, in accordance with the Andhra Pradesh
Reorganisation Act, 2014, Hyderabad was to remain as the de jure capital of both Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana states for a period of time not exceeding ten years.[11] The new riverfront
de facto capital, Amaravati, is under the jurisdiction of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region
Development Authority (APCRDA).[12]

Andhra Pradesh has a coastline of 974 km (605 mi) – the second longest coastline among the
states of India, after Gujarat – with jurisdiction over almost 15,000 km2 of territorial waters.[7][13]
The state is bordered by Telangana in the north-west, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in the north-east,
Karnataka in the west, Tamil Nadu in the south, and to the east lies the Bay of Bengal. The small
enclave of Yanam, a district of Puducherry, lies to the south of Kakinada in the Godavari delta
on the eastern side of the state.[14]

The state is made up of the two major regions of Rayalaseema, in the inland southwestern part of
the state, and Coastal Andhra to the east and northeast, bordering the Bay of Bengal.[15] The state
comprises thirteen districts in total, nine of which are located in Coastal Andhra and four in
Rayalaseema. The largest city and commercial hub of the state are Visakhapatnam, located on
the Bay of Bengal, with a GDP of US$43.5 billion; the second largest city in the state is
Vijayawada, located on the banks of the Krishna River, which has a GDP of US$3 billion (as of
2010).[16][17] The economy of Andhra Pradesh is the seventh-largest state economy in India with
₹8.70 lakh crore (US$120 billion) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹142,000
(US$2,000).[18]

Andhra Pradesh hosted 121.8 million visitors in 2015, a 30% growth in tourist arrivals over the
previous year,[19] making it the third most-visited state in India. The Tirumala Venkateswara
Temple in Tirupati is one of the world's most visited religious sites, with 18.25 million visitors
per year.[20] Other pilgrimage centres in the state include the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga at
Srisailam, the Srikalahasteeswara Temple at Srikalahasti, the Ameen Peer Dargah in Kadapa, the
Mahachaitya at Amaravathi, the Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada, and Prasanthi Nilayam in
Puttaparthi. The state's natural attractions include the beaches of Visakhapatnam, hill stations
such as the Araku Valley and Horsley Hills, and the island of Konaseema in the Godavari River
delta.

History[edit]
Main article: History of Andhra Pradesh

Toponomy[edit]

A tribe named Andhra was mentioned in Sanskrit texts such as Aitareya Brahmana (800–500
BCE). According to Aitareya Brahmana of the Rig Veda, the Andhra left north India and settled
in south India.[21][22][23] The Satavahanas have been mentioned by the names Andhra, Andhrara-
jateeya and Andhrabhrtya in the Puranic literature.[24][25] They did not refer themselves as Andhra
in any of their coins or inscriptions; it is possible that they were termed as Andhras because of
their ethnicity or because their territory included the Andhra region.[26]

Early and medieval history[edit]

Archaeological evidence from places such as Amaravati, Dharanikota, and Vaddamanu suggests
that the Andhra region was part of the Mauryan Empire. Amaravati might have been a regional
centre for the Mauryan rule. After the death of Emperor Ashoka, Mauryan rule weakened around
200 BCE and was replaced by several smaller kingdoms in the Andhra region.[27]

The Satavahana dynasty dominated the Deccan region from the 1st century BC to the 3rd
century.[28] The later Satavahanas made Dharanikota and Amaravathi their capital, which
according to the Buddhists is the place where Nagarjuna, the philosopher of Mahayana lived in
the 2nd and 3rd centuries.[29] The Andhra Ikshvakus, with their capital at Vijayapuri, succeeded
the Satavahanas in the Krishna River valley in the latter half of the 2nd century.[30] Pallavas, who
were originally executive officers under the Satavahana kings, were not a recognised political
power before the 2nd century AD and were swept away by the Western Chalukyan invasion, led
by Pulakesin II in the first quarter of the 7th century CE.[31] After the downfall of the Ikshvakus,
the Vishnukundinas were the first great dynasty in the 5th and 6th centuries, and held sway over
the entire Andhra country, including Kalinga and parts of Telangana. They played an important
role in the history of Deccan during the 5th and 6th century CE, with Eluru, Amaravathi and
Puranisangam.[32]

The Salankayanas were an ancient dynasty that ruled the Andhra region between Godavari and
Krishna with their capital at Vengi (modern Pedavegi) from 300 to 440 CE.[33] The Eastern
Chalukyas of Vengi, whose dynasty lasted for around five hundred years from the 7th century
until 1130 C.E., eventually merged with the Chola empire. They continued to rule under the
protection of the Chola empire until 1189 C.E. when the kingdom succumbed to the Hoysalas
and the Yadavas.[34] The roots of the Telugu language have been seen on inscriptions found near
the Guntur district and from others dating to the rule of Renati Cholas in the fifth century CE.[35]
[36]

Kakatiyas ruled Andhra Pradesh state for nearly two hundred years and constructed several forts.
They were succeeded by the Musunuri Nayaks.[citation needed]

The Reddy dynasty (1325–1448 CE) was established by Prolaya Vema Reddi in the early 14th
century, who ruled from present day Kondaveedu. Prolaya Vema Reddi was part of the
confederation of states that started a movement against the invading Turkic Muslim armies of the
Delhi Sultanate in 1323 CE and succeeded in repulsing them from Warangal.[37] They
constructed Kondaveedu Fort which they ruled between 1328–1428, before it was taken over by
the Gajpathis of Orissa, and later ravaged by the Muslim rulers of the Bahmani kingdom in 1458.
The Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya captured it in 1516. The Golconda Sultans fought
for the fort in 1531, 1536 and 1579, and Sultan Quli Qutb Shah captured it in 1579, renaming it
Murtuzanagar. Again it was reconquered by Vijayanagarans who overthrew sultanate rule across
the entirety of modern-day Andhra Pradesh (excluding Telangana). After this rebellion, the
Bahmani sultans launched no further military campaigns outside their kingdoms, because the
Marathas soon emerged as the strongest power in India.[38][39][40] Efforts are in progress to classify
Kondaveedu Fort as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[41][42] Pemmasani Nayaks, the greatest
kings during Vijayanagara times ruled parts of Andhra Pradesh state with Gandikota as capital
for nearly three hundred years.[43]

The Vijayanagara Empire originated in the Deccan Plateau region in the early 14th century. It
was established in 1336 by Harihara Raya I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Sangama
Dynasty.[44][45] The empire's patronage enabled fine arts and literature to reach new heights in
Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Sanskrit, while Carnatic music evolved into its current form.[46] The
Lepakshi group of monuments are culturally and archaeologically significant as it is the location
of shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, and Veerabhadra which were built during the
Vijayanagara Kings' period (1336–1646). The temples are the location of mural paintings of the
Vijayanagara kings, Dravidian art, and inscriptions. Near the temple complex is a large granite
Nandi bull. On a hillock known as Kurma Saila ('tortoise-shaped hill') are other temples to
Papanatheswara, Raghunatha, Srirama, and Durga.[47][48]
The Government of Andhra Pradesh has taken the initiative for including the "Lepakshi Group of
Monuments" among the UNESCO World Heritage sites in India.[49][50]

Modern history[edit]

Harihara and Bukka, who served as treasury officers of the Kakatiyas of Warangal, founded the
Vijayanagara Empire.[51] In 1347 CE, an independent Muslim state, the Bahmani Sultanate, was
established in south India by Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah in a revolt against the Delhi Sultanate.
The Qutb Shahi dynasty held sway over the Andhra country for about two hundred years from
the early part of the sixteenth century to the end of the seventeenth century.[52]

In the early nineteenth century, Northern Circars was ceded to the British East India Company
and became part of the Madras Presidency. Eventually, this region emerged as the Coastal
Andhra region. Later the Nizam rulers of Hyderabad ceded five territories to the British that
eventually became the Rayalaseema region. The Nizams retained control of the interior
provinces as the princely state of Hyderabad, acknowledging British rule in return for local
autonomy. However, Komaram Bheem, a tribal leader, started his fight against the erstwhile
Asaf Jahi Dynasty for the liberation of Hyderabad State.[53] Meanwhile, the French occupied
Yanam, in the Godavari delta, and (save for periods of British control) would hold it until 1954.
In 1947 Vizianagaram was the largest Hindu princely state in Andhra Pradesh.

India became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947. The Nizam wanted to retain the
independence of the Princely Hyderabad State from India, but the people of the region launched
a movement to join the Indian Union. The state of Hyderabad was forcibly joined to the Republic
of India with Operation Polo in 1948.[54]

Post-independence[edit]

See also: Andhra State and Vishalandhra Movement

In an effort to gain an independent state based on linguistic identity, and to protect the interests of the
Telugu-speaking people of Madras State, Potti Sreeramulu fasted to death in 1952. As Madras became a
bone of contention, in 1949 a JVP committee report stated: "Andhra Province could be formed provided
the Andhras give up their claim on the city of Madras (now Chennai)". After Potti Sreeramulu's death,
the Telugu-speaking area of Andhra State was carved out of Madras State on 1 October 1953, with
Kurnool as its capital city.[55] On the basis of the gentlemen's agreement of 1 November 1956, the States
Reorganisation Act formed Andhra Pradesh by merging Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking areas of
the already existing Hyderabad State.[56] Hyderabad was made the capital of the new state. The Marathi-
speaking areas of Hyderabad State merged with Bombay State and the Kannada-speaking areas were
merged with Mysore State.

In February 2014, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 bill was passed by the
Parliament of India for the formation of the Telangana state comprising ten districts. Hyderabad
will remain as a joint capital for not exceeding ten years.[11] The new state of Telangana came
into existence on 2 June 2014 after approval from the President of India.[57] Number of petitions
questioning the validity of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 is long pending for the
verdict since April 2014 before the supreme court constitutional bench.[58]

Geography[edit]
Main articles: Geography of Andhra Pradesh and List of districts of Andhra Pradesh

The state has varied topography ranging from the hills of Eastern Ghats and Nallamala Hills to the shores
of Bay of Bengal that supports varied ecosystems, rich diversity of flora and fauna. There are two main
rivers namely, Krishna and Godavari, that flow through the state. The seacoast of the state extends
along the Bay of Bengal from Srikakulam to Nellore district.[59] The plains to the east of Eastern Ghats
form the Eastern coastal plains. The coastal plains are for the most part of delta regions formed by the
Godavari, Krishna, and Penner Rivers. The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous and individual sections have
local names. The Eastern Ghats are a major dividing line in the state's geography. The Kadapa Basin [60]
[better source needed]
formed by two arching branches of the Eastern Ghats is a mineral-rich area. The Ghats
become more pronounced towards the south and extreme north of the coast. Most of the coastal plains
are put to intense agricultural use. The Rayalaseema region has semi-arid conditions.

Natural vegetation and conservation[edit]

Main article: Natural vegetation and Wildlife of Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department deals with protection, conservation and management of
forests. The total forest cover of the state after the bifurcation is left with an area of 22,862 km2.
[61]
The forest in the state can be broadly divided into four major biotic provinces.[62] They are:

1. Deccan Plateau
2. Central Plateau
3. Eastern Highland
4. East Coastal Plains

Eastern Ghats region is home to dense tropical forests, while the vegetation becomes sparse as
the Ghats give way to the Deccan Plateau, where shrub vegetation is more common. The
vegetation found in the state is largely of dry deciduous types with a mixture of teak, Terminalia,
Dalbergia, Pterocarpus, Anogeissus, etc.

The state has many sanctuaries, national parks and zoological parks, such as Coringa, Krishna
Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary,
Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park and Indira Gandhi Zoological Park. Atapaka Bird Sanctuary,
Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary and Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary attract many migratory birds.[63] The
state possesses some rare and endemic plants like Cycas beddomei, Pterocarpus santalinus,
Terminalia pallida, Syzygium alternifolium, Shorea talura, Shorea tumburgia, Psilotum nudum,
etc.[62] The diversity of fauna includes tigers, panthers, hyenas, black bucks, cheetals, sambars,
sea turtles and a number of birds and reptiles. The estuaries of the Godavari and Krishna Rivers
support rich mangrove forests with fishing cats and otters as keystone species.[62]

Climate[edit]

The climate of Andhra Pradesh varies considerably, depending on the geographical region.
Summers last from March to June. In the coastal plain, the summer temperatures are generally
higher than the rest of the state, with temperature ranging between 20 °C and 41 °C. July to
September is the season for tropical rains. About one third of the total rainfall is brought by the
northeast monsoon. October and November see low-pressure systems and tropical cyclones form
in the Bay of Bengal which, along with the northeast monsoon, bring rains to the southern and
coastal regions of the state.

November, December, January, and February are the winter months in Andhra Pradesh. Since
the state has a long coastal belt the winters are not very cold. The range of winter temperature is
generally 12 °C to 30 °C. Lambasingi in Visakhapatnam district is the only place in South India
which receives snowfall because of its location as at 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above the sea level. It is
also nicknamed as the Kashmir of Andhra Pradesh and the temperature ranges from 0 °C to
10 °C.[64][65]

Demographics[edit]
showPopulation Trend 

As of 2011 Census of India, the state had a population of 49,386,799 with a population density of
308/km2 (800/sq mi).

According to Polavaram ordinance bill 2014, 7 mandals of Khammam district in Telangana state
merged with Andhra Pradesh to facilitate polavaram project, due to which population of 2,47,515
added to Andhra Pradesh. Thus the final population of Andhra Pradesh in the year 2014, as per
census 2011 is 4,96,34,314, with a density of 304.5/km2.

The total population constitute, 70.4% of rural population with 34,776,389 inhabitants and
29.6% of urban population with 14,610,410 inhabitants. Children in the age group of 0–6 years
are 5,222,384, constituting 10.6% of the total population, among them 2,686,453 are boys and
2,535,931 are girls. Visakhapatnam district has the largest urban population of 47.5% and
Srikakulam district with 83.8%, has the largest rural population, among others districts in the
state. The overall population of the state comprises 17.1% of Scheduled Caste and 5.3% of
Scheduled Tribe population.[7]

There are 24,738,068 male and 24,648,731 female citizens—a sex ratio of 996 females per 1000
males, higher than the national average of 926 per 1000. The literacy rate of the state stands at
67.41%. However, Post bifurcation from Telangana, the state is expected to reach 91.1% by
2021.[66] West Godavari district has the highest literacy rate of 74.6% and Vizianagaram district
has the least with 58.9%.[2][67]

Visakhapatnam is the most populous city in Andhra Pradesh, and the 14th-largest city in India

Andhra Pradesh ranks tenth of all Indian States in the Human Development Index scores[68] with
a score of 0.416. The National Council of Applied Economic Research district analysis in 2001
reveals that Krishna, West Godavari and Chittoor are the three districts in rural AP with the
highest Human Development Index scores in ascending order.

 v
 t
 e

Largest cities or towns in Andhra Pradesh

As per the 2011 Census

Rank Name District Pop.

1 Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam 1,735,922

2 Vijayawada Krishna 1,434,358

3 Guntur Guntur 743,354

4 Nellore Nellore 600,869

5 Kurnool Kurnool 430,214 Guntur

Visakhapatnam
6 Kadapa Kadapa 343,054

7 Rajahmundry East Godavari 341,831

Vijayawada 8 Kakinada East Godavari 312,538

Nellore
9 Tirupati Chittoor 287,482

10 Eluru West Godavari 283,648

Languages[edit]

The official language of Andhra Pradesh is Telugu.[9][10] The Minister of Tourism and Culture has
issued a declaration of the Telugu language as a Classical Language.[69]

Languages in Andhra Pradesh (2011)[70]

Percen
Language
t

Telugu   83.55%

Urdu   8.87%

Hindi   3.69%

Others   3.89%

Religions[edit]

Religion in Andhra Pradesh (2011)[71]

Percen
Religion
t

Hinduism   90.87%

Islam   7.32%

Christianity   1.38%

Others   0.43%

Srikalahasti Temple
Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala

Majority of the people in Andhra Pradesh are Hindus while Muslims constitute a sizeable
minority. According to the 2011 census, the major religious groups in the state are Hindus
(90.87%), Muslims (7.32%) and Christians (1.38%). Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and the people who
declined to state their religion make up the remaining portion of population.[71]

Hinduism

Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati is the world's second richest temple and is visited by millions
of devotees throughout the year. Andhra Pradesh is home to Shankaracharya of Pushpagiri
Peetham. Other Hindu saints include Sadasiva Brahmendra, Bhaktha Kannappa, Yogi Vemana,
Sathya Sai Baba and Pothuluru Veerabrahmendra.[72]

Mahayana-Buddhism

Rock-cut Buddha statue at Bojjannakonda near Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam

Buddhism spread to Andhra Pradesh early in its history. The Krishna River valley was "a site of
extraordinary Buddhist activity for almost a thousand years."[73] The ancient Buddhist sites in the
lower Krishna Valley, including Amaravati, Nagarjunakonda and Jaggayyapeta "can be traced to
at least the third century BCE, if not earlier."[74]

The region played a central role in the development of Mahayana Buddhism, along with the
Magadha-area in northeastern India.[75][76] A.K. Warder holds that "the Mahāyāna originated in
the south of India and almost certainly in the Andhra country."[77] According to Xing, "Several
scholars have suggested that the Prajnaparamita probably developed among the Mahasamghikas
in Southern India probably in the Andhra country, on the Krishna River."[78] The Prajñāpāramitā
Sutras belong to the earliest Mahayana Sutras.[79][80]

Administrative divisions[edit]
Regions[edit]

Andhra Pradesh comprises two regions: Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.

Districts[edit]

Main article: List of districts in Andhra Pradesh

It has a total of 13 districts, nine in Coastal Andhra Region and four in Rayalaseema Region.

 Anantapur
 Chittoor
 East Godavari
 Guntur
 Kadapa
 Krishna
 Kurnool
 Prakasam
 Nellore
 Srikakulam
 Visakhapatnam
 Vizianagaram
 West Godavari[81]

Revenue divisions[edit]

Main article: List of Revenue Divisions in Andhra Pradesh

These 13 districts are further divided into 50 revenue divisions. There are as many as 7 revenue
divisions in East Godavari, and only 2 in Vizianagaram district.[7][82]

Mandals[edit]

Main article: List of mandals in Andhra Pradesh

The 50 revenue divisions are in turn divided into 670 mandals. Chittoor district has the most
mandals with 66 and Vizianagaram has the least with 34.[83]

Cities[edit]

There are a total of 31 cities which include, 16 municipal corporations and 14 municipalities.
There are two cities with more than one million inhabitants, namely Visakhapatnam and
Vijayawada.

Government and politics[edit]

Main articles: Government of Andhra Pradesh and Politics of Andhra Pradesh
Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh is the lower house of the state and legislative council of andhra
pradesh is the upper house with 58 members. In the Parliament of India, Andhra Pradesh has 11 seats in
the Rajya Sabha, and 25 seats in the Lok Sabha.[84] There are a total of 175 Assembly constituencies in
the state. East Godavari district has the most number of constituencies with 19 and Vizianagaram
district has the least with 9 assembly seats.[85] Whereas, the legislative council of the state has 58 seats,
which is one-third of total assembly seats. [86]

Until 1962, the CPI, along with socialist parties namely Praja Socialist Party and Krishi Lok
Party played an important role in the 1950s. In the 1967 state assembly elections, all socialist
parties were eliminated and CPI lost opposition party status. The first Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh was Neelam Sanjiva Reddy who later served as President of India.[87][88]

In 1983, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won the state elections and N.T. Rama Rao became the
chief minister of the state for the first time. This broke the long time single party monopoly
enjoyed by the INC from 1956 until 1982. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao is the founder of
Telugu Desam party and served as the first chief minister from the party. The 1989 elections
ended the rule of NTR, with the INC party returning to power with Marri Chenna Reddy at the
helm. He was replaced by Janardhan Reddy in 1990, who was replaced by Kotla Vijaya
Bhaskara Reddy in 1992.

N. Chandrababu Naidu held the record for the longest serving chief minister (1995 to 2004).[89] In
1994, Andhra Pradesh gave a mandate to the Telugu Desam Party again, and NTR became the
chief minister again. Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the son-in-law of NTR, came to power with the
backing of a majority of the MLAs. The Telugu Desam Party won both the assembly and Lok
Sabha election in 1999 under the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu.

In what would be the last elections held in the unified state, Telugu Desam Party got a mandate
in their favour in the residuary (new)state. Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the chief of Telugu Desam
Party became Chief Minister on 8 June 2014, for the new state of Andhra Pradesh.[90]

Economy[edit]
Main article: Economy of Andhra Pradesh

Visakhapatnam is an important commercial hub of the state

Visakhapatnam Skyline, overlooking seaport

Andhra Pradesh was ranked eighth among other Indian states in terms of GSDP for the financial
year 2014–2015. The GSDP at current prices was ₹5,200.3 billion (US$72 billion) and at
constant prices was ₹2,645.21 billion (US$37 billion).[91] The domestic product of agriculture
sector accounts for ₹545.99 billion (US$7.6 billion) and Industrial sector for ₹507.45 billion
(US$7.1 billion). The service sector of the state accounts more percentage of the GSDP with a
total of ₹1,305.87 billion (US$18 billion).[92] In the 2010 list by Forbes magazine, there were
several from Andhra Pradesh among the top 100 richest Indians.[93]

Agriculture[edit]

Andhra Pradesh economy is mainly based on agriculture and livestock. Four important rivers of India,
the Godavari, Krishna, Penna, and Thungabhadra flow through the state and provide irrigation. 60
percent of population is engaged in agriculture and related activities. Rice is the major food crop and
staple food of the state. It is an exporter of many agricultural products and is also known as "Rice Bowl
of India".[94][95] The state has three Agricultural Economic Zones in Chittoor district for mango pulp and
vegetables, Krishna district for mangoes, Guntur district for chilies. [96]

Besides rice, farmers also grow jowar, bajra, maize, minor millet, coarse grain, many varieties of
pulses, oil seeds, sugarcane, cotton, chili pepper, mango nuts and tobacco. Crops used for
vegetable oil production such as sunflower and peanuts are popular. There are many multi-state
irrigation projects under development, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects and
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.[97]

Livestock and poultry is also another profitable business, which involves rearing cattle in
enclosed areas for commercial purposes. The state is also a largest producer of eggs in the
country and hence, it is nicknamed as "Egg Bowl of Asia".[98][99]

Fisheries contribute 10% of total fish and over 70% of the shrimp production[100] of India. The
geographical location of the state allows marine fishing as well as inland fish production. The
most exported marine exports include Vannamei shrimp[101] and are expected to cross $1 billion
in 2013–2014.[102]

Infrastructure[edit]

Andhra Pradesh is investing in building infrastructure in the state such as highways and making
every service of the government digital.National Highway 16 (India) passes through Andhra
pradesh.The highways in the state are also being widened. APSFL is an initiative of government
of Andhra pradesh to setup an optical fiber network throughout the thirteen districts of Andhra
pradesh.This network provides Internet connectivity, telephony and IPTV with fiber to private
and corporate users of Andhra pradesh.[103] The state also has sea ports such as Visakhapatnam
Port for import and export and a shipyard for building ships at Visakhapatnam. Major airports in
the state are Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati with Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada
being international airports.

Industrial sector[edit]

Tech Mahindra Development Centre, Visakhapatnam

The industrial sector of the state includes some of the key sectors like Pharma, Automobile,
Textiles etc. Sricity located in Chittoor district is an integrated business city which is home to
firms including PepsiCo, Isuzu Motors, Cadbury India, Kellogg's, Colgate-Palmolive, Kobelco
etc.[104] The PepsiCo firm has its largest plant in India at Sri City.[105] The state is also emerging as
destination for Automobile industry which already hosts companies including Ashok Leyland in
Krishna district, Hero Motors in Chittoor district, Kia Motors in Anantapur district.

The state is also emerging in information technology and biotechnology. The IT/ITES revenues
of Visakhapatnam is at ₹14.45 billion (US$200 million) in 2012–2013. The development of IT
in Tier-II and Tier-III cities like Vijayawada, Kakinada and Tirupati is also improving. In the
fiscal year 2012–2013, Vijayawada's IT/ITeS revenues were ₹1,153 million (US$16 million)
crore. Tirupati with ₹693 million (US$9.6 million) and Kakinada with ₹615 million
(US$8.6 million) stand next.[106] For the benefit of state i.e., After separating Telangana from
andhra, people of andhra protested for special status during the month of January in 2017

Resources[edit]

Andhra Pradesh is one of the storehouses of mineral resources in India. Andhra Pradesh with
varied geological formations, contain rich and variety of industrial minerals and building stones.
[107]

Andhra Pradesh is listed top in the deposit and production of mica in India. Minerals found in the
state include limestone, reserves of oil and natural gas, manganese, asbestos, iron ore, ball clay,
fire clay, gold diamonds, graphite, dolomite, quartz, tungsten, steatitic, feldspar, silica sand. It
has about one third of India's limestone reserves and is known for large exclusive deposits of
barytes and galaxy granite in the international market.[107]

Mining
Mining is identified as one of the growth engines for the overall development of industry and
infrastructure. The Tummalapalle Uranium mine in Andhra has confirmed 49,000 tonnes of ore
and there are indications that it could hold reserves totalling three times its current size. 700
million tonnes of metal grade Bauxite deposits in proximity to Visakhapatnam Port.

Reliance Industries Limited struck nine trillion cubic feet of gas reserves in the KG basin,
150 km (93 mi) off the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada. Discovery of large quantity of
natural gas in KG Basin is expected to provide rapid economic growth.[108] During the year 2016,
nearly 134 trillion cubic feet of methane hydrate deposits were explored in KG basin whose
extraction is adequate to impart energy security for many decades to India.[109]

Power plants

Main article: Power sector of Andhra Pradesh

The state is a pioneer nationwide in solar power generation. APGENCO is the power generating
company owned by the state.[110] The state has become power surplus with excess power
generation being exported to other states.[111]

Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station

Thermal (natural gas and coal based) and renewable power plants totalling to 21,000 MW were
installed in the state by the year 2015. Local power plants of 9,600 MW capacity only are
supplying electricity in the state which includes Simhadri Super Thermal Power Plant (2000
MW) of NTPC, Vizag Thermal Power Station (1040 MW), Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station
(1050 MW), Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Station (1600 MW), Vijayawada
Thermal Power Plant (1760 MW), etc. Hydel power plants are having a capacity of 1671 MW.
[112]

Culture[edit]
Main article: Culture of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh has rich culture and heritage.[113] Kuchipudi, the state dance originated in the
village of Kuchipudi in Krishna district, had entered the Guinness World Records for performing
Mahabrinda Natyam with a total of 6,117 dancers in Vijayawada.[114] It had thirteen geographical
indications in categories of agricultural handicrafts, foodstuff and textiles as per Geographical
Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.[115] It increased to fifteen with the
addition of Banaganapalle Mangoes[116] and Bandar laddu.[117] The other GI tagged goods are,
Bobbili Veena, Budithi Bell and Brass Craft, Dharmavaram Handloom Pattu Sarees and
Paavadas, Guntur Sannam, Kondapalli Toys, Machilipatnam Kalamkari, Mangalagiri Sarees and
Fabrics, Srikalahasti Kalamkari, Tirupati Laddu, Uppada Jamdani Sari and Venkatagiri Sari.[115]
and ponduru khaddaru.

Arts, crafts and artifacts[edit]

Kondapalli Toys at a house in Vijayawada

Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti Kalamkari are the two unique textile art forms practised in India.
[118]
There are also other notable handicrafts present in the state, like the soft limestone idol
carvings of Durgi.[119] Etikoppaka in Visakhapatnam district is notable for its Lac industry,
producing lacquered wooden.[120][121]

The state has many museums, which features a varied collection of ancient sculptures, paintings,
idols, weapons, cutlery and inscriptions, and religious artifacts such as the Amaravati
Archaeological Museum,[122] Visakha Museum and Telugu Cultural Museum in Visakhapatnam
displays the history of the pre-Independence and the Victoria Jubilee Museum in Vijayawada
with large collection of artifacts.

Literature[edit]

Main article: Telugu literature

Nannayya, Tikkana and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the Sanskrit epic
Mahabharata into Telugu language. Nannayya wrote the first treatise on Telugu grammar called
Andhra Shabda Chintamani in Sanskrit, as there was no grammatical work in Telugu prior to
that.[123] Pothana is the poet who composed the classic Srimad Maha Bhagavatamu, a Telugu
translation of Sri Bhagavatam. Vemana is notable for his philosophical poems. The Vijayanagara
emperor Krishnadevaraya wrote Amuktamalyada. Telugu literature after Kandukuri
Veeresalingam is termed as Adhunika Telugu Sahityam (Modern Telugu literature). He is known
as Gadya Tikkana and was the author of Telugu social novel, Satyavati Charitam. Jnanpith
Award holders from the state include Viswanatha Satyanarayana. The Andhra Pradesh native
and revolutionary poet Sri Sri brought new forms of expressionism into Telugu literature.[124]

Art and Cinema[edit]

Main articles: Music of Andhra Pradesh and Telugu theatre

See also: Shadow Puppets of Andhra Pradesh

Kuchipudi dance

Many composers of Carnatic music like Annamacharya, Kshetrayya, and Bhadrachala Ramadas
were of Telugu descent. Modern Carnatic music composers and singers like Ghantasala, Sujatha
Puligella and M. Balamuralikrishna are also of Telugu descent. The Telugu film industry hosts
many music composers and playback singers such as S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela, S.
Janaki, P B Srinivas. Folk songs are very important and popular in the many rural areas of the
state. Forms such as the Burra katha and Poli are still performed today.[125] Harikathaa
Kalakshepam (or Harikatha) involves the narration of a story, intermingled with various songs
relating to the story. Harikatha was originated in Andhra.[126] Burra katha is an oral storytelling
technique with the topic be either a Hindu mythological story or a contemporary social issue.[127]
Rangasthalam is an Indian theatre in the Telugu language, based predominantly in Andhra
Pradesh.[128] Gurazada Apparao wrote the play, Kanyasulkam in 1892, which is often considered
the greatest play in the Telugu language.[129] C. Pullaiah is cited as the father of Telugu theatre
movement.[130][131]

The Telugu film industry is largely based in Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam. The Telugu film
culture (or, "Tollywood") is the second -largest film industry in India next to Bollywood Film
Industry.[132] Prolific film producer from the state, D. Ramanaidu holds a Guinness Record for the
most number of films produced by a person.[133] In the years 2005, 2006 and 2008 the Telugu
film industry produced the largest number of films in India, exceeding the number of films
produced in Bollywood.[134][135] The industry holds the Guinness World Record for the largest
film production facility in the world.[136]

Cuisine[edit]

Main article: Telugu cuisine

Telugu people's traditional sweet Pootharekulu originated from Atreyapuram village, Andhra
Pradesh.
Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Andhra Pradesh

The state has several beaches in its coastal districts such as, Rushikonda, Mypadu, Suryalanka
etc.;[137] caves such as, Borra Caves,[138] Indian rock-cut architecture depicting Undavalli caves[139]
and the country's second longest caves named as Belum Caves.[140] The valleys and hills include,
Araku Valley, Horsley Hills, Papi Hills etc.[141] Arma Konda peak located in Visakhapatnam
district is the highest peak in Eastern Ghats.

The state is home to various religious pilgrim destinations such as, Tirumala Temple,
Simhachalam Temple, Annavaram, Srisailam temple, Kanaka Durga Temple, Amaravati,
Srikalahasti, Kadiri temple,[142] Shahi jamia masjid in Adoni, Gunadala Church in Vijayawada,
Buddhist centres at Amaravati, Nagarjuna Konda etc.,[143] and many more as well.

Transport[
The state is well connected to other states through road and rail networks. It is also connected to
other countries by means of airways and seaports as well. With a long seacoast along the Bay of
Bengal, it also has many ports for sea trade. The state has one of the largest railway junctions at
Vijayawada and one of the largest seaports at Visakhapatnam.

Roads

See also: APSRTC

Roads in Andhra Pradesh consist of National Highways and state highways with district roads as well. NH
16, with a highway network of around 1,000 km (620 mi) in the state, is a part of Golden Quadrilateral
Project undertaken by National Highways Development Project. It also forms part of AH 45 which comes
under the Asian Highway Network.

The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the major public bus
transport owned by the state government which runs thousands of buses connecting different
parts of the state. Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) in Vijayawada is one of the largest bus
terminals in Asia.[144]

Railways[edit]

Guntakal is one of the Major Junction in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh [145] has a total broad gauge railway route of 3703.25 km and has no metre gauge
railway.[146] The rail density of the state is 16.59 per 1,000 km (620 mi), compared to an all India
average of 20.[147] The Howrah–Chennai main line which runs through the state is proposed to be
upgraded into a high-speed rail corridor through the Diamond Quadrilateral project of the Indian
Railways.[148][149]
The railway network spans two zones, further subdivided into divisions – Vijayawada, Guntur
and Guntakal railway divisions of South Central Railway zone.,[150] and Waltair railway division
of East Coast Railway zone.[151] There is a demand for creating a unified zone for the state based
out of Visakhapatnam.

There are three A1 and twenty three A-category railway stations in the state.[152] Visakhapatnam
railway station has been declared the cleanest railway station in the country.[153] The railway
station of Shimiliguda was the first highest broad gauge railway station in the country.[154]

Airports[edit]

Visakhapatnam Airport, is the only airport in the state with operating international flights while
Vijayawada Airport at Gannavaram has launched an international flight to Singapore, recently.
[155]
The state has four other domestic airports, Rajahmundry Airport at Madhurapudi, Cuddapah
Airport, a privately owned, public use airport at Puttaparthi, and Tirupati Airport located in the
city of Tirupati. There are also 16 small air strips located in the state.[156]

Sea ports[edit]

Andhra Pradesh has one of the country's largest port at Visakhapatnam in terms of cargo
handling.[157] The other famous ports are Krishnapatnam Port (Nellore), Gangavaram Port and
Kakinada Port. Gangavaram Port is a deep seaport which can accommodate ocean liners up to
200,000–250,000 DWT.[158] There are 14 notified non-major ports at Bheemunipatnam,
S.Yanam, Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam, Vadarevu etc.[159][160]

Education and research[edit]

Main article: Education in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh has an overall literacy rate of 67.41% as per the 2011 Indian census.[2] The
primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools,
under the administration of the state School Education Department.[161][162] These schools include
Municipal, Andhra Pradesh Residential, Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential, Zilla
Parishad, aided and unaided private schools.[163][164] There a total of 6,864,201 students[165]
enrolled in 61,529 schools.[166] The mediums of instruction are Telugu, English, Urdu, Hindi,
Kannada, Odia and Tamil.[167]

The Directorate of Government Examinations of the state administers the conduct of Secondary
School Certificate examination.[168] 652,374 candidates took the 2016 exam and recorded a pass
percentage of 94.52% for regular and 55.47% by private candidates.[169]

Higher education in the state is administered by the Department of Higher Education.[170] The
central universities are All India Institute of Medical Sciences, IIM Visakhapatnam, IIT Tirupati,
NIT Tadepalligudem, IIITDM Kurnool,[171] Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy,[172]NIDV,
Central University of Andhra Pradesh, IIIT Sri City, IISER Tirupati, Agriculture University,
Guntur and IIFT Kakinada. The Government of Andhra Pradesh established Rajiv Gandhi
University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) in 2008 to cater to the education needs of the
rural youth of Andhra Pradesh.[173] As per the University Grants Commission, GITAM, K L
University and Vignan University are the Deemed Universities in the state.[174] There are 18 state
universities in the districts providing higher education in horticulture, law, medical, technology,
Vedic and veterinary.[175] Andhra University is the oldest of the universities in the state,
established in 1926.[176][177]

Research[edit]

Research institutes have been set up by the central state government. Naval Science &
Technological Laboratory (NSTL), National Institute of Oceanography, Visakhapatnam (NIO),
School of Planning and Architecture at Vijayawada is an autonomous research institute under
Ministry of Human Resource Development of Government of India, National Atmospheric
Research Laboratory carry out fundamental and applied research in atmospheric and space
sciences,[178] Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati,[179] Society for Applied
Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research, Visakhapatnam Central Tobacco Research
Institute, Rajahmundry under control of ICAR (Indian Council of Agriculture Research)
conducts fundamental and applied research on Tobacco for the benefit of the farming
community,[180] Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIOPR) at Pedavegi near Eluru in West
Godavari district serves as a centre for conducting and co-ordinating research on all aspects of
oil palm conservation, improvement, production, protection, post-harvest technology and transfer
of technology,[181] CCRH Regional Research Institute at Gudivada, Clinical Research Institute at
Tirupati and National Institute of Oceanography[182] at Visakhapatnam are some of them.[183]

Space research organisation[edit]

Satish Dhawan Space Centre, also known as Sriharikota Range (SHAR), at barrier island of
Sriharikota in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh is a satellite launching station operated by
Indian Space Research Organisation.[184] It is India's primary orbital launch site. India's lunar
orbiter Chandrayaan-1 was launched from the centre at 6:22 AM IST on 22 October 2008.[185]

Sports[edit]
Main article: Sports in Andhra Pradesh

The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh is the governing body which looks after the
infrastructure development in cricket, field hockey, association football, Skating, Olympic
weightlifting, chess, water sports, tennis, badminton, table tennis, cycling, etc.[186]

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the state. The ACA-VDCA Stadium in
Visakhapatnam is the home to Andhra Pradesh cricket team. The venue regularly hosts
international as well as domestic matches. Notable cricketers from Andhra Pradesh include
former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin, Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, M. V.
Narasimha Rao, M. S. K. Prasad, V. V. S. Laxman, Tirumalasetti Suman, Arshad Ayub, Ambati
Rayudu, Venkatapathy Raju, Sravanthi Naidu, Yalaka Venugopal Rao and Hanuma Vihari.
Humpy Koneru, from Gudivada in Krishna district, is an Indian chess Grandmaster.

Karnam Malleswari, the first female Indian to win an Olympic medal, hails from Srikakulam
district of Andhra Pradesh. She won the bronze medal on 19 September 2000, in the 69 kg
category with a lift of 240 kg.[187]

Krishnam Raju Gadiraju of Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh, is a four-time world record holder. He
is a speedsolver and Unicyclist.[188]

Pullela Gopichand is a former Indian badminton player. He won the All England Open
Badminton Championships in 2001, becoming the second Indian to win after Prakash Padukone.
[189][190][191]

Cherukuri Lenin (1985 or 1986 – 24 October 2010) was an Indian archer and coach who won a
silver medal at the Asian Grand Prix in Malaysia, and was a National Archery Coach.