Nagapattinam
India
Also known as: Nagappattinam, Negapattam
Nagapattinam, port city, east-central Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, about 250 miles (400 km) south of Chennai (Madras). The city was an ancient port known to have traded with Europe in Greek and Roman times before it became a Portuguese and later a Dutch colony. Its influence declined with the growth of Chennai. Economic activity includes ship repair, fishing, steel rolling, and the manufacture...