Telangana

Telangana, constituent state of south-central India. It is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north, Chhattisgarh and Odisha to the northeast, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast and south, and Karnataka to the west. The area of what is now Telangana constituted the north-central and northeastern portions of Andhra Pradesh for almost six decades, but on June 2, 2014, that territory was calved off to form a separate state. The capital of Telangana is Hyderabad, in west-central Telangana.

Land

Telangana is situated largely in an upland region of the Deccan (peninsular India). Much of its surface area is occupied by the Telangana Plateau in the north and the Golconda Plateau in the south and is composed of gneissic rock (gneiss being a foliated rock formed within Earth’s interior under conditions of heat and pressure). The average elevation of the plateau area is about 1,600 feet (500 metres), higher in the west and southwest and sloping downward toward the east and northeast, where it meets the discontinuous line of the Eastern Ghats ranges. Drainage is dominated by the basins of the Godavari River in the north and the Krishna River in the south. As a result of erosion, the topography of the plateau region consists of graded valleys with red sandy soil and isolated hills. Black soil is also found in certain parts of the area.

Telangana has three seasons: summer, from March to June; a period of tropical rains from July to September; and winter, from October to February. Summers are warm to hot and dry, with temperatures often nearing or exceeding 100 °F (38 °C). Annual precipitation, which derives largely from the rainy southwest monsoon winds, varies somewhat across the state. It averages about 35 inches (900 mm) per year, although the annual total often varies considerably from the average and can be as little as 20 inches (500 mm) in drier areas. Average minimum temperatures in Hyderabad reach about 60 °F (15 °C) in January and February and usually read in the low 50s F (about 10 to 12 °C) at higher elevations.

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Thorny vegetation covers the scattered hills of the plateau areas, while dense woodlands are found in the northeast along and near the Godavari River. The forests, covering about one-fourth of the land area, consist of both moist deciduous and dry savanna vegetation; teak, rosewood, wild fruit trees, and bamboo are plentiful. Elsewhere in the state, neem (which produces an aromatic oil), banyan, mango, and pipal (or Bo; Ficus religiosa) are among the common trees.

Animal life includes tigers, blackbucks, hyenas, sloth bears, gaurs, and chital, which abound in the hills and forest areas. There are also hundreds of species of birds, including flamingos and pelicans. Telangana is home to some two dozen national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and protected areas, including two tiger reserves that adjoin similar facilities in neighbouring states.

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People

Telangana lies at a crossroads between northern and southern India, and it has a diverse population. In general, the state’s various communities are identified more readily by a combination of language, religion, and social class or caste than they are by specific ethnic affiliation. The Dravidian language Telugu is the official and most widely spoken language in the state. A small minority speaks Urdu, a language primarily of northern India and Pakistan. Most of the remaining groups speak border-area languages, including Hindi, Kannada, and Marathi. Lambadi (Banjari) and other languages are spoken by the state’s Scheduled Tribes (the official designation for indigenous minority peoples). The great majority of Telangana’s residents practice Hinduism, while smaller numbers of the population follow Islam. Some one-fourth of the state’s people are members of Scheduled Castes (the official designation for those formerly called “untouchables”) and Scheduled Tribes.

Telangana is largely rural, with roughly two-fifths of the state’s population classified as urban. Hyderabad accounts for more than half of those in urban areas. The state’s other main cities include Warangal, Nizamabad, Mahbubnagar, and Adilabad.

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Economy

Telangana’s economy was long dominated by agriculture, notably the production of rice. The state’s rivers, particularly the Godavari and the Krishna, have been tapped to provide irrigation for the dry interior, although many areas still depend on the somewhat unpredictable monsoon rainfall. In addition to rice, other important crops are corn (maize) and cotton. The Nagarjuna Sagar multipurpose dam project on the border with Andhra Pradesh, which diverts the waters of the Krishna for irrigation, has substantially increased the production of rice and sugarcane. Rice flour, rice-bran oil, paints and varnishes, soaps and detergents, cardboard and other packaging materials, and cattle feed are all produced from local paddy rice. Other agricultural commodities include chili peppers, sorghum, pulses (peas, beans, and lentils), castor beans, and peanuts (groundnuts), as well as a variety of tropical fruits. Livestock raising and aquaculture are also important, each accounting for a small but still significant component of annual economic output.

The state’s woodlands annually yield high-quality timber, such as teak and eucalyptus. Non-timber forest products—including sal seeds (from which an edible oil is extracted), tendu leaves (for rolling cigarettes), gum karaya (a type of emulsifier), and bamboo—are also important. The state government initiated a major reforestation program.

Among Telangana’s principal mineral resources are coal, limestone, quartz, granite, feldspar, dolomite, and barite. The diamond mines of the Golconda Plateau were once renowned worldwide for producing the Koh-i-noor diamond and other famous stones; efforts have been made to revive production in the area. Most of Telangana’s energy is produced by thermal generators in the public sector, with hydroelectric power stations providing an important secondary source of energy. In addition, the government has taken steps to develop wind and solar energy production.

The industrial sector—including manufacturing, utilities, and construction—has become a major factor in Telangana’s economy. The Hyderabad area has become known for aeronautics and other high-technology manufacturing, as well as for plants producing electrical equipment, machine tools, and pharmaceuticals. A number of important enterprises of moderate size, such as sugar factories, are scattered across the medium-size and smaller urban areas. The increase in power generated by hydroelectric and thermoelectric projects since the late 20th century has benefited industrialization and irrigation.

Services have become the largest contributor to Telangana’s economy, constituting some three-fifths of its annual value. In addition to such components as banking and insurance, communications, and trade, activities associated with information technology have become important, especially in the Hyderabad metropolitan area. Tourism has been of small but growing significance.

There is an international airport at Hyderabad. An extensive road and rail system connects Telangana with most other parts of India. Bus transportation, a large share of which is privately operated, offers facilities for express travel between various cities.