Visakhapatnam Vizag, Vizagapatam, Waltair |
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Metropolis | |
Top to bottom, left to right: A view of Visakhapatnam and the Bay of Bengal from Kailasagiri Park, Simhachalam Temple, King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam Port, the Kursura Submarine Museum, the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, and Ramakrishna Mission Beach
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Etymology: Vishākhā | |
Nickname(s): Financial Capital of Andhra Pradesh, Goa of the East, The City of Destiny, The Jewel of the East Coast | |
Coordinates: 17°41′18″N 83°13′07″E / 17.68833°N 83.21861°ECoordinates: 17°41′18″N 83°13′07″E / 17.68833°N 83.21861°E | |
Country | India |
State | Andhra Pradesh |
District | Visakhapatnam |
Incorporated (town) | 1865 |
Incorporated (city) | 1979 |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor-council |
• Body | GVMC |
• Mayor | Pulusu Janardhana Rao |
• Municipal commissioner | M.Hari Narayanan |
• Commissioner of Police | T.Yoganand,I.P.S. |
Area | |
• Metropolis | 540.00 km2 (208.50 sq mi) |
• Metro | 5,573 km2 (2,152 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Metropolis | 2,035,922 |
• Rank |
14th (India) 1st (Andhra Pradesh) |
• Density | 3,800/km2 (9,800/sq mi) |
• Metro | 5,340,000 |
Demonym(s) | Vizagite |
Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
PIN | 530 0XX, 531 1XX |
Telephone code | +91-891 |
Vehicle registration | AP |
Official language | Telugu |
Website | visakhapatnam |
Visakhapatnam ([ʋiʃaːkʰapaʈːɳam]; also known as Vizag) is the largest city and Financial Capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The city is the administrative headquarters of Visakhapatnam district and Eastern Naval Command. Its geographical location is amidst Eastern Ghats mountain range and the coast of Bay of Bengal. It is the most populous city in the state and one of the million-plus cities in India. with a population of 2,035,922. The core city and its surrounding settlements together constitute Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region, one of the most populous urban regions in the country with a population of 5,340,000. The economy of the city is the tenth largest in the country, with a GDP of ₹1,650 billion (US$26 billion).
Visakhapatnam's history stretches back to the 6th century BCE, when it was considered a part of the Kalinga Kingdom, and later ruled by the Vengi, the Pallava and Eastern Ganga dynasties. Archaeological records suggest that the present city was built around the 11th and 12th centuries with control over the city fluctuating between the Chola Dynasty and the Gajapati Kingdom, until its conquest by the Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th century. Conquered by the Mughals in the 16th century, European powers eventually set up trading interests in the city, and by the end of the 18th century it had come under French rule. Control passed to the British in 1804 and it remained under British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947.