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KARNATAKA

Karnataka is a southern state of India which was formed on November 1, 1956. It was originally known as the State of Mysore and was renamed Karnataka in 1973.

Karnataka is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the West, Goa to the NorthWest, Maharashtra to the North, Andhra Pradesh to the East, Tamil Nadu to the SouthEast, and Kerala to the SouthWest. The state covers an area of 74,122 sq mi (191,976 sq km), and it is 5.83% of the total geographical area of India. It is the eighth largest Indian state in terms of area, the ninth largest with respect to population and comprises 29 districts, which are listed below. Kannada is the official and most widely spoken language. Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Tulu and Urdu are also spoken.

Though several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka, the generally accepted one is that Karnataka is derived from the Kannada words karu and nadu, meaning elevated land. Karu nadu may also be read as Karu (black) and nadu (region), as a reference to the black cotton soil found in the Bayaluseeme region of Karnataka. The British used the word Carnatic (sometimes Karnatak) to describe both sides of peninsular India, south of the Krishna River.

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