Important facts of Gujarat
Gujarat is the 5th largest state of India. It is situated in the extreme west of India. It is surrounded by Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Gujarat shares a border with Pakistan. It has the longest coastline share of about 1600 km in India. It is the largest producer of cotton, groundnut, milk, and oilseed.
Historically, in the period 250 BC, the Maurya empire Ashoka extended his domination up to Gujarat. Also, the Mughal Emperor Akbar conquered Malwa in the year 1570. It was known by Gurjaratra as Gurjars had ruled here. Major historical cities from the Indus Valley civilizations such as Lothal, Dholavira, and Gola Dhoro were located here.
Mahatma Gandhi Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, such great personalities were born here.
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai => The father of India's Space Agency Jamsetji Tata => Father of Indian Industry Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi => Father of Nation.
# Key points of Gujarat
| Formation | Gujarat state is formed on 1st May 1960. |
| Area | The total area of Gujarat is 196000 square km. Holding area rank is 5th. |
| Climate | Summer is very hot. The average temperature in summer is 50 degrees celsius in the day and 30 degrees celsius at night. |
| Population | 60,439,700 according to census 2011. |
| Population Density | 308 per square km. |
| Sex Ratio | 919 per 1000 men. |
| Literacy | The literacy rate of Gujarat is 78%. |
| Official Language | Gujarati and Hindi. |
| Chief Minister | Vijay Rupani (from BJP) |
| Governor | Acharya Dev Vrat |
| No of District | 33. The largest district is Kutch and the smallest is Dang. |
| Capital | Gandhinagar is the capital of Gujarat. |
| Largest City | Ahmedabad |
| Airports | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and Surat Airport are two international airports. Regional airports are Bhavnagar Airport, Bhuj Airport, Jamnagar Airport, Kandla Airport, Porbandar Airport, Rajkot Airport, Vadodara Airport, etc. |
| GDP | USD 210 billion |
| Legislature | Rajya Sabha 11 |
| Lok Sabha Seat | Lok Sabha 26 |
| State Song | Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat |
| State animal | Asiatic lion |
| State Bird | Greater flamingo |
| State Flower | Marigold |
| State Tree | Banyan |
| Known For/As | “The Land of the Gurjaras” and “‘Jewel of Western India“ |
| Famous dance | Garba is the most famous folk dance in Gujarat. Some others are Bhavai, Dandiya, Padhar, Tippani, etc. |
| Famous Festivals | Navratri is the most famous festival in Gujarat. Other festivals are Rann Utsav, Uttarayan, Shamlaji Melo, Vautha Mela, Rath Yatra and Bhavnath Mahadev Fair. |
| Famous Temples | Somnath Temple, Dwarkadhish Temple, Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple, Bala Hanuman Mandir, Jamnagar, Rukmini Temple, Dwarka, Sun Temple, Modhera. |
| Important Tribes | Gamit, Bhils, Dhodias, Bawcha, Kunbi, Rabari, Siddi, Pateliya, Naikda, etc. |
| Important River | Narmada and Tapi are two major rivers in Gujarat. |
| Mountains or Hills | Bhujia Hill, Dhinodhar Hills, Girnar, Kalo Dungar, Parnera Hill, Pavagadh Hill, Saputara, Shatrunjaya, Thaltej-Jodhpur Tekra. |
| Highest Peak | Mt. Girna is the highest peak of Gujarat. |
| Important Dams | Sardar Sarovar Dam, Ukai Dam, Kadana Dam, Dantiwada Dam, Kamleshwar Dam, Kamleshwar Dam, Mitti Dam, Sukhi Dam. The largest dam in Gujarat is Sardar Sarovar Dam situated on the Narmada river. |
| Important Power plants | Coal Based: Mundra Thermal Power Station, Mundra Ultra Mega Power Plant, Akrimota Thermal Power Station, Bhavnagar Thermal Power Station, Essar Salaya Power Plant, Kutch Thermal Power Station, Sabarmati Thermal Power Station, Surat Thermal Power Station. Hydroelectric: Kadana hydroelectric power-station, Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited and Ukai Hydro Power Station Nuclear Power Base: Kakrapar Atomic Power Station. Solar power: Bitta Solar Power Plant, Canal Solar Power Project, Mithapur Solar Power Plant, etc. |
| Industries | gems, jewelry, pharmaceutical, textile, chemicals, soda ash, vegetable oils, and cement. |
| Minerals | Natural gas, Lignite, Bauxite, Flourspar, Manganese, Silica Sand, Limestone, china-clay fire-clay, calcite, dolomite, etc. |
| Agriculture | Tobacco, cotton, and groundnuts are the major agricultural production. Other major crops produced in this state are rice, wheat, jawar, bajra, maize, tur, and gram. |
| Lakes | Kankaria Lake, Nal Sarovar, Sursagar Lake, Thol Lake, Hamirsar Lake, Narayan Sarovar, Gomti Lake, etc. Kankaria Lake is the biggest lake in Ahmedabad. |
| National Parks | Gir Forest National Park, Velavadar National Park, Marine National Park, Vansda National Park, Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar, Wild Ass Sanctuary. |
| Famous Personalities | Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai, Vikram Sarabhai, Jamshedji Tata, Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. |
# Others important facts of Gujarat
- The safest state in India is Gujarat. It has the lowest crime records in India.
- The East India Company at Surat in the year 1818 for the first time.
- The highest number of airports (currently 17) are located in Gujarat.
- The greenest capital city is Gandhinagar is situated here.
- The state of Gujarat accomplished a population of more than 60 million with an area of 196000 square km.
- The Rann of Kachchh, best described as vast salt marshes, covered about 23000 sq km.of land.
- The state has the largest ship-breaking yard in the world which is situated in Bhavnagar.
- Gujarati is the 26th most spoken native language in the world.
- Gujarat has the World’s Largest petroleum refinery.
- Official Website of Gujarat: gujaratindia.gov.in
Dear aspirant, These are the major points and facts about the Gujarat state of India. These points should remember for general knowledge to crack UPSC IAS and banking exams.
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