Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is a state on the east coast of southern India. It is the seventh-largest state and the tenth-most populous in the country. Telugu, one of the classical languages of India, is the most widely spoken language in the state and serves as its official language. Amaravati is the state capital, and Visakhapatnam is the largest city. Andhra Pradesh shares borders with Odisha to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the north, Karnataka to the west, Tamil Nadu to the south, Telangana to northwest and the Bay of Bengal to the east.

According to archaeological evidence, Andhra Pradesh has been continuously inhabited from early archaic hominins through Neolithic settlements. The earliest known reference to the Andhras appears in the Aitareya Brahmana (c. 800 BCE) of the Rigveda. Around 300 BCE, Megasthenes described the Andhras as a distinct race living in the Godavari and Krishna river deltas. Famous for military strength, which was second only to that of the Maurya Empire in the Indian subcontinent. The first major Andhra polity was the Satavahana dynasty (2nd century BCE – 2nd century CE), which ruled over the entire Deccan Plateau and extended into western and central India. The Satavahanas established trade relations with the Roman Empire, and according to historian Stanley Wolpert, their capital, Dhanyakataka, may have been the most prosperous city in India during the 2nd century CE. Subsequent major dynasties included the Vishnukundinas, Andhra Ikshavuks, Pallava dynasty, Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara Empire, and Qutb Shahis, followed by British rule. After India gained independence, Andhra State was carved out of Madras State in 1953. In 1956, it merged with the Telugu-speaking regions of the former Hyderabad State (Telangana) to form Andhra Pradesh. The state reverted to its earlier form in 2014, when the new state of Telangana was bifurcated from it.

The Eastern Ghats separate the coastal plains from the peneplains. Major rivers include the Krishna, Godavari, Tungabhadra and Penna. According to government estimates, Andhra Pradesh holds approximately one-third of India's limestone reserves and significant deposits of baryte and granite. Agriculture and related activities employ 62.17% of the population, with rice as the staple crop. The state contributes 30% to India's fish production and accounts for 35% of the country's seafood exports. The Satish Dhawan Space Centre, located on the Sriharikota island in Tirupati district, serves as India's primary satellite launch centre.

Andhra is the birthplace of the Amaravati school of art, an ancient Indian art style that influenced South Indian, Sri Lankan, and Southeast Asian art. The state is also home to Kuchipudi, one of India's classical dance forms, and has produced several Carnatic music composers. The state includes pilgrimage centres and natural attractions, such as the Venkateswara temple in Tirumala and the Araku Valley. Products with geographical indication (GI) registration include Tirupati Laddu, Banganapalle mangoes, Kondapalli toys, Dharmavaram sarees, Pootharekulu and Ponduru Khadi.