Madras

Madras.

1 State and former province, India: see Tamil Nadu.

2 City, India: see Chennai.

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Chennai

 formerly Madras

City (pop., 2001: city, 4,343,645; metro. area, 6,560,242), capital of Tamil Nadu state, southern India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Founded in 1639 by the British East India Company as a fort and trading post, it was known as Fort St. George and was used as a base for the company's expansion in southern India. The city of St. Thomé, established by the Portuguese in the 16th century, was ceded to the British in 1749 and incorporated into it. The English made the city their administrative and commercial capital c. 1800. It is an industrial centre and the site of numerous educational and cultural institutions. It is traditionally considered the burial place of St. Thomas the Apostle.

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Tamil Nadu

 formerly Madras

State (pop., 2001: 62,645,679), southeastern India. Lying on the Bay of Bengal, its coastline includes the enclaves of Pondicherry and Karaikal (both parts of Pondicherry union territory); it is also bordered by Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh states. Tamil Nadu covers an area of 50,216 sq mi (130,058 sq km), and its capital is Chennai (Madras). Its interior includes the fertile Kaveri (Cauvery) River delta. By the 2nd century AD the region was occupied by Tamil kingdoms. The Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar ruled the southern regions from 1336 to 1565. The Portuguese entered the area at the end of the 15th century, only to be displaced by the Dutch in the 16th–17th centuries. The British established a settlement in 1611, which expanded to become the separate presidency of Madras, which lasted from 1653 to 1946. The state of Tamil Nadu was formed in 1956. It is one of India's most industrialized states, manufacturing vehicles, electrical equipment, and chemicals.

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madras

a. a strong fine cotton or silk fabric, usually with a woven stripe

b. (as modifier): madras cotton

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Madras

1. a port in SE India, capital of Tamil Nadu, on the Bay of Bengal: founded in 1639 by the English East India Company as Fort St George; traditional burial place of St Thomas; university (1857). Pop.: 4 216 268 (2001)

2. the former name (until 1968) for the state of Tamil Nadu

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Madras 

a city in southern India, on the Bay of Bengal, and the administrative center of the state of Tamil Nadu. Population, 2.47 million (1971).

Madras is a major industrial, commercial financial, and cultural center and an important transport junction. The port of Madras has an artificial harbor; it is the country’s third largest port in terms of freight turnover, handling 6 million tons annually. The chief exports are peanuts, fabrics, coffee, spices, and iron ores. Near the city is the Meenambakkam international airport. Since independence the city has grown as an industrial center. Old sectors were expanded, including the production of cotton, leather (one of the country’s largest centers), food and condiments, and metal products, and new industries were developed, particularly machine building (two automobile plants and the country’s largest state-owned factory for the manufacture of railroad passenger cars), petroleum refining (a plant with an annual capacity of 2.5 million tons of crude oil), and the production of plastics. In the suburbs are state plants for the production of tanks (Avadhi) and teletype units (Guindy).

The city’s educational and scientific institutions include a university, research institutes of mathematics, natural resources, and medicine, and the Indian Geographic Society, an important center for geographic research in southern India. There is also a film studio.

The city sprawls over a broad coastal plain. Residential and business districts alternate with large parks, gardens, and even rice paddies. In the northern coastal section of the city, next to the port, is the business center. To the west lies the industrial district of Perampur, and south of the port stands the former English fort, now the Historical Museum. South and southwest of the fort lies the center of the city, with many shops, hotels, and private residences. Along the coast extends the scenic Marina promenade.

O. B. OSKOLKOVA

Founded in 1639 as an English trading post, called Fort St. George, Madras was a base for English expansion in southern India in the 18th century. During the colonial period it was the headquarters of the governor of Madras Province. After India achieved independence in 1947, the city became the administrative center initially of the state of Madras and, since 1969, of Tamil Nadu.