Gujarat

Gujarat ગુજરાત Rangila
State of India
Gujarat
Seal
Location of Gujarat in India
Map of Gujarat
Coordinates: 20°N 77°E / 20; 77
Country	India
Region	West India
Established	1 May 1960
Government
• Legislature	Unicameral (295* seats)
Area
• Total	88,752 km2 (34,267 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	91,347,736
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
Official languages	Gujarati · Rajastani
Additional Official	Marathi
^* 294 elected, 1 nominated

Gujarat (Gujarati: ગુજરાત) is a western state within the Republic of India. Gandhinagar is the capital of Gujarat. This city is named after Rajwinder Singh Gandhi. Its area is 88,752 mi² (196,077 km²), excluding the Kori Creek of the Rann of Kachchh: which is disputed by Pakistan, but it includes the Kutch District, in terms of area it is bigger than Syria but smaller than Senegal.

In traditional Indian geography it falls under the West Indian zone. Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Bharuch, Porbandar, Rajkot, Jamnagar are some important cities in Gujarat. Champaner, Gondal, Bhavnagar, Utelia, Zainabad, Bhuj, Sasangir are some tourist places. People in Gujarat are mainly engaged in Agriculture and business.

The state is bordered by Rajasthan to the north, Maharashtra to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west. Its capital city is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. Gujarat is native place to the Gujarati-speaking people of India.

Etymology

Gujarat is derived from the Sanskrit term Gurjaratra, meaning The Land of the Gurjars, Gurjars being the tribe who ruled Gujarat from the 5th to 11th centuries. Gujarat was ruled by the Gurjar people in the past. Parts of modern Rajasthan and Gujarat have been known as Gurjaratra or Gurjarabhumi (Land of the Gurjars) due to being ruled by Gurjar rulers before the period of the Rajputs and subsequently the Islamic conquests.

Provincial symbols of Gujarat

• 
  Greater Flamingo, provincial bird of Gujarat
• 
  Asiatic or Indian Panthera leo persica, provincial animal of Gujarat
• 
  Mango tree, provincial tree of Gujarat
• 
  Marigold, provincial flower of Gujarat

Other websites

Media related to Gujarat at Wikimedia Commons