Chennai (Tamil: சென்னை, formerly known as Madras , is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India's fourth largest metropolitan city. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 7.60 million (2006), the 368-year-old city is the 36th largest metropolitan area in the world.

The city is a large commercial and industrial centre, and is known for its cultural heritage and temple architecture. Chennai is the automobile capital of India, with around forty percent of the automobile industry having a base there and with a major portion of the nation's vehicles being produced there. Chennai is also referred to as the Detroit of South Asia. It has also become a major center for outsourced jobs from the Western world. The 12-kilometre long Marina Beach forms the city's east coast and is one of the longest beaches in the world. The city is known for its sport venues and hosts India's only ATP tennis event, the Chennai Open.

The name Madras is derived from Madraspatnam, the site chosen by the British East India Company for a permanent settlement in 1639. Another small town, Chennapatnam, lay to the south of it. In due course the two towns were merged, and the term Madras was favoured by the British. However locals used to refer to it as Chennapatnam or Chennapuri. The city was renamed Chennai in August 1996 as the name Madras was perceived to be of Portuguese origin. It is believed that the original Portuguese name is Madre de Sois, named after a Portuguese high authority who was one among the early settlers in 1500. There have been suggestions though that Chennai may not be a Tamil name while Madras may be of Tamil origin.

More on [ Chennai ]

Chennai - Twitter Search

#Biotechnology China honours Indian biotech expert - Chennai Online http://bit.ly/4nupUa
SciSolutions (Scientist Solutions) Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:03:12 -0000
#Biotechnology China honours Indian biotech expert - Chennai Online http://bit.ly/4nupUa
Ha ha ha. Act 3 on chennai is very funny. #2states
vigneash (Vigneashwaran) Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:01:12 -0000
Ha ha ha. Act 3 on chennai is very funny. #2states
Act 3- chennai. #2states.
vigneash (Vigneashwaran) Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:56:52 -0000
Act 3- chennai. #2states.
#india #tax #jobs- Corporate Executive - Finance, HR, Administration, 2-5 years exp, Chennai http://bit.ly/H57PF
elagaan (eLagaan - India Tax) Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:55:04 -0000
#india #tax #jobs- Corporate Executive - Finance, HR, Administration, 2-5 years exp, Chennai http://bit.ly/H57PF
Chennai Tweetup to Celebrate @mad_nad & @BenedictHerold 's Birthday on Sunday (11th Oct) When: 6.30 PM Where: Mast Kalandar, Besant Nagar...
pprakash (Prakash P) Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:53:55 -0000
Chennai Tweetup to Celebrate @mad_nad & @BenedictHerold 's Birthday on Sunday (11th Oct) When: 6.30 PM Where: Mast Kalandar, Besant Nagar...
Rain god has again fooled everyone in Chennai. Onlye drizzle and then there is no sign of rain. Oh! when will it rain?
sndppr (Sandeep P R) Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:50:40 -0000
Rain god has again fooled everyone in Chennai. Onlye drizzle and then there is no sign of rain. Oh! when will it rain?

Subscribe to Chennai RSS feed