Chennai Madras
—  Metropolitan city  —
Clockwise from top: Chennai Central, Marina Beach, Kapaleeswarar Temple, Santhome Basilica, Bharata Natyam recital.
Coordinates: 13°5′2″N 80°16′12″E / 13.08389°N 80.27°E / 13.08389; 80.27Coordinates: 13°5′2″N 80°16′12″E / 13.08389°N 80.27°E / 13.08389; 80.27
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Chennai[A]
Former name	Madras
Government
• Mayor	Saidai Duraisamy[1]
• Deputy Mayor	P. Benjamin[2]
• Corporation Commissioner	P. W. C. Davidar[3]
• Police Commissioner	J K Tripathy[4]
Area
• Metropolitan city	426.7 km2 (164.48 sq mi)
• Metro	1,189 km2 (464.45 sq mi)
Elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Population (2011)[5]
• Metropolitan city	4,681,087
• Rank	6th
• Metro[6]	8,696,010
• Metro rank	3rd
• Demonym	Chennaite
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Postal index number	600 xxx,
Vehicle registration	TN 01–10, 18, 20, 22
UN/LOCODE	IN MAA
Telephone	91-44-XXXX XXXX
Official language	Tamil
Website	www.chennaicorporation.gov.in
^ The Chennai metropolitan area also includes portions of Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts.

Chennai /ˈtʃɛnaɪ/, formerly Madras /məˈdræs/, is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is a major commercial, cultural, and educational centre in South India, while the port of Chennai is the second largest port in India. As of the 2011 census, the city had 4.68 million residents making it the sixth most populous city in India; the urban agglomeration, which comprises the city and its suburbs, was home to approximately 8.9 million, making it the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the country.

Although the area has been part of successive South Indian kingdoms through centuries, the recorded history of the city began in the colonial times, specifically with the arrival of British East India Company and the establishment in 1644 of Fort St George, an English settlement. The British defended several attacks from the French colonial forces, and from the kingdom of Mysore, on Chennai's way to become a major naval port and presidency city by late eighteenth century. Following the independence of India, Chennai became the capital of Tamil Nadu and a hotbed of regional politics that tended to bank on Dravidian identity of the populace. Chennai had become a bustling metropolis with beautiful classical and colonial European styled buildings, lining the city’s thoroughfares.

Chennai's economy has a broad industrial base in the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare industries. The city is India's second largest exporter of information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services.^[7][8] A major chunk of India's automobile manufacturing industry is based in and around the city and hence it is called the Detroit of India. ^[9] Chennai is an important centre for Carnatic music and hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season, which includes performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a vibrant theatre scene and is an important centre for the Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil film industry is based in Chennai.^[10]

Names[link]

The name Chennai, Tamil pronunciation: [ˈtɕennəj], is a shortened form of Chennapattanam, the name of the town that grew around Fort St. George, which was built by the English in 1639.^[11] There are two versions about the origin of the name Chennapattanam: according to one version, Chennapattanam was named after Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, Nayaka of Kalahasthi and Vandavasi, father of Damarla Venkatadri Nayakudu, from whom the English acquired the town in 1639. The first official use of the name Chennai is said to be in a sale deed, dated 8 August 1639, to Francis Day of the English East India Company.^[12] According to the second account, Chennapattanam was named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple; the word chenni in Tamil means face, and the temple was regarded as the face of the city.^[13]

The city's former name, Madras, Tamil: [mæˈdrəs], is believed to have been derived from Madraspattinam, a fishing village north of Fort St. George.^[14] Other arguments suggest that the Portuguese, who arrived in the area in the 16th century had named the village Madre de Deus, meaning the Mother of God. Another possibility is that the village's name came from the prominent Madeiros family of Portuguese origin, which consecrated the Madre de Deus Church in the Santhome locality of Chennai in 1575. It is uncertain whether the name 'Madraspattinam' was in use before European influence.^[15] Another theory concludes that the name Madras was given to Chennapattanam after it was taken from a similarly named Christian priest,^[16] while other parties are of the opinion that it might have been taken from a fisherman by the name of Madrasan, or from religious Muslim schools which were referred to as Madrasahs, or the word Madhu-ras, which means honey in Tamil.^[17]

After the English gained possession of the area in the 17th century, the two towns, Madraspattinam and Chennapattinam, were merged, and the English referred to the united town as Madrasapattinam. The state government officially changed the name to Chennai in 1996, at a time when many Indian cities were being renamed.^[17][18]

History[link]

The region around Chennai served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre since the 1st century. A poet and weaver named Thiruvalluvar lived in the town of Mylapore, currently a neighbourhood within Chennai, during that time.^[19] Present-day Tamil Nadu was ruled by the Cholas until the 12th century.^[20] Stone age implements have been found near Pallavaram in Chennai. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, Pallavaram was a megalithic cultural establishment. It is believed that pre-historic communities resided in the settlement.^[21] The Pallavas of Kanchi built the areas of Mahabalipuram and Pallavaram during the reign of Mahendravarman I. They also defeated several kingdoms including the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas who ruled over the area before their arrival. Sculpted caves and paintings have been identified from that period.^[22] Ancient coins dating to around 500 BC have also been unearthed from the city and its surrounding areas. A portion of these findings belonged to the Vijayanagara Empire, which ruled the region during the medieval period.^[23]

An 18th century portrait depicting Fort St. George, the first major British settlement in India and the foundation stone of Chennai.

The Portuguese arrived in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé after the Christian apostle, St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 AD. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, just north of the city.^[24] On 22 August 1639, which is currently referred to as Madras Day, the British East India Company under Francis Day bought a small strip of land stretching 3 miles on the Coromandel Coast. They got a license to build a fort and a castle in the contracted region. The ruler of the area, Chennapa Nayak, the Nayaka of Vandavasi, granted the British permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises. The region was then primarily a fishing village known as "Madraspatnam".^[23] A year later, the British built Fort St. George, the first major British settlement in India,^[25] which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city. Fort St. George housed the Tamil Nadu Assembly until the new Secretariat building was opened in 2010.^[26] In 1746, Fort St. George and Madras were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, who plundered the town and its outlying villages.^[24] The British regained control in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and strengthened the town's fortress wall to withstand further attacks from the French and Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore.^[27] They resisted a French siege attempt in 1759 under the leadership of Eyre Coote.^[28] In 1769 the city was threatened by Mysore and the British were defeated by Hyder Ali, after which the Treaty of Madras ended the war.^[29] By the late 18th century, the British had conquered most of the region around Tamil Nadu and the northern modern–day states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, establishing the Madras Presidency with Madras as the capital.

Gradually, the city grew into a major naval base and became the central administrative center for the British in South India.^[30] With the advent of railways in India in the 19th century, the thriving urban centre was connected to other important cities such as Bombay and Calcutta, promoting increased communication and trade with the hinterland.^[31] Madras was the only Indian city to be attacked by the Central Powers during World War I, when an oil depot was shelled by the German light cruiser SMS Emden on 22 September 1914, as it raided shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, causing disruption to shipping.^[32]

After India gained its independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State, which was renamed as Tamil Nadu in 1969. The violent agitations of 1965 against the compulsory imposition of Hindi in the state marked a major shift in the political dynamics of the city and eventually it had a big impact on the whole state.^[33] On 26 December 2004, an Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing many and permanently altering the coastline.^[34]

Environment[link]

Geography[link]

Chennai is on a flat coastal plain, as shown on this Landsat 7 map.

Chennai, sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to South India",^[35] is located on the south–eastern coast of India in the north–eastern part of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. Its average elevation is around 6.7 metres (22 ft),^[36] and its highest point is 60 m (200 ft).^[37] The Marina Beach runs for 6 km (3.7 mi) along the shoreline of the city and is the second longest urban beach in the world.^[38] Two rivers meander through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. A third river, the Kortalaiyar, flows through the northern fringes of the city before draining into the sea at Ennore. Adyar and Cooum rivers are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources. The state government periodically removes silt and pollution from the Adyar river, which is less polluted than the Cooum. A protected estuary on the Adyar forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals.^[39][40] According to an ACNielsen survey, Chennai is regarded as the second cleanest city in India.^[41] The Buckingham Canal, 4 km (2.5 mi) inland, runs parallel to the coast, linking the two rivers. The Otteri Nullah, an east–west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge. Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Some areas of the city have the problem of excess iron in groundwater.^[42]

Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone.^[43] Sandy areas are found along the river banks and coasts. Here rainwater runoff percolates quickly through the soil. Clay underlies most of the city. Areas of hard rock include Guindy, Perungudi, Velachery, Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet.^[44]

Chennai is divided into four broad regions: North, Central, South and West. North Chennai is primarily an industrial area. Central Chennai is the commercial heart of the city and includes an important business district, Parry's Corner. South Chennai and West Chennai, previously mostly residential, are fast becoming commercial, home to a growing number of information technology firms, financial companies and call centres. The city is expanding quickly along the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST Road) in the south and towards Ambattur, Koyambedu and Sriperumbdur in the west.^[45] Chennai is one of the few cities in the world that accommodates a national park, the Guindy National Park, within its limits.^[46] The city has an estimated 4.5% of its area under green cover.^[47] This enables Chennai residents to go birding in Chennai.

Climate[link]

Chennai has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate. The city lies on the thermal equator^[48] and is also on the coast, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature. The weather is hot and humid for most of the year. The hottest part of the year is late May to early June, known locally as Agni Nakshatram ("fire star") or as Kathiri Veyyil,^[49] with maximum temperatures around 35–40 °C (95–104 °F). The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around 15–22 °C (59–72 °F). The lowest temperature recorded is 13.8 °C (56.8 °F) and the highest recorded temperature is 45 °C (113 °F)^[50] The average annual rainfall is about 140 cm (55 in).^[51] The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north–east monsoon winds, from mid–October to mid–December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city. The highest annual rainfall recorded is 257 cm (101 in) in 2005.^[52] Prevailing winds in Chennai are usually southwesterly between April and October^[53] and northeasterly during the rest of the year.

Water[link]

Historically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area. With a steadily increasing population, the city has faced water supply shortages, and its ground water levels have been depleted. An earlier Veeranam Lake project failed to solve the city's water problems, but the New Veeranam project, which became operational in September 2004, has greatly reduced dependency on distant sources.^[55] In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and rainwater harvesting (RWH) by Chennai Metrowater at its Anna Nagar Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages.^[56] Moreover, newer projects like the Telugu Ganga project that bring water from water-surplus rivers like the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh have eased water shortages. The city houses India's largest constructed sea water desalination plant to further increase the water supply.^[57][58][59] However, Chennai is expected to face a huge deficit of 713 million litres per day (MLD) as the demand is projected at 2,248 MLD and supply estimated at only 1,535 MLD in 2026.^[60]

Administration[link]