Goa , Famously known as Rome of the East, capital of the historical Portuguese eastern empire (1510 to 1910), currently Republic of India's smallest state by area post the 1974/75 UN treaty and has the fourth smallest population. Located in the Western part of the Indian subcontinent as numerous islands and provinces in the region generally known as the Konkan strip, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its entire western coast. Goa is India's richest state with a GDP per capita two and a half times that of the country as a whole. It was ranked the best placed state by the Eleventh Finance Commission for its infrastructure and ranked on top for the best quality of life in India by the National Commission on Population based on the 12 Indicators. Panaji is the state's capital, Old Goa called Velha Goa is the former capital and Vasco da Gama is the largest city with a historical port, presently occupied with migrants from all over the Republic of India. The historic city of Margao still exhibits the 450 years cultural influence of the Portuguese, who first landed in the early 16th century as explorers, merchants and conquered it soon thereafter as its extended empire. Goa is a former Portuguese province; the Portuguese overseas territory of Portuguese India existed for about 450 years until it was annexed by the Republic of India in 1961. Goa has its people of diverse ethnicities all around the world and is visited by them as well as large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year for its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture. It also has rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, which is classified as a biodiversity hotspot.

• published: 30 Nov 2014
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