Andhra Pradesh, the third largest state in India is said to have been the home of the Pre- Dravidian dark coloured inhabitants. Andhra region witnessed the rule of Chandragupta Maurya during which it established itself as an independent kingdom. The state located in South India, is bounded by Tamil Nadu in the south, Maharashtra in the North and North-West, Madhya Pradesh in the North-East, Karnataka in the West, and the Bay of Bengal in the East. The medieval city of Hyderabad is its capital. The main languages spoken here are Telugu, English, Urdu and Hindi.

State Bird -Indian roller, State Animal - Black buck
State Flower - To be declared, State Tree - Neem

History
Andhra Pradesh is said to have been the home of the Pre- Dravidian dark coloured inhabitants. Andhra region witnessed the rule of Chandragupta Maurya during which it established itself as an independent kingdom. After Ashoka, the Mauryan empire declined giving opportunity to establish smaller kingdoms. In about the third century BC the Satavahanas ruled for about five centuries. The Satavahanas established a strong rule with their territories extending upto Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The Satavahanas were overpowered by the Ikshvakus by the third century AD. During this period Brahmanism is said to have been revived. This reduced the influence of the Buddhist which was fostered by the Satavahanas.

By the end of the third century AD the Pallavas of Kanchi put an end to the rule of the Ikshavakus. Art and Architecture advanced during their rule. By 4th century AD the Anandas established their rule which lasted till 6th century. During the 7th century the Eastern Chalukyas exercised their power for about four centuries. Literature was advanced during this period with promotion of the Telegu script. The Kakatiyas who were the feudatories of the Eastern Chalukyas became independent in about the 12th century. During the rule of Delhi Sultanate, Muslims repeatedly attempted intrution into Andhra. In 1332 AD Ulugh Khan established themselves. The Reddi Kingdom of Kondavidu; the Velama kingdom, the Vijayanagar Kingdom also ruled independently . The rule of Muhammad Tughlag witnessed the rise of the independent Muslim Power at Bijapur. This was under the Bahamani Sultanate. In 1518 the Sultan Qili Qutub Shah declared himself independent and founded the Qutub Shah dynasty which existed till 1687. During this period literature, art and architect are advanced. The city of Hyderabad was laid in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah. The Mughals put an end to the Qutub Shahi rule in 1687. After this the Asafjahis called Nizams emerged. They influenced Andhra Pradesh till the 18th century till Andhra Pradesh was ceded to the East India Company. Gradually the whole of Andhra Pradesh except Hyderabad was under the British till 1947. In 1956 Andhra Pradesh was declared as a state.

The People

The general physical traits of the people of Andhra Pradesh are tall, round-headed, broad-faced, with a long arched forehead, thick and protruding noses, with straight hair and yellow skin. Certain castes of Brahmins and Kapus of Vizag district, in Andhra Pradesh have the following features which accords with the description of the sub-races of the Mediterranean belonging to the main division of Caucasoid; short of medium height, with long and elevated or medium-sized heads, normal eyebrows, with short broad faces, prominent but medium-sized noses, straight hair and wavy tufts. The general colour of the skin is wheat-gray.

The other inhabitants of the Andhra are divided into two classes. The first of them belong to the forests and hill area of the Deccan Plateau. The others belong to the extended areas of the doab between the rivers Krishna and the Godavari. The foresters answer to the description of the Australoid sub-race. The Chenchus of Srisailam hills belong to this class. They are short, with elevated long heads and possess clear and well-defined eyebrows, with protruding mouths and snub flat noses. The general colour of the skin is wheat-gray and the hair is black and crinkled.

Gadabas, Savaras and Koyas belonging to the Bhadrachalam and Simhachalam hilly areas, bear the complex features of Mongolids and Australoids. From the earliest times, the Telugu land included among its inhabitants foresters and hill-men and other tribals. Some tribals inhabited the sea-board region. Today there are nearly 32 lakh tribals and 50 lakh nomads and other backward people in Andhra Pradesh. Their habitat spreads along the coastal and mountain strip of the Bay of Bengal from the Bhadragiri agency in Srikakulam district to the Bhadrachalam agency in Khammam and Godavari districts. From there it spreads north-east wards to the Adilabad region. This tribal area is contiguous to the tribal areas of Bastar, Dandakaranya and Vidarbha. There are about thirty-three kinds of tribals in eight districts of Andhra Pradesh. Important among them are the Khonds, Kolamis, Nayakpods, Koyas, Kondadoras, Valmikis, Bhagatas, Savaras, Jatayus, Gadabas, Yanadis and Chenchus.

These tribes have absorbed elements of Hinduism. The tribal people worship their own pantheon of nature gods and goddesses and continue to revel in their ancient customs and manners. Their languages do not have scripts and are essentially verbal. Tradition has a firm grip on them. The laws of tradition are always obeyed scrupulously and any breach is strictly censured. Their social life is obedience to the leader who commands immense respect and holds sway over all aspects of tribal life. They do not hesitate to participate in the feasts and festivals of the community. They sing and dance. The Yanadis along the coastline, the Chenchus of the Srisailam hill area, the Koyas and Savaras of Godavari and Srikakulam forest areas, and the Khonds of Adilabad forests are typical in ancient habits. Their beliefs are simple and seek direct uninvolved expression. They are honest and frailties in character.

In Andhra Pradesh there are certain nomadic tribes. Piccukaguntlu, Balasanta, Saradakandru, Viramushtivaru, Bavanilu, Birannalavaru, Gollasuddulu, Davaluru, Jangamulu, Kommuvaru etc are Telugu nomads whose main occupation is ballad singing. They are favoured by particular castes for maintaining their family records and singing their past glory. Some of them are occupied in itinerary trade and commerce, while their womenfolk are engaged in cottage industries like making toys, baskets, mats, beads and cosmetics. They are always on the move, subject to the changes of weather and this state of living is traditional. These nomadic tribes have their own forms of recreation and pastimes which go a long way in making their life less rigorous and even contended. They take suffering in their stride but they know how to seek refuge from life's worries in a native and pleasant manner.

Among non-Telugu nomads, Lambadis also called Sugalis are very prominent. Originally they were Rajasthani's who took to a nomadic way of life and moved in batches towards the south of the sub-continent. Some of them are found in rural areas. They are itinerant traders. Besides the Lambadis, mercenary soldiers of Maharashtrian stock have settled down mostly in Telangana. They are called 'Are' and they speak a dialect which is a mixture of Marathi and Telugu. Their occupation is agriculture. They have only a spoken language. Their manners and customs are different from those of the country of their domicile. Cultural complexities have arisen due to historical circumstances. Many foreigners of different faiths have entered Andhra Pradesh and some of them made cultural conquests through fire and sword. Others prevailed in the guise of spiritual uplift. Both these foreign elements have disrupted the continuity and peaceful life of the people and affected their tradition and culture. The Tribal Welfare and Social Welfare departments are trying to better the lot of the tribals and backward classes with educational and economic plans. Free education, hostel facilities, cottage industries, housing societies, agricultural facilities, bank loans and cooperative corporations for the marketing of forest produce like honey and herbs, are some of the ways by which it has sought to better the lives of these simple people.

1. Adilabad (yedlapuram)
2. Anantapur
3. Chittoor
4. Kadapa
5. East Godavari (Kakinada)
6. Guntur
7. Hyderabad
8. Karimnagar (Sriramapuram)
9. Khammam
10. Krishna ( Machilipatnam )
11. Kurnool
12. Mahbubnagar , (Palamuru)
13. Medak
14. Nalgonda
15. Nellore
16. Nizamabad (Induru)
17. Prakasam ( Ongole )
18. Rangareddi
19. Srikakulam
20. Visakhapatnam
21. Vizianagaram
22. Warangal
23. West Godavari

Transport
Railways
1-South Central Railway
2-East Coast Railway
3-South Western Railways
4-Southern Railways

Airports
1-Hyderabad (Begumpet)
2-Shamshabad (Expected to start from March 16, 2008)
3-Visakhapatnam
4-Vijayawada (Gannavaram)
5-Rajahmundry (Madhurapudi)
6-Tirupati (Renigunta)
7-Warangal (Mamnoor)(Orugallu)

Government also have plans to start airports in 6 other cities including Nellore, Warangal, Kadapa, Kothagudem and Ongole.

Road
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the major public transport corporation owned by government of andhra pradesh connecting all the cities and villages. APSRTC has also the distinction of being in the Guinness book of World records for having the largest fleet of vehicles, and the longest area covered/commuted daily (Rahil). Apart from this thousands of private operators run buses connecting major cities and towns of the state. Private vehicles like autorickshaws occupy a major share of the local transport in the cities and adjoining villages.

Fairs and Festivals
Andhra Pradesh is famous for its varied culture and tradition. One of the highlights of its culture are the numerous festivals celebrated here. Most of these festivals are religious and some are organized by the government of Andhra Pradesh state. These festivals are celebrated with great pomp and gaiety.

Of the religious festivals and fairs, Brahmotsavam at Tirupati and the Sri Rama Navami Festival at Bhadrachalam are quite popular. Lumbini Fair, Vishaka Utsav, Deccan Festival are popular fairs highlighting the culture of the state.

Andhra Pradesh is one of the agriculturally rich and food grains surplus states of the country and it makes its surplus rice available for consumption in other states. The state is the largest producer of rice in India. It is also the leading producer of cash crops like Tobacco, Groundnut, Chillies, Economy:

Agriculture
Andhra Pradesh is one of the agriculturally rich and food grains surplus states of the country and it makes its surplus rice available for consumption in other states. The state is the largest producer of rice in India. It is also the leading producer of cash crops like Tobacco, Groundnut, Chillies, Turmeric, Oilseeds, Cotton, Sugar and Jute. Its tobacco is noted for its high quality and much of it is exported, although there is a world wide movement against smoking. Millets, groundnuts, cotton, jowar and ragi are the principal crops of the state. Pulses of all kinds are also widely sown in the state. The state also produces some of the finest varieties of Mangoes, Grapes, Guavas, Sapotas, Papayas and Bananas. About 70% of the workforce in the state is dependent on agriculture and more than a third of the state's gross domestic product is derived from the out put of the earth through agriculture. Land holdings are small and this led to a violent communist movement in the year around independence. The states forest cover accounts for 24% of the total landmass of Andhra Pradesh, although it is unevenly distributed. Teak is the most important forest product in the Telengana region and this is in plenty in the Kurnool forest too.

Industry
The recent growth in Andhra Pradesh's Industry is evidence to Former Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu's achievements. With a friendly investment atmosphere, the State has become an attractive choice for investment. One of the main Industrial area in Andhra Pradesh is HITEC city, a technology township in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad Information Technology Engineering Consultancy City (HITEC City) the largest Information Technology park in India, spread in 151 acres, offers world class state-of-the-art IT infrastructure under one roof to companies operating in the field of IT services, IT enabled services, Telecom, Engineering Consultancy and related services. Shilparamam, also in Hyderabad, located in Madhapur 14 km off the city HITEC city is an arts and crafts village, which plays host to the countless traditions of arts and crafts of India. It stands to preserve the dying art forms.

The other industries in the large scale sector consist of sugar mills, spinning and textile mills, electrical, paper and cement manufacturing units. In the small scale sector there are pesticides and insecticides production, engineering workshops, automobile units and repairs, chemical industries, utensils manufacturing, wooden furniture, electrical items, cotton ginning and edible oil etc.

Mineral Wealth
The mineral wealth of Andhra Pradesh consists mainly of asbestos, barytes, coal, chromite, iron ore, kyanite, mica and china clay. There occurs other minerals in small quantity in some areas although limestone occurs extensively. The crysotite kind of asbestos is found only in Andhra Pradesh. It is spun into yarn and woven into fireproof cloth. This mineral occurs mainly in Cuddapah. Coal occurs in a broad belt in the Godavari basin covering Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Warangal and West Godavari districts.