Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is a large state on India's southeastern coast, known for its long Bay of Bengal shoreline, Telugu culture and spicy cuisine. Visakhapatnam is its largest city and a major port, while Amaravati is the planned capital. It is a leading producer of rice and a center of the Telugu film industry.

Andhra Pradesh stretches along the Coromandel Coast, with fertile river deltas of the Godavari and Krishna, coastal plains, and the Eastern Ghats inland. The climate is tropical, hot and humid along the coast. It has the second-longest coastline of any Indian state.

Andhra culture is rooted in the Telugu language and is famous for its fiery cuisine, classical Kuchipudi dance, and rich temple traditions, including the major pilgrimage site of Tirupati. It has a thriving cinema industry.

Heir to ancient dynasties such as the Satavahanas, the region was reorganised as the first Indian state created on a linguistic basis in 1953. In 2014 the northwestern districts were separated to form the new state of Telangana.