Gujarat

Land of the Legends

StateWest IndiaCapital: GandhinagarEst. 1 May 1960
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Overview

Quick facts at a glance

A western coastal state known for entrepreneurship, the Rann of Kutch, and being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.

Capital
Gandhinagar
Largest City
Ahmedabad
Region
West
Formed
1 May 1960
Area
196,244 km²
Population
60,439,692 (Census 2011)
Languages
Gujarati
Other Languages
Hindi, Kutchi
Earlier Names
Part of Bombay State
Districts
33
Lok Sabha
26
Assembly
182
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History

How Gujarat came to be

Home to Harappan port cities like Lothal; separated from bilingual Bombay State in 1960 to form a Gujarati-speaking state.

Earlier / Historical Names

  • Part of Bombay State
Verification✅ VerifiedLast Verified02 July 2026Verified byIndia Atlas Editorial Desk
Historical background compiled from the National Portal of India (Know India) and standard state gazetteers.

Did You Know?

Surprising highlights

Did you know

Gujarat is the only home of the wild Asiatic lion, in Gir National Park.

Did you know

The Statue of Unity in Gujarat is the world's tallest statue.

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State Symbols

Emblems of identity

Asiatic lion

State Animal

Greater flamingo

State Bird

Banyan

State Tree

Garba, Dandiya Raas

State Dance

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Culture & Festivals

Living traditions

Folk Dances

  • Garba
  • Dandiya Raas

Traditional Dress

Kediyu and dhoti for men; chaniya choli for women

Festival Carousel

Navratri

Nine nights of Garba and Dandiya dance celebrating the goddess.

Rann Utsav

Winter cultural festival held on the white salt desert of Kutch.

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Cuisine

Flavours of Gujarat

Predominantly vegetarian cuisine balancing sweet, salty and spicy flavours.

Popular Dishes

Dhokla

Undhiyu

Thepla

Popular Sweets

Basundi

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Tourism & Attractions

Places to explore

Top Attractions

Statue of Unity

World's tallest statue, honouring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Rann of Kutch

Vast white salt marsh that hosts the Rann Utsav.

Gir National Park

The only wild habitat of the Asiatic lion.

UNESCO World Heritage

  • Rani ki Vav
  • Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
  • Historic City of Ahmedabad

National Parks

  • Gir National Park

Wildlife Sanctuaries

  • Blackbuck National Park
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Geography & Nature

The lay of the land

Major Rivers

  • Narmada
  • Tapi
  • Sabarmati

Mountain Ranges

  • Aravalli, Satpura foothills

Major Lakes

  • Nal Sarovar
Highest Peak
Girnar
Climate
Semi-arid to arid
Rainfall
Low to moderate
Forests
Gir forest and mangroves along the coast
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On the Map of India

Location & land neighbours

Neighbouring States & UTs

  • Rajasthan
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Maharashtra
  • Diu
  • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Verification✅ VerifiedLast Verified02 July 2026Verified byIndia Atlas Editorial Desk
Source: Survey of IndiaGovernment
Location and land neighbours as depicted on the Survey of India political map of India.
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Economy & Agriculture

How Gujarat works

A highly industrialised state anchored by petrochemicals at Jamnagar, diamond processing in Surat, and a strong textile sector.

Key Industries

  • Petrochemicals
  • Textiles
  • Diamond cutting and polishing
  • Pharmaceuticals

Major Crops

  • Cotton
  • Groundnut
  • Tobacco

Largest Producer Of

Cotton in India

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Infrastructure & Connectivity

Getting around Gujarat

Road Network
Extensive expressway network including Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway
Railways
Dense network with major junctions at Ahmedabad and Vadodara

Airports

  • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport

Major Ports

  • Kandla Port
  • Mundra Port

Metro Rail

  • Ahmedabad Metro
  • Surat Metro
Verification✅ VerifiedLast Verified02 July 2026Verified byIndia Atlas Editorial Desk
Road, rail and air connectivity per the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Indian Railways and the Airports Authority of India.
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Education & Research

Centres of learning

Major Universities

  • Gujarat University
  • IIM Ahmedabad

Research Institutes

  • Physical Research Laboratory
  • Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad
Verification✅ VerifiedLast Verified02 July 2026Verified byIndia Atlas Editorial Desk
Major universities recognised by the University Grants Commission and state government listings.
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Heritage & GI Tags

Craft & legacy

GI-Tagged Treasures

Patan Patola

Kutch Embroidery

Monuments

Rani ki Vav

Sabarmati Ashram

Handicrafts

Patola weaving

Bandhani

Kutch embroidery

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Prominent Personalities

Icons of Gujarat

Mahatma Gandhi

Freedom Fighter

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Freedom Fighter

Vikram Sarabhai

Scientist

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Interactive Timeline

Tap any milestone to expand

c. 2400 BCELothal port cityAncient
A major Harappan dockyard city flourishes on the Gujarat coast.
13th–16th centurySultanate of GujaratMedieval
Ahmedabad is founded and flourishes as a trading hub.
1930Salt MarchFreedom Movement
Gandhi's Dandi March begins from Sabarmati Ashram.
1960StatehoodFormation
Gujarat is formed by splitting bilingual Bombay State.
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Frequently Asked

Good to know

Where is the Statue of Unity located?+
It stands near the Narmada Dam in Gujarat and is the world's tallest statue.
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No authoritative source recorded yet — pending editorial verification.
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Sources & Verification

Authoritative references used to verify facts on this page

Sources

Last verified: 02 July 2026 · Facts without a listed source are marked “Verification Pending” and are being audited progressively via the CMS.

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10 questions drawn from this page. Score 80%+ to mark Gujarat as learned and light it up on your India map.

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