Chennai ( (listen); also known by its former
name Madras (listen) or ) is the capital of
the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on
the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal,
it is the biggest cultural, economic and educational
centre of south India. According to the 2011
Indian census, it is the sixth most populous
city and fourth-most populous urban agglomeration
in India. The city together with the adjoining
regions constitute the Chennai Metropolitan
Area, which is the 36th-largest urban area
by population in the world. Chennai is among
the most visited Indian cities by foreign
tourists. It was ranked the 43rd most visited
city in the world for the year 2015. The Quality
of Living Survey rated Chennai as the safest
city in India. Chennai attracts 45 percent
of health tourists visiting India, and 30
to 40 percent of domestic health tourists.
As such, it is termed "India's health capital".
As a growing metropolitan city in a developing
country, Chennai confronts substantial pollution
and other logistical and socio-economic problems.Chennai
had the third-largest expatriate population
in India at 35,000 in 2009, 82,790 in 2011
and estimated at over 100,000 by 2016. Tourism
guide publisher Lonely Planet named Chennai
as one of the top ten cities in the world
to visit in 2015. Chennai is ranked as a beta-level
city in the Global Cities Index, and was ranked
the best city in India by India Today in the
2014 annual Indian city survey. In 2015 Chennai
was named the "hottest" city (worth visiting,
and worth living in for long term) by the
BBC, citing the mixture of both modern and
traditional values. National Geographic mentioned
Chennai as the only South Asian city to feature
in its 2015 "Top 10 food cities" list. Chennai
was also named the ninth-best cosmopolitan
city in the world by Lonely Planet. In October
2017, Chennai was added to the UNESCO Creative
Cities Network (UCCN) list for its rich musical
tradition.The Chennai Metropolitan Area is
one of the largest municipal economies of
India. Chennai is nicknamed "The Detroit of
India", with more than one-third of India's
automobile industry being based in the city.
Home to the Tamil film industry, Chennai is
also known as a major film production centre.
In January 2015, it was ranked third in terms
of per capita GDP. Chennai has been selected
as one of the 100 Indian cities to be developed
as a smart city under Smart Cities Mission.
== Etymology ==
The nativity of the name Chennai, being of
Telugu origin, is clearly proved by historians.
It was derived from the name of a Telugu ruler
Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, father of Damarla
Venkatapathy Nayak, a Nayak ruler who served
as a general under Venkata III of the Vijayanagar
Empire from whom the British 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
East India Company, even before the Chennakesava
Perumal Temple was built in 1646 while some
scholar argue for the contrary.In 1996, the
Government of Tamil Nadu officially changed
the name from Madras to Chennai. At that time
many Indian cities underwent a change of name.
However, the name Madras continues in occasional
use for the city, as well as for places named
after the city such as University of Madras,
IIT Madras, Madras Institute of Technology,
Madras Medical College, Madras Veterinary
College, Madras Christian College.
The name Madras originated even before the
British presence was established in India.
There have been clear evidences that Madras
is not of alien origin. A Vijayanagar-era
inscription dated to the year 1367 that mentions
the port of Mādarasanpattanam, along with
other small ports on the east coast was discovered
in 2015 and it was theorised that the aforementioned
port is the fishing port of Royapuram. There
are also suggestions that it may have originated
from a Portuguese phrase mãe de Deus, which
means "mother of God", due to Portuguese influence
on the port city, specifically referring to
a Church of St. Mary. According to some sources,
Madras was derived from Madraspattinam, a
fishing-village north of Fort St George. However,
it is uncertain whether the name was in use
before the arrival of Europeans. The British
military mapmakers believed Madras was originally
Mundir-raj or Mundiraj.
== History ==
Stone age implements have been found near
Pallavaram in Chennai. According to the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI), Pallavaram was a megalithic
cultural establishment, and pre-historic communities
resided in the settlement.The region around
Chennai has served as an important administrative,
military, and economic centre for many centuries.
During the 1st century CE, a poet and weaver
named Thiruvalluvar lived in the town of Mylapore
(a neighbourhood of present Chennai). From
the 1st–12th century the region of present
Tamil Nadu and parts of South India was ruled
by the Cholas.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. 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.The Portuguese first 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 CE. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves
near Pulicat, north of Chennai.On 20 August
1639 Francis Day of the East India Company
along with the Nayak of Kalahasti Damarla
Chennappa Nayakudu, travelled to the Chandragiri
palace for an audience with the Vijayanager
Emperor Peda Venkata Raya. Day was seeking
to obtain a grant for land on the Coromandel
coast on which the Company could build a factory
and warehouse for their trading activities
and was successful in obtaining the lease
of a strip of land about six miles long and
one mile inland in return for a yearly sum
of five hundred lakh pagodas. The region was
then primarily a fishing village known as
"Madraspatnam". A year later, the Company
built Fort St. George, the first major English
settlement in India, which became the nucleus
of the growing colonial city and urban Chennai,
grew around this Fort. Post independence the
fort housed the Tamil Nadu Assembly until
the new Secretariat building was opened in
2010, but shortly afterwards it was again
moved back to Fort St. George, due to a change
in the Government.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.
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. They resisted a French siege
attempt in 1759 under the leadership of Eyre
Coote. 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. By the 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
centre for the British in South India. 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. Sir Arthur
Lawley was Governor of Madras from 1906 to
1911 and promoted modern agriculture, industry,
railways, education, the arts and more democratic
governance. The Governor lived in Government
House, Fort St George, and had a country home
at Guindy, with access to a golf course, hockey
pitches, riding stables and the Guindy Horse
Racing Track. In the First World War as Red
Cross Commissioner in Mesopotamia, he looked
after the welfare of Indian soldiers. 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.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 and in support of English
in India 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. Because of Madras and its people, English
now exists in India, otherwise Hindi might
have been made the sole official language
in India. On 17 July 1996, the city known
as Madras was officially renamed Chennai,
in line with what was then a nationwide trend
to using less Anglicised names. On 26 December
2004, an Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores
of Chennai, killing 206 people in Chennai
and permanently altering the coastline. The
2015 Chennai Floods submerged major portions
of the city, killing 269 people and resulting
in damages of ₹86.4 billion (US$1 billion).
== Environment ==
=== Geography ===
Chennai 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), and
its highest point is 60 m (200 ft). Chennai
is 2,184 kilometres (1,357 mi) south of Delhi,
1,337 kilometres (831 mi) southeast of Mumbai,
and 345 kilometres (214 mi) east of Bangalore
by road. Two major rivers flow through Chennai,
the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre
and the Adyar River to the south. A third
river, the Kortalaiyar, travels through the
northern fringes of the city before draining
into the Bay of Bengal, at Ennore. The estuary
of this river is heavily polluted with effluents
released by the industries in the region.
Adyar and Cooum rivers are heavily polluted
with effluents and waste from domestic and
commercial sources, the Coumm being so heavily
polluted it is regarded as the city's eyesore.
A protected estuary on the Adyar forms a natural
habitat for several species of birds and animals.
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 content in
groundwater.
Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone.
Clay underlies most of the city, chiefly Manali,
Kolathur, Maduravoyal, K. K. Nagar, Tambaram,
Mudichur, Pallavaram Semmencherry, Alapakkam,
Vyasarpadi and Anna Nagar. Sandy areas are
found along the river banks and coasts, and
include areas such as Tiruvottiyur, George
Town, Madhavaram, New Washermanpet, Chepauk,
Mylapore, Porur, Adyar, Besant Nagar and Uthandi.
In these areas, rainwater runoff percolates
quickly through the soil. Areas having hard
rock surface include Guindy, Nanganallur,
Pallikaranai, Alandur, Jaladampet, Velachery,
Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet and Perungudi.
The ground water table in Chennai is at 4-5m
below ground in most of the areas, which was
considerably improved and maintained through
the mandatory rain water harvesting system.
Of the 24.87 km coastline of the city, 3.08
km experiences erosion, with sand accretion
along the shoreline can be noticed at the
Marina beach and the area between the Ennore
Port and Kosasthalaiyar river.
=== Geology ===
Chennai is classified as being in Seismic
Zone III, indicating a moderate risk of damage
from earthquakes. Owing to the geotectonic
zone the city falls in, the city is considered
a potential geothermal energy site. The crust
has granite rocks indicating volcanic activities
in the past. It is expected that temperatures
of around 200 to 300 C° will be available
if the ground were drilled 4 to 5 km deep.
The region has the oldest rocks in the country
dating back to nearly a billion years.
=== Flora and fauna ===
The southern stretch of Chennai's coast from
Tiruvanmiyur to Neelangarai are favoured by
the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles to
lay eggs every winter. A large number of cattle
egrets, pond herons and other waterbirds can
be seen in the rivers of Cooum and Adyar.
About 75,000 birds migrate to Chennai every
year. Marshy wetlands such as Pallikaranai
also play host to a number of migratory birds
during the monsoon and winter. Over 300 species
of birds have been recorded in the city and
its neighbourhood by members of Madras Naturalists'
Society since its inception in 1978.
Guindy National Park is a protected area within
the city limits. Wildlife conservation and
research activities take place at
Arignar Anna Zoological Park including Olive
ridley sea turtle conservation. Madras Crocodile
Bank Trust is a herpetology research station,
located 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Chennai.
It is India's leading institution for herpeto
faunal conservation and the first crocodile
breeding centre in Asia. The city's tree cover
is estimated to be around 64.06 sq km. The
most dominant tree species is the copper pod,
followed by Indian beech and Neem. A total
of 121 species of trees belonging to 94 genera
and 42 families are found in the city.
=== Environment conservation ===
Chennai has three rivers and many lakes spread
across the city. Urbanization has led to shrinkage
of water bodies and wetlands. The quantity
of wetlands in the city has decreased from
650 to only 27 currently. The Chennai River
Restoration trust set up by the government
is working on the restoration of Adyar river.
Environmentalist Foundation of India is a
volunteering group working towards wildlife
conservation and habitat restoration.
=== Climate ===
Chennai has a tropical wet and dry climate
(Köppen: Aw). The city lies on the thermal
equator and is also on the coast, which prevents
extreme variation in seasonal temperature.
The hottest part of the year is late May to
early June, known regionally as Agni Nakshatram
("fire star") or as Kathiri Veyyil, with maximum
temperatures around 35–40 °C (95–104
°F). The coolest part of the year is January,
with minimum temperatures around 19–25 °C
(66–77 °F). The lowest recorded temperature
was 13.9 °C (57.0 °F) on 11 December 1895
and 29 January 1905. The highest recorded
temperature was 45 °C (113 °F) on 31 May
2003. The average annual rainfall is about
140 cm (55 in).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. Prevailing winds in Chennai
are usually southwesterly between April and
October and north-easterly during the rest
of the year. Historically, Chennai has relied
on the annual rains of the monsoon season
to replenish water reservoirs, as no major
rivers flow through the area. Chennai has
a water table at 2 metres for 60 percent of
the year.
==== NE Monsoon in Chennai ====
The city of Chennai is located on the east
coast of India, which is also known as the
Coromandel Coast.
Chennai is largely dependent on NE monsoon,
since 65% of rains are received in this season.
Cyclones and depressions are common features
during the season. Cyclones in particular
are really unpredictable. They can even move
towards Orissa, west Bengal, Bangladesh, and
also Myanmar. The season between October and
December is referred as the NE monsoon period.
Floods are common during this period. In 2015
Chennai received record breaking rains since
1918, which caused massive floods.
The entire east coast is vulnerable to cyclones
during the monsoon period. For example, in
2007 a major cyclone named "Cyclone Sidr"
skipped Chennai and headed towards Bangladesh.
The result was a failure of NE monsoon in
Chennai, that particular year. Even in the
past, there has been many occasions where
Cyclones had a great influence in the monsoon.
=== Land usage ===
As of 2018, the city had a green cover of
14.9 percent, against the World Health Organization
recommendation of 9 square meters of green
cover per capita in cities. The city had a
built-up area of 71 percent. Waterbodies cover
an estimated 6 percent of the total area,
and at least 8 percent of the area has classified
as open space. As of 2017, the total volume
of water harvested was 339 mcft and groundwater
recharge was 170 mcft.
== Administration ==
Chennai city is governed by the Greater Chennai
Corporation (formerly "Corporation of Madras"),
which was established in 1688. It is the oldest
surviving municipal corporation in India and
the second oldest surviving corporation in
the world. In 2011, the jurisdiction of the
Chennai Corporation was expanded from 174
km2 (67 sq mi) to an area of 426 km2 (164
sq mi), dividing into three regions—North,
South and Central, which covers 200 wards.
The corporation is headed by a mayor, an office
presently occupied by Saidai Sa. Duraisamy.
The Mayor and councillors of the city are
elected through a popular vote by the residents.
While the city limit was expanded in 2011,
the revised population is yet to be officially
announced.
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority
(CMDA) is the nodal agency responsible for
planning and development of Chennai Metropolitan
Area, which is spread over an area of 1,189
km2 (459 sq mi), covering the Chennai district
and parts of Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts.
The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities
and the smaller ones are governed by town
councils called panchayats. Under the gamut
of the CMDA are 5 parliamentary and 28 assembly
constituencies. The CMDA has drafted an additional
Master Plan that aims to develop satellite
townships around the city. The city's contiguous
satellite towns include Mahabalipuram in the
south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar in
the southwest, and Sriperumpudur, Arakkonam,
Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur to the west.Chennai,
as the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu,
houses the state executive and legislative
headquarters primarily in the Secretariat
Buildings in the Fort St George campus. The
Madras High Court, is the highest judicial
authority in the state, whose jurisdiction
extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Chennai has three parliamentary constituencies—Chennai
North, Chennai Central and Chennai South—and
elects 24 Members of the Legislative Assembly
(MLAs) to the state legislature.
=== Law and order ===
The Greater Chennai Police is the main law
enforcement agency in the city, with a jurisdiction
of over 745 km2 (288 sq mi) catering to over
8.5 million people. It consists of 121 police
stations and is headed by a commissioner of
police. The Greater Chennai Police is a division
of the Tamil Nadu Police, and the administrative
control lies with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry.
Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP) is responsible
for the traffic management in the city. The
metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai
Metropolitan Police, headed by the Chennai
Police Commissionerate, and the outer district
areas of the CMDA are policed by the Kanchipuram
and Thiruvallur police departments.
As of 2011 (prior to the expansion of Chennai
Corporation area), Chennai city has a sanctioned
strength of 14,000 police personnel. With
a population density of 26,903 persons per
square kilometre, the city had 1 policeman
for every 413 people. The Chennai suburban
police had about 4,093 police personnel and
a ratio of 1:1,222. In 2010, the crime rate
in the city was 169.2 per 100,000 people,
as against an average of 341.9 in the 35 major
cities of India. In 2011, North Chennai zone
had 30 police stations and 3 police out posts,
Central Chennai zone had 28 police stations
and 3 police out posts, and South Chennai
zone had 30 police stations.In 2009, Madras
Central Prison, one of the oldest prisons
in India, built over 11 acres (4 ha) of land,
was demolished; the prisoners were moved to
Puzhal Central Prison.
=== Politics ===
Since the 19th century, when Western scholars
proposed that Dravidian languages, which dominated
the southern region of India, formed a different
linguistic group to that of the Indo-Aryan
languages that are predominant in the north
of the subcontinent, the aspects of Tamil
nationalism gained prominence. This resulted
in the Anti-Hindi agitations in the city and
across the state. However, the post-Independence
re-organisation of Indian states according
to linguistic and ethnic basis has moderated
Tamil nationalism, especially the demand for
separation from the Indian Union. The Anti-Hindi
agitations in mid-1960s made the DMK more
popular and more powerful political force
in the state. The agitations of the 1960s
played a crucial role in the defeat of the
Tamil Nadu Congress party in the 1967 elections
and the continuing dominance of Dravidian
parties in Tamil Nadu politics.
Being the capital of the Madras Province that
covered a vast area of the Deccan region,
Chennai remained the centre of politics in
the southern region of India during the British
colonial era. After Independence, it remained
the centre of political activities of the
state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the birthplace
of the idea of the Indian National Congress,
commonly known as the Congress Party. Founded
by Indian and British members of the Theosophical
Society movement, most notably A.O. Hume,
the idea was originally conceived in a private
meeting of 17 men after a Theosophical Convention
held in the city in December 1884. During
the first 50 years of the Indian National
Congress, the city played host to its conferences
seven times in 1887, 1894, 1898, 1903, 1908,
1914 and 1927, becoming one of the strong
bases for the Indian independence movement.
After independence, the city hosted the Congress
in 1955 in its suburb of Avadi.Chennai is
also the birthplace of several regional political
movements since the British era. South Indian
Welfare Association, one of the earliest regional
parties, was founded in 1916, which later
came to be known as the Justice Party, which
was the main opposition party to the Indian
National Congress in the state. In 1944, the
party was renamed Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) by
E. V. Ramasami (popularly known as 'Periyar').
The party was a non-political party that demanded
the establishment of an independent state
called Dravida Nadu. However, due to the differences
between its two leaders Periyar and C. N.
Annadurai, the party was split. Annadurai
left the party to form the Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam (DMK). The DMK decided to enter into
politics in 1956.
=== Utility services ===
The city's water supply and sewage treatment
are managed by the Chennai MetroWater Supply
and Sewage Board. Water is drawn from Red
Hills Lake and Chembarambakkam Lake, the primary
water reservoirs of the city, and treated
at water treatment plants located at Kilpauk,
Puzhal, Chembarambakkam and supplied to the
city through 27 water distribution stations.
The city receives 530 million liters per day
(mld) of water from Krishna River through
Telugu Ganga project, 180 mld of water from
the Veeranam lake project and 100 mld of water
from the Minjur desalination plant, the country's
largest sea water desalination plant. However,
Chennai is predicted to face a huge deficit
of 713 mld in 2026 as the demand is projected
at 2,248 mld and supply estimated at only
1,535 mld. The city's sewer system was designed
in 1910, with some modifications in 1958.
There are 714 public toilets in the city managed
by the city corporation, and 2,000 more have
been planned by the corporation. The corporation
also owns 52 community halls across the city.The
Corporation of Chennai provides civic services
to the city. Garbage collection in some of
the wards is contracted to Ramky Enviro Engineers
Limited, a private company, while the Corporation
looks after the removal and processing of
solid waste in the others, with a superintendent
engineer managing the channels. As of 2011,
8 transfer stations exist within the city
for treating the waste. Garbage is dumped
in two dump-yards in the city—One in Kodungaiyur
and another in Pallikaranai, with a major
portion of the latter covering the Pallikaranai
marshland. In market areas, the conservancy
work is done during the night. Electricity
is distributed by the Tamil Nadu Electricity
Board. Fire services are handled by the Tamil
Nadu Fire and Rescue Services. The city, along
with the suburbs, has 33 operating fire stations.The
Chennai City Region has 568 post offices,
of which nearly 460 operate from rented premises.
== Architecture ==
With the history of many neighbourhoods of
the city such as Mylapore, Triplicane, and
Tiruvanmiyur antedating that of the city,
the architecture of Chennai ranges in a wide
chronology. The oldest buildings in the city
dates from the 7th and 8th centuries CE, which
include the Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore
and the Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane,
built in the Dravidian architecture. This
architecture includes various styles, such
as those of the Pallavas, the Cholas, and
the Vijayanagara empires. The associated Agraharam
architecture, which consists of traditional
row houses surrounding a temple, can still
be seen in these areas. The heritage temples
at Mamallapuram at the outskirts of the city
are some of the examples of the Pallava architecture.
Chennai ranks second to Kolkata of Indian
heritage buildings.With the advent of the
Mugals and the British, the city saw a rise
in a blend of Hindu, Islamic and Gothic revival
styles, resulting in the distinct Indo-Saracenic
style. The architecture for several early
institutions such as banking and commerce,
railways, press and education, chiefly through
the colonial rule, followed the earlier directions
of the Neo-Classical and the Indo-Saracenic.
The Chepauk Palace in the city, designed by
Paul Benfield, is said to be the first Indo-Saracenic
building in India. Since then, many of the
colonial-era buildings in the city were designed
in this style of architecture, which is most
apparent around the Fort St. George built
in 1640. Most of these were designed by English
architects Robert Fellowes Chisholm and Henry
Irwin. The best examples of this style include
the Madras High Court (built in 1892), Southern
Railway headquarters, Ripon Building, Government
Museum, Senate House of the University of
Madras, Amir Mahal, Bharat Insurance Building,
Victoria Public Hall and the College of Engineering.
The Triumph of Labour, also known as the Labour
statue, at the Marina Beach is an important
landmark of Chennai.
The construction of the National Art Gallery
in Madras was completed in 1909. The new building,
with a stunning façade, was built of pink
sandstone brought from Sathyavedu, and formed
part of the Madras Museum campus. It was opened,
on 23 January 1909, by the Governor of Fort
St. George, Sir Arthur Lawley, and called
the Victoria Memorial Hall after the Queen-Empress
Victoria. The residential architecture in
the city was based on the bungalow or the
continuous row house prototypes. Gothic revival
style buildings include the Chennai Central
and Chennai Egmore railway stations. The Santhome
Church, which was originally built by the
Portuguese in 1523 and is believed to house
the remains of the apostle St. Thomas, was
rebuilt in 1893 in neo-Gothic style.By the
early 20th century, the art deco too made
its entry upon the city's urban landscape.
From the 1930s onwards, many buildings in
George Town were built in this style, including
the United India building (presently housing
LIC) and the Burma Shell building (presently
the Chennai House), both built in the 1930s,
and the Dare House, built in 1940. Other examples
include the Bombay Mutual building (presently
housing LIC) and the South Indian Chamber
of Commerce building.
After Independence, the city witnessed a rise
in the Modernism style of architecture. The
completion of the LIC Building in 1959, the
tallest building in the country at that time,
marked the transition from lime-and-brick
construction to concrete columns in the region.
The presence of the weather radar at the Chennai
Port, however, prohibited the construction
of buildings taller than 60 m around a radius
of 10 km for several decades that followed.
In addition, the floor-area ratio (FAR) in
the central business district is also 1.5,
much less than that of smaller cities of the
country. This resulted in the city expanding
horizontally, unlike other metropolitan cities
where vertical growth is prominent. On the
contrary, the peripheral regions, especially
on the southern and south-western sides, are
experiencing vertical growth with the construction
of buildings up to 60 floors.
== Demographics ==
=== 
Population ===
A resident of Chennai is called a Chennaite.
According to 2011 census, the city had a population
of 4,646,732, within the area administered
by the Municipal Corporation; that had 11
lakh households, with 51% of them living in
rented houses. The city's limits were expanded
later in 2011 and its population reached 7,088,000
with Chennai Municipal Corporation being renamed
as Greater Chennai Corporation.
=== Languages ===
Tamils form the majority of Chennai's population.
English is spoken largely by white-collar
workers, often mixed into Tamil. In 2001,
out of the 2,937,000 migrants (33.8% of its
population) in the city, 61.5% were from other
parts of the state, 33.8% were from rest of
India and 3.7% were from outside the country.
As per the 2001 census, the number of speakers
mother tongue wise are as follows, Tamil is
spoken by 3,424,107 (78.8%), followed by Telugu
by 419,209 (9.7%), Urdu by 180,245 (4.1%),
Malayalam by 113,828 (2.6%), Hindi by 104,084
(2.4%), and Kannada by 22,250 (0.5%). Korean,
Japanese, French, Mandarin Chinese, Russian,
German and Spanish are some of the languages
spoken by the 2,50,000 foreign expatriates
residing in the city.
=== Religion and Ethnicity ===
Chennai, along with Bengaluru, Mumbai and
Delhi, is one of the few Indian cities that
are home to a diverse population of ethno-religious
communities. Minorities include Telugus, Marwaris,
Gujaratis, Parsis, Sindhis, Odias, Goans,
Kannadigas, Anglo-Indians, Bengalis, Punjabi,
and Malayalees. As per the religious census
of 2011, Chennai's population was 80.7% Hindu,
9.5% Muslim, 7.7% Christian, 1.1% Jain, 0.1%
Sikh, 0.1% Buddhist, <0.1% following other
religions and 0.8% following no religion or
did not indicate any religious preference.
== Housing ==
In a 2013 survey titled 'Emerging trends in
real estate in Asia Pacific 2014', Chennai
emerged in the top 25 real estate destinations
list in the Asia Pacific region. The city
ranked 22nd in the list. There are about 1,240
slums in Chennai home to about 900,000 people.Per
2011 census, there are 1.1 million households
in the city and the residential housing stock
available is 1,150,000 – a surplus of about
50,000 houses. About 43,700 of them are kept
vacant. In the suburbs of Chennai located
in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts,
the figures of vacant houses 56,000 and 71,000,
respectively. Of the existing housing stock
in the city, about 200,000 houses are not
in good condition, necessitating either to
rebuild or build new units. About 26,000 households
live in houses without any room and another
427,000 families (with an average size of
five members) live in small dwelling units
with only one room. An earlier estimate shows
that there is a need to generate about 420,000
units for low-income groups by 2016.As of
2012, an estimated population of 11,116 (0.16
percent) were homeless. Per Supreme Court
guidelines, the city needs 65 shelters for
the homeless. However, it has only 15, of
which 8 are functioning and two are under
renovation.As of 2017, there are more than
2.2 million households, with 40 percent of
the residents without owning a house.
== Arts and culture ==
=== 
Museums and art galleries ===
Chennai is home to many museums, galleries,
and other institutions, many of which are
free of admission charges and are major tourist
attractions as well as playing a research
role. The city also has one of the oldest
Museum and Art Gallery in the country – Government
Museum, Chennai and The National Art Gallery
(Chennai), established in the early 18th century.
The city also hosts two art festivals annually.
The "Fort Museum" inside the premises of Fort
St. George is an important museum having a
noteworthy collection of objects of the British
era in its collection. The museum is managed
by the Archaeological Survey of India and
has in its possession, the first Flag of India
hoisted at Fort St George after the declaration
of India's Independence on 15 August 1947.
=== Music and performing arts ===
Chennai is a major centre for music, art and
culture in India. The city is known for its
classical dance shows. In 1930, for the first
time in India, Madras University introduced
a course of music, as part of the Bachelor
of Arts curriculum. The Madras Music Season,
initiated by Madras Music Academy in 1927,
is celebrated every year during the month
of December. It features performances of traditional
Carnatic music by many artists in and around
the city.An arts festival called the Chennai
Sangamam, which showcases not only various
arts of Tamil Nadu but also from the neighbouring
states, like kalari (from Kerala), which is
a major attraction, is held in January every
year. The Speciality of Chennai Sangamam is
that the various programmes are held near
or at the various famous landmarks in the
city so that everyone in the city has access
to the programmes and there is no fee charged
for entry for any of the programmes. Pookolam,
a form of art that uses coloured flour to
create patterns and designs, comes from Kerala,
but can be seen in abundance at the time of
Onam.The city has a diverse theatre scene
and is one of the important centres for Bharata
Natyam, a classical dance form that originated
in Tamil Nadu and is the oldest dance of India.
An important cultural centre for Bharata Natyam
is Kalakshetra, on the beach in the south
of the city. In 2012, a group of five Bharatha
Natyam dancers from Chennai performed at the
India Campaign during the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Chennai has been featured in UNESCO Creative
Cities Network (UCCN) list since October 2017
for its century-old musical tradition. Chennai
is also home to some choirs, who during the
Christmas season stage various carol performances
across the city in Tamil and English.
== Cityscape ==
Madras is divided into four broad regions:
North, Central, South and West. North Madras
is primarily an industrial area. South Madras
and West Madras, 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. Central Madras
comprises residential elements, but is primarily
home to the downtown area, and surrounding
areas, the most visited by travellers to the
city. The financial district is also located
here.
=== Tourism and hospitality ===
With temples, beaches and centres of historical
and cultural significance, including the UNESCO
Heritage Site of Mahabalipuram, Chennai is
one of the most visited cities in India. The
city serves as the gateway to the southern
part of India with tourists landing in the
city and starting their trip to the rest of
the region. Chennai was the most visited Indian
city by foreign tourists in 2009 and issued
the third highest number of visas on arrival
in 2014. In 2011, Chennai was ranked 41st
in global top 100 city destination ranking,
with 3,174,500 tourists, a 14 percent increase
from 2010. About 830,620 domestic tourists
arrived in Chennai in March 2011. Top foreign
nationals visiting the city include those
from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, United
Kingdom, France and United States. In 2015,
the city received 4,243,700 foreign tourists
making it the 3rd most visited city in India
after Delhi and Mumbai and 43rd most visited
city in the world by foreign tourists. As
of 2012, the city had 21 luxury hotels in
the five-star category, with over 4,500 rooms
in the inventory.
=== Entertainment ===
Chennai is the base for the Tamil film industry,
known as Kollywood. Many film personalities
have gone on to become politicians including
C.N.Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M.G. Ramachandran
and J. Jayalalithaa. Chennai hosts major film
studios, including AVM Productions, the oldest
surviving studio in India. As of 2012, there
are 120 cinema screens and multiplexes. Major
multiplexes include Sathyam Cinemas, Escape
cinemas, Devi, Abirami complex and Mayajaal.
Chennai's expansive theatre network stages
many Tamil plays of many genres: political
satire, slapstick comedy, history, mythology
and drama. English plays are popular in the
city, along with the more common Tamil-language
plays.
=== Recreation ===
Zoo, beaches, and wildlife parks form the
primary recreation areas of the city. Chennai
has a total coast length of more than 19 km.
Marina Beach runs for 6 km (3.7 mi), spanning
along the shoreline of the city between the
deltas of Cooum and Adyar, and is the second
longest urban beach in the world. Elliot's
Beach lies south of the Adyar delta. Covelong
beach lies along the coromandal coast. Madras
Crocodile Bank Trust is a reptile zoo located
40 kilometres (25 mi) south of the city covering
an area of 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) and had over
450,000 visitors in 2007. The center has one
of the world's largest collections of reptiles
and has bred 14 of the 23 existing species
of crocodiles and alligators. The Arignar
Anna Zoological Park, one of the largest zoological
parks in the world, attracts nearly 2 million
visitors per year. The city boasts two popular
beaches, the Marina and Elliot's. Guindy National
Park, a protected area of Tamil Nadu, has
a children's park and a snake park, which
gained statutory recognition as a medium zoo
from the Central Zoo Authority of India in
1995. Chennai is one of the few cities in
the world that accommodates a national park,
the Guindy National Park, within its limits.
The city has an estimated 4.5 percent of its
area under green cover. This enables Chennai
residents to go birding. The seven zones of
the old corporation limits has about 260 parks,
many of which suffer poor maintenance. The
city has a per capita park space of 0.41 sq
m, which is the least among all metros in
India. The eight zones in the newly added
areas of the city have about 265 locations
that have been identified for development
of new parks. The largest among the parks
is the 358-acre Tholkappia Poonga, developed
to restore the fragile ecosystem of the Adyar
estuary. The horticulture department-owned
Semmozhi Poonga is a 20-acre botanical garden
located in the downtown.Chennai houses several
theme parks, namely MGM Dizzee World and Queens
Land. The safety of several amusement parks
has been questioned after several fatal accidents
occurred. Wonderla is planning to open an
amusement park in 2017. Other important recreation
centres include Madras Boat Club, which is
over 140 years old, and Gymkhana Club, which
is famous for its 18-hole golf courses. Built
in 1867, Madras Boat Club is the second oldest
surviving Indian rowing club.
=== Shopping ===
Chennai is home to several malls, due to its
status as an IT hub. Major ones include Express
Avenue (EA), Citi Centre, Abirami mega mall,
Spencer Plaza, Ampa Skywalk, Phoenix Market
City and Forum Vijaya Mall. Chennai is an
important gold market in India contributing
to 45 percent of the 800-tonne annual national
gold uptake. The city is also the base to
the World Gold Council's India operations.
The city's retail industry is majorly concentrated
in T. Nagar which accounts for major share
jewellery and clothes sold in Chennai. According
to the 2012 report by property consultant
Cushman & Wakefield, Main Streets Across the
World, Khader Nawaz Khan Road at Nungambakkam
ranked 10th position in the list of 'Top 10
Global Highest Retail Rental Growth Markets
2012', with 36.7 percent jump in rents.
== Economy ==
Recent estimates of the economy of the entire
Chennai Metropolitan Area range from $78.6
to $86 billion (PPP GDP), ranking it from
fourth- to sixth-most productive metro area
of India.
Chennai has a broad industrial base in the
automobile, computer, technology, hardware
manufacturing and healthcare sectors. As of
2012, the city is India's second largest exporter
of information technology (IT) and business
process outsourcing (BPO) services. A major
part of India's automobile industry is located
in and around the city thus earning it the
nickname "Detroit of India". It is known as
the Cultural Capital of South India and is
the third most visited city in India by international
tourists according to Euromonitor. The city
also serves as the location of the Madras
Stock Exchange, India's fourth stock exchange,
one of four permanently recognised by SEBI,
and India's third-largest by trading volume,
ranked behind the Bombay Stock Exchange and
the National Stock Exchange of India.Industrialisation
in the city dates back to the 16th century,
when textile mills manufactured goods which
were exported to British during its war with
France. According to Forbes magazine, Chennai
is one of the fastest growing cities in the
world and is rated in the "Forbes-Top 10 Fastest
Growing Cities in the World". It is ranked
4th in hosting the maximum number of Fortune
500 companies of India, next only to Mumbai,
Delhi and Kolkata. It also is home to 24 Indian
companies having a net worth of more than
US$1 billion. As of 2012, the city has about
34,260 identified companies in its 15 zones,
of which 5,196 companies have a paid-up the
capital of over ₹ 50 lakh.
Chennai has a diversified economic base anchored
by the automobile, software services, hardware
manufacturing, health care and financial services
industries. According to the Confederation
of Indian Industry, Chennai is estimated to
grow to a US$100–billion economy, 2.5 times
its present size, by the year 2025. As of
2012, with ₹ 1 lakh crore investment in
the pipeline over 5 years, the city is poised
for major industrial investment. Chennai is
classified as a global city by GaWC, with
a ranking of Beta based on the extent of global
reach and financial influence.The city is
base to around 40 percent of India's automobile
industry and 45 percent of auto components
industry. A large number of automotive companies
including Royal enfield, Hyundai, Renault,
Robert Bosch, Nissan Motors, Ashok Leyland,
Yamaha Motor, Daimler AG, Caterpillar Inc.,
Komatsu Limited, BharatBenz, Ford, BMW and
Mitsubishi have manufacturing plants in Chennai.
The Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi produces
military vehicles, including India's main
battle tank: Arjun MBT. The Integral Coach
Factory manufactures railway coaches and other
rolling stock for Indian Railways. The Ambattur–Padi
industrial zone houses many textile manufacturers,
and a special economic zone (SEZ) for apparel
and footwear manufacturing has been set up
in the southern suburbs of the city. Chennai
contributes more than 50 percent of India's
leather exports.Many software and software
services companies have development centres
in Chennai, which contributed 14 percent of
India's total software exports of ₹ 14,42,140
lakh during 2006–07, making it the second
largest Indian city software exporter following
Bangalore. The Tidel Park in Chennai was billed
as Asia's largest IT park when it was built.
Major software companies have their offices
set up here, with some of them making Chennai
their largest base.
Prominent financial institutions, including
the World Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, ABN
AMRO, Bank of America, The Royal Bank of Scotland,
Goldman Sachs, Barclays, HSBC, ING Group,
Allianz, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation,
The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Abu Dhabi
Commercial Bank, Asian Development Bank, Credit
Suisse, BNP Paribas Fortis, Irevna, Deutsche
Bank and Citibank have back office and development
centre operations in the city. Chennai is
home to the national level commercial banks
Indian Bank and Indian Overseas Bank and many
state level co–operative banks, finance
and insurance companies. Telecom and Electronics
manufacturers based in and around Chennai
include Samsung, Nokia Siemens, Motorola,
Lenovo, Dell, Force10, Wipro, Flextronics
and Siemens among others. Chennai is currently
the largest electronics hardware exporter
in India, accounting for 45% of the total
exports in 2010–11. Telecom giants Ericsson
and Alcatel-Lucent, pharmaceuticals giant
Pfizer and chemicals giant Dow Chemicals have
research and development facilities in Chennai.
The TICEL bio–tech park at Taramani and
Golden Jubilee bio–tech park at Siruseri
houses biotechnology companies and laboratories.
Chennai has a stock exchange called the Madras
Stock Exchange.A study conducted by the National
Housing Bank on the residential price index
of Indian cities showed that Chennai experienced
the highest growth after the 2008–2012 global
financial crisis. Medical tourism is an important
part of Chennai's economy with 45 percent
of total medical tourists to India making
to Chennai. The Tamil film industry and the
Tamil television industry are also significant
parts of Chennai's economy. The city also
has a permanent exhibition complex in Nandambakkam
called the Chennai Trade Centre. With 385
ultra-rich living in the city, Chennai is
positioned in the sixth place among Indian
cities that are home to the country's super-rich.
The city is the third largest market in India
for luxury cars.
=== Communication ===
Chennai is one of four Indian cities connected
to the rest of the world by undersea fibre-optic
cables, the other three being Mumbai, Kochi,
and Tuticorin. The city is the landing point
of major submarine telecommunication cable
networks such as SMW4 (connecting India with
Western Europe, Middle East and Southeast
Asia), i2i (connecting India with Singapore),
TIC (connecting India with Singapore), and
BRICS (connecting India with Brasil, Russia,
China and South Africa). The 3,175-km-long,
8-fiber-paired i2i has the world's largest
design capacity of 8.4 terabits per second.As
of 2013, eight mobile phone service companies
operate seven GSM networks including Airtel,
Aircel, BSNL, Vodafone, Tata Docomo GSM, Idea,
Reliance GSM and three CDMA networks including
MTS, Relaince CDMA, Tata Docomo CDMA in the
city. 2G Mobile internet connections are provided
by all the operators and 4G, 3G mobile broadband
are provided by few operators in the city.
There are four land line companies providing
Commercial and domestic broadband Internet
services. Chennai was the first Indian city
to deploy Wi-Fi internet access in a widespread
manner. As of 2010, there were 9.8 million
mobile phone users in Chennai. In 2010, Chennai
had the fourth highest number of active Internet
users in India, with 2.2 million users. As
of 2018, the city topped in broadband speed
among Indian cities, with a recorded download
speed of 32.67 Mbit/s.
=== Power ===
Major power plants in the city include North
Chennai Thermal Power Station, GMR Vasavi
Diesel Power Plant, Ennore Thermal Power Station,
Basin Bridge Gas Turbine Power Station, Madras
Atomic Power Station and Vallur Thermal Power
Project. According to the Tamil Nadu Generation
and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO),
as of 2013, the city consumes about 20 percent
of the electricity in the state of Tamil Nadu.
The peak evening demand of the city is 1,500
MW which is about 50 percent of the state's
peak evening demand of 3,000 megawatt. This
includes 37 percent consumption by the industrial
sector, 30 percent by the domestic sector,
18 percent by the agricultural sector, and
11.5 percent by the commercial sector. The
peak power consumption is for four months
between May and August, with the city consuming
the highest during June because it is when
the summer peaks. On 20 June 2013, the city
consumed the highest of 52,785 MU.As of 2014,
the city consumes around 3.83 crore units
of power a day or 1,400 crore units annually.
Hourly consumption of power in the city is
about 2,000 to 3,000 MW. Availability of power
in the city has become a concern in recent
years due to increasing demand and slow paced
addition of power plants, due to which scheduled
power cuts have become increasingly common.
However, this situation was eradicated by
the end of 2014. As of 2016, the total electricity
consumption by the street lamps in the city
is 27 MW, costing about ₹ 60,000,000 per
month. The 426 sq km of the city has over
248,000 streetlights, including 88,000 in
the newly expanded areas.
=== Banking and Finance ===
The Reserve Bank of India ranked Chennai as
third largest deposit centre and third largest
credit centre nationwide as of June 2012.
Prior to the advent of modern commercial banks,
the banking services in the city were offered
to the public by Nattukottai Chettiars or
Nagarathars, chiefly in and around the neighbourhood
of George Town, who offered loans as well
as accepted money deposits from the public,
in addition to offering loans to the agricultural
labourers. Even today, many of the banking
offices are housed in heritage structures
belonging to the colonial era that are chiefly
clustered around Rajaji road in George Town.
Chennai is home to the first European-style
banking system in India with the establishment
of the 'Madras Bank' on 21 June 1683, almost
a century before the establishment of the
first commercial banks, such as the Bank of
Hindustan and the General Bank of India, which
were established in 1770 and 1786, respectively.
Upon the recommendation of the British Finance
Committee on the formation of a government
bank, the Madras Bank, then known as the 'Government
Bank', started functioning again from 1806.
In 1843, the bank merged with the Carnatic
Bank (1788), the British Bank of Madras (1795)
and the Asiatic Bank (1804) and became the
Bank of Madras, which was one of the three
Presidency banks of India, the other two being
the Bank of Bengal and the Bank of Bombay.
In 1921, the three Presidency banks merged
to form the Imperial Bank of India, which
later became the State Bank of India in 1955.Chennai
is the headquarters of the Indian Bank, the
Indian Overseas Bank and the erstwhile Bharat
Overseas Bank, which merged with the Indian
Overseas Bank in 2007. The city is home to
the south zonal office of the Reserve Bank
of India, the country's central bank, along
with its zonal training centre and Reserve
Bank Staff College, one of the two colleges
of the bank. The city also houses the permanent
back office of the World Bank, which is one
of the largest buildings owned by the bank
outside its headquarters in Washington, DC.
The Chennai office handles corporate financial,
accounting, administrative and IT services
of the bank, in addition to several value-added
operations of the bank that were earlier handled
only in its Washington, DC office, including
the bank's analytical work in bond valuation
which is estimated to be US$100 billion. Several
foreign banks have established their branches
in the city. The first Sri Lankan Bank in
India was established when the Bank of Ceylon
opened its branch in Madras on 31 October
1995.
=== Health care ===
Chennai has world-class medical facilities,
including both government-run and private
hospitals. The government-aided hospitals
include General Hospital, Adyar Cancer Institute,
TB Sanatorium, and National Institute of Siddha.
The National Institute of Siddha is one of
the seven apex national-level educational
institutions that promote excellence in Indian
system of medicine and Ayurveda. Major hospitals
in Chennai include Apollo Hospitals, Apollo
Speciality Hospital, SRM Medical College Hospital
and Research Centre, Chettinad Health City,
MIOT Hospitals, Sri Ramachandra Medical College
and Research Institute, Fortis Malar Hospital,
Lifeline Hospitals, Vasan Healthcare, Dr Mehta
Hospitals, Global Hospitals & Health City,
Sankara Nethralaya and Vijaya Medical & Educational
Trust. Chennai attracts about 45 percent of
health tourists from abroad and 30 percent
to 40 percent of domestic health tourists.
The city has been termed India's health capital.The
city has more than 12,500 beds in its hospitals,
including about 5,000 in multi-specialty hospitals
in the private sector and over 6,000 beds
in the public sector. This works to 2.1 beds
per 1,000 population against the national
average of less than 1 bed per 1,000 population
and the World Health Organization's norms
of 3 beds per 1,000 persons, higher than any
other city in the country.
=== Waste management ===
The city generates 4,500 tonnes of garbage
every day of which 429 tonnes are plastic
waste. The city has three dumpyards, one each
at Perungudi, Kodungaiyur, and Pallikaranai.
The corporation has planned to close these
yards and create four new dumpyards at Malaipattu,
Minjur, Vallur and Kuthambakkam villages,
ranging in size from 20 acres (8 ha) to 100
acres (40 ha). The civic body also spends
₹ 400 crore a year on solid waste management.
== Transport ==
=== Air ===
The Chennai International Airport is the fourth
busiest in India in terms of passenger traffic
behind New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. It
handled about 15.2 million passengers in 2013–2014;
in terms of international passengers, Chennai
is the third busiest airport behind Indira
Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, and Chatrapati
Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. Chennai
handles 400 flights a day, again placing it
fourth among Indian airports. The city is
connected to major hubs across Asia, Europe,
and North America through more than 30 national
and international carriers.The existing airport
is undergoing further modernisation and expansion
with an addition of 1,069.99 acres (433.01
ha), while a new greenfield airport is to
be constructed at an estimated cost of ₹ 2,000
crore in Sriperumbudur on 4,200 acres (17
km2) of land. The new airport is said to be
likely to handle cargo spillover traffic from
the existing one.
=== Rail ===
Chennai hosts the headquarters of the Southern
Railway. The city has four main railway terminals.
Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Chennai Beach
and Tambaram. Chennai Central station, the
city's largest, provides access to other major
cities as well as many other smaller towns
across India, whereas Chennai Egmore provides
access to destinations primarily within Tamil
Nadu; however, it also handles a few inter–state
trains. The Chennai suburban railway network,
one of the oldest in the country, facilitates
transportation within the city. It consists
of four broad gauge sectors terminating at
two locations in the city, namely Chennai
Central and Chennai Beach. While three sectors
are operated on-grade, the fourth sector is
majorly an elevated corridor, which links
Chennai Beach to Velachery and is interlinked
with the remaining rail network.
=== Metro Rail ===
Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system serving
the city and was partially commenced on 29
June 2015. To improve the city's public transportation
system and prepare the city for the future
commuting needs, the Chennai Metro was planned
and approved by the state cabinet during 2007
for which construction began on 2009. The
Phase I of the Chennai Metro network consists
of 2 lines (Blue Line and Green Line) covering
a length of 45.1 kilometres (28.0 mi) consisting
of 40 stations with Alandur and Chennai Central
serving as interchanges. 55% of the corridors
in Phase-I are underground and the rest are
elevated. The first stretch of Phase-I, covering
7 stations from Koyambedu to Alandur over
a distance of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), began
operation on 29 June 2015. As of May 2018,
covering 26 stations from Chennai Central
to Alandur on the Green line and AG-DMS to
Chennai International Airport on Blue line
are commercially operational which brings
the total operational network over 35 km.
The entire phase-I is scheduled to be operational
by end of 2018. In December 2016, it was announced
by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) that
Phase-2 of Chennai Metro is set to be for
a length of 104 km consisting of 104 stations
which is subject to approval from the state
and central governments. In Jun 2018 they
had 45,000 daily commuters.
=== Road ===
Chennai is one of the cities in India that
is connected by the Golden Quadrilateral system
of National Highways. It is connected to other
Indian cities by four major National Highways
(NH) that originate in the city. They are
NH 4 to Mumbai (via Bangalore, Pune), NH 5
to Kolkata (linked via NH 6) (via Visakhapatnam,
Bhubaneswar), NH 45 to Theni (via Villupuram,
Tiruchirapalli, Dindigul) and NH 205 to Madanapalle
(via Tirupati). Chennai is connected to other
parts of the state and the Union Territory
of Puducherry by state highways.The government
has constructed grade separators and flyovers
at major intersections, and built Inner Ring
Road and Outer Ring Road. The Gemini flyover,
built in 1973 crosses over the arterial road,
and eases the traffic movements towards Anna
Salai and towards the Kathipara Flyover. As
of 2011, according to the Transport Department,
there were 25.8 lakh two–wheelers and 5.6
lakh four–wheelers in the city, and the
Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus
fleet were 3,421, which was 0.1% of the total
vehicular population of the city.When opened,
the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) was
the largest bus station in Asia. It is the
main intercity bus station of Chennai, administered
by 7 government-owned transport corporations,
which operate intercity and interstate bus
services. There are many private bus companies
that provide similar transport services. The
MTC provides an exclusive intracity bus service,
consisting of 3,421 buses on 724 routes, which
provides transportation to 55.2 lakh passengers
daily. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation
operates Volvo air-conditioned services from
Chennai to nearby cities like Pondicherry,
Vellore, Hosur and Trichy.The other means
of road transport in the city include vans,
regionally known as Maxi Cabs, auto rickshaws,
on-call metered taxis and tourist taxis.Chennai
outer ring road is 62.3 km long connecting
NH 45 (GST Road) at Perungalathur, NH 4 (GWT
Road) at Nazarathpet, NH 205 (CTH Road) at
Nemilicherry(Thiruninravur), NH 5 (GNT Road)
at Nallur and TPP road at Minjur under the
process by Chennai Metropolitan Area.
=== Sea ===
The city is served by two major ports, Chennai
Port, one of the largest artificial ports
in India, and Ennore Port. The Chennai port
is the largest in Bay of Bengal, with an annual
cargo tonnage of 6.146 crore (2010–2011),
and second largest containerise hub in India,
with an annual container volume of 15.23 lakh
TEUs (2010–2011). The port handles transportation
of automobiles, motorcycles and general industrial
cargo. The Ennore Port with an annual cargo
tonnage of 1.101 crore (2010–2011) handles
cargo such as coal, ore and other bulk and
rock mineral products. Royapuram fishing harbour
is used by fishing boats and Kattupalli Shipyard
near Ennore Port was inaugurated in January
2013.
== Media ==
Newspaper publishing started in Chennai with
the launch of a weekly, The Madras Courier,
in 1785. It was followed by the weeklies The
Madras Gazette and The Government Gazette
in 1795. The Spectator, founded in 1836, was
the first English newspaper in Chennai to
be owned by an Indian and became the city's
first daily newspaper in 1853. The first Tamil
newspaper, Swadesamitran, was launched in
1899.The major English dailies published in
Chennai are The Hindu, The New Indian Express,
The Deccan Chronicle and The Times of India
and many more. The evening dailies are, The
Trinity Mirror and The News Today. As of 2004,
The Hindu was the city's most read English
newspaper, with a daily circulation of 267,349.
The major business dailies published from
the city are The Economic Times, The Hindu
Business Line, Business Standard, Mint and
The Financial Express. The major Tamil dailies
include the Dina Thanthi, Dinakaran, Dina
Mani, Dina Malar, The Hindu Tamil, Tamil Murasu,
Makkal Kural and Malai Malar. Malayala Manorama
and Mathrubhumi are the major Malayalam dailies
while major Telugu dailies include Eenadu,
Vaartha, Andhra Jyothi and Sakshi. The one
and only Hindi Newspaper published from Chennai
is the Rajasthan Patrika. The Local weekly
Newspapers circulated to residents are T.Nagar
Times, Pillar Times, Arcot Road Talk, Chrompet
Times. Chennai's First Corporate Leisure Newspaper,
The Shopping Express. Magazines published
from Chennai include Ananda Vikatan, Kumudam,
Kalki, Kungumam, Puthiya Thalaimurai,Thuglak,
Frontline and Sportstar
Doordarshan runs two terrestrial television
channels and two satellite television channels
from its Chennai centre, which was set up
in 1974. Private Tamil satellite television
networks such as Sun TV, Raj TV, Zee Tamizh,
Star Vijay, Jaya TV, Makkal TV, Vasanth TV,
Kalaignar TV, Captain TV and PuthiyaThalaimurai
TV broadcast out of Chennai. The Sun Network
one of India's largest broadcasting companies
is based in the city. While the cable TV service
is entirely controlled by the state government,
direct–to–home (DTH) is available via
DD Direct Plus, Dish TV, Tata Sky, Videocon
DTH, Sun direct DTH, Reliance Big TV and Digital
TV. Chennai is the first city in India to
have implemented the Conditional Access System
for cable television. Radio broadcasting began
in 1924 by the Madras Presidency Radio Club.
The radio station at the Rippon Buildings
complex was founded in 1930 and was then shifted
to All India Radio in 1938. The city has 4
AM and 11 FM radio stations operated by All
India Radio, Anna University and Suryan FM,
Radio Mirchi, BIG FM, Hello FM, Radio City,
Radio One among others.
== Education ==
Chennai ranks second among Indian metropolitan
city centres with a 90.33 percent literacy
rate. Chennai has a mix of public and private
schools, some of which also receive financial
support from the government.
The public school system is managed by the
Chennai Corporation with an enrolment of 142,387
students in over 330 schools. Tamil and English
are the primary medium of instruction, though
some schools also use Telugu and Urdu as medium
of instruction in their schools. Public schools
run by the Chennai Corporation are all affiliated
with the Tamil Nadu State Board, while private
schools may be affiliated with either of the
Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education or
the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
A few schools are affiliated with the Council
for the Indian School Certificate Examinations,
the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
board or the Montessori system. Education
in Chennai starts with two years of Kindergarten
from age three onward and then follows the
Indian 10+2+3 plan, ten years of school, two
years of higher secondary education, and three
years of undergraduate education.
English is the medium of instruction in the
majority of institutions for higher education.
The University of Madras, founded in 1857,
is one of the India's first three modern universities.
Colleges for science, arts and commerce degrees
are typically affiliated with the University
of Madras, which has six campuses in the city.
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras
(IIT Madras) and the College of Engineering,
Guindy, Anna University are two well known
centres for engineering education in the city.
The Indian Army's Officers Training Academy
is also headquartered in the city.
Chennai has a plethora of libraries, including
British Council Library, American Library,
Connemara Public Library, and Anna Centenary
Library. The Connemara Public Library is one
of four National Depository Centres in India
that receive a copy of all newspapers and
books published in the country. The Anna Centenary
Library is the largest library in Asia.Chennai
has two CSIR research institutions namely
Central Leather Research Institute and Structural
Engineering Research Centre. Chennai Book
Fair, an annual book fair organised in Chennai
by the Booksellers and Publishers Association
of South India (BAPASI), is the largest exhibition
for Tamil book publishers to display their
books. The fair is typically held for about
10 days between the last week of December
and the third week of January. The forty-first
edition of the fair was held in 2018. Chennai
also has Indian Maritime University to impart
quality education in maritime management,
engineering and different pre sea courses.
This is the only central university, headquartered
in Chennai to impart maritime education in
India.
== Sports and recreation ==
Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai.
It was introduced in 1864 with the foundation
of the Madras Cricket Club. The M.A. Chidambaram
Stadium established in 1916 is among the oldest
cricket stadium in India. The stadium was
also one of the venues of the 1987,1996 and
2011 ICC Cricket World Cups. Chemplast Cricket
Ground located at the IIT Madras campus is
another important venue for cricket matches.
Prominent cricketers from the city include
former cricket captains S. Venkataraghavan
and Kris Srikkanth. A cricket fast bowling
academy called the MRF Pace Foundation, whose
coaches include T. A. Sekhar and Glenn Mcgrath,
is based in Chennai. Being home to the Indian
Premier League (IPL) cricket team Chennai
Super Kings, the city hosted the finals of
the IPL's 2011 and 2012 series.The city's
football team Chennaiyin FC competes in the
Indian Super League, the country's association
football league associated with Asian Football
Federation and recognized by FIFA. The club
uses the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium nicknamed
the Marina Arena as their home ground and
are champions of the Indian Super League in
2015 and 2018.
Chennai was the venue of the 1995 South Asian
Games. Chennai is home to a World Series Hockey
(WSH) team, the Chennai Cheetahs. The Mayor
Radhakrishnan Stadium is associated with hockey
and was venue for the international hockey
tournament the 2005 Men's Champions Trophy
and the 2007 Men's Asia Cup. The Jawaharlal
Nehru Stadium is associated for hosting Football
and athletic competitions, it also houses
a multi–purpose indoor complex for competition
in volleyball, basketball and table tennis.
Water sports are played in the Velachery Aquatic
Complex. Tennis sport is popularising among
the city youths, Since 1997 Chennai has been
host to the only ATP World Tour event held
in India, the Chennai Open which has been
shifted to Pune as Maharashtra Open from 2017.
Vijay Amritraj, Mahesh Bhupathi Ramesh Krishnan
and Somdev Devvarman are tennis players from
Chennai.
Chennai is home to Chennai Slam, two-time
national champion of India's top professional
basketball division, the UBA Pro Basketball
League.
Madras Boat Club (founded in 1846) and the
Royal Madras Yacht Club (founded by Sir Francis
Spring in 1911) promote the sailing sports
in Chennai, and organise national and international
sailing events. Automobile racing in India
has been closely connected with Chennai since
its beginnings shortly after independence.
Motor racing events are held on a special
purpose track in Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur,
which has also been the venue for several
international competitions. Formula One driver
Karun Chandhok was born in Chennai.Horse racing
is held at the Guindy Race Course, while rowing
competitions are hosted at the Madras Boat
Club. The city has two 18–hole golf courses,
the Cosmopolitan Club and the Gymkhana Club,
both established in the late nineteenth century.
The city has a rugby union team called the
Chennai Cheetahs.Previous world chess champion
Viswanathan Anand grew up in Chennai. Other
sports persons of repute from Chennai include
table tennis players Sharath Kamal and two–time
world carrom champion, Maria Irudayam. Chennai
was the host of the World Chess Championship
2013 match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus
Carlsen.
=== City based teams ===
== 
International relations ==
=== 
Foreign missions ===
The consular presence in the city dates back
to 1794, when William Abbott was appointed
US consular agent for South India. As of 2012,
there were 43 foreign representations in Chennai,
including consulates general, deputy high
commissions and honorary consulates. The American
Consulate in Chennai is one of the top adjudication
posts in the world and the number one in processing
employment-based visas. It was ranked among
the top globally in issuing 'L' and 'H' category
visas for workers and professionals and was
ranked eighth globally in terms of all category
of visas being issued.The Foreigners Regional
Registration Office (FRRO), which is the office
of the field officers in charge of immigration
and registration activities in the city, is
located at Shastri Bhavan at Haddows Road.
=== Twin towns – Sister cities ===
Chennai has sister city relationships with
the following cities of the world:
== See also ==
Areas of Chennai
Chennai International Airport
List of people from Chennai
Madras Bulls
