Goa
Introduction state of India. Comprising a mainland district on the country's western coast and an offshore island, it is located 250 miles (400 kilometres) south of Bombay. It is bounded by the states of Mahārāshtra on the north and Karnātaka on the east and south and by the Arabian Sea on the west. The total area is 1,429 square miles (3,702 square kilometres). The capital is Panaji (Panjim). Formerly a Portuguese possession, it was annexed by India in 1962 and attained statehood in 1987. Physical and human geography Goa, with a coastline of 65 miles, is hilly and includes a portion of the Western Ghāts rising to nearly 4,000 feet. The two largest rivers are the Mandāvi and Zuari, between the mouths of which lies the island of Goa (Ilhas). The island is triangular, the apex (called the cape) being a rocky headland separating the harbour of Goa into two anchorages. There are three principal cities in Goa: Marmagao (Mormugão), Madgaon (Margao), and Panaji (Nova Goa). Old Goa is, fo...