A brief treatment of Goa The small state of Goa, comprising a mainland district and an offshore island, is situated on India's western coast, 250 miles (400 kilometres) south of Bombay. It is bounded by the Indian states of Maharashtra on the north and Karnataka on the east and south and by the Arabian Sea on the west. Formerly a Portuguese possession , it was annexed by India in 1962 and attained statehood in 1987. The total area of Goa is 1,429 square miles (3,702 square kilometres). The capital is Panaji (Panjim).
Goa.
Goa consists of 62 miles (100 km) of coastline, extends 40 miles (64 km) inland, and also includes the offshore island of Goa. Goa's eastern part is dominated by the Sahyadri Hills of the Western Ghats, which rise to 3,392 feet (1,034 m) at Sonsagar. The hills give way in the west to an undulating area dissected by rivers, and the coastal plain itself consists of beaches fringed with coconut palms. The climate is tropical, with abundant rainfall. Goa's two largest rivers are the Mandavi and the Zuari, which together encircle the offshore island of Goa. That island's apex (called the cape) is a rocky headland that separates 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, for the most part, a city of ruins. Panaji, originally a suburb of Old Goa, is built (like the parent city) on the left bank of the Mandavi estuary. It is a modern port and contains the archbishop's palace and the government house, a teachers' training college, and several secondary and primary schools. Goa University is located at Bambolim, near Panaji. Marmagao, sheltered by a promontory and outfitted with a modern breakwater and quay, is the best port between Bombay and Calicut (Kozhikode). A railway connects it with the main southern line by way of Castle Rock (in Karnataka) on the Western Ghats.
The Goan population is a mixture of Christian and Hindu. In the past the Christians generally spoke Portuguese but now tend to speak English and Konkani. The Hindus speak Konkani and Marathi. Goa's distinctive architecture and fine beaches also make it a popular tourist resort. About two-fifths of its inhabitants are Christians. Many Goanese bear Portuguese names and are partly of Portuguese descent as a result of intermarriage between early Portuguese settlers and the local inhabitants.
Economic conditions in Goa have caused emigration on a large scale, mainly to the eastern coast of Africa but also to other parts of India. Large Goanese colonies have consequently been formed in Bombay, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, and elsewhere. Many Goanese bear Portuguese names as a result of intermarriage between early Portuguese settlers and the local inhabitants.
The governor of Goa, appointed by the president for a five-year term, administers also the union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) comprises 40 seats.
Goa was formerly the capital of Portuguese India. With Portuguese-held Daman and Diu, Goa formed a single administrative unit that was ruled by a governor-general and a single ecclesiastical province. In 1987 statehood was conferred on Goa, and Daman and Diu formed a new union territory.
The city of Old Goa, which lies along the left bank of the Mandavi River estuary, is now largely a city of ruins. The chief surviving buildings include the cathedral, founded by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1511, rebuilt in 1623, and still used for public worship; the convent of St. Francis (1517), which is a converted mosque rebuilt by the Portuguese in 1661; the Chapel of St. Catherine (1551); and the Basilica Bom Jesu (1594-1603), in which lies the mummified body of St. Francis Xavier, the 16th-century Jesuit missionary.
Goa is predominantly agricultural. Rice is the main crop, and coconuts, mangoes, and cashew nuts are also grown. Fishing is important, and iron ore and manganese are mined, processed, and exported on a large scale. The state exports a number of these commodities, along with spices, manganese and iron ores, bauxite, fish, and salt; its trade is small but its manufacturers produce fertilizers, sugar, textiles, chemicals, iron pellets, and pharmaceuticals. The tourist industry developed rapidly in the late 20th century.
Goa's early history is entwined in legend, being mentioned in the Hindu Mahabharata epic as Gomantak and referred to in the Puranas as Govapuri. It was ruled by a succession of Hindu dynasties until 1472, when it fell to the Muslims. It was conquered by Portuguese forces led by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, and Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries, including Francis Xavier, arrived soon afterward and converted many of the inhabitants to Christianity. The settlement of Old Goa soon became the capital of the whole Portuguese empire in the east, and the city reached a climax of trading prosperity and architectural splendour between 1575 and 1600. But in the following years Dutch blockades of the city and raids by Maratha raiders caused the city's decline, and the seat of government of Portuguese India was moved to Panaji in 1759. Cholera and other epidemics caused Old Goa's population to continue to dwindle, and by 1835 it was sparsely inhabited.
After India attained independence in 1947, the Indian government began demanding that Portugal cede Goa to India. After years of border tensions and guerrilla warfare, Indian troops invaded and occupied Goa in December 1961. It was incorporated into India in 1962. Area 1,429 square miles (3,702 square km). Pop. (1991) 1,168,622.