Gujarat is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about 1,600 km (990 mi) is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some 196,024 km2 (75,685 sq mi); and the ninth-most populous state, with a population of 60.4 million. It is bordered by Rajasthan to the northeast, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the south, Maharashtra to the southeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west. Gujarat's capital city is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. The Gujaratis are indigenous to the state and their language, Gujarati, is the state's official language.
Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now the commercial and economic center in South Gujarat, and one of the largest urban areas of western India. It has well-established diamond and textile industry, and is a major supply centre for apparels and accessories. About 90% of the world's diamonds supply are cut and polished in the city. It is the second largest city in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and the eighth largest city by population and ninth largest urban agglomeration in India. It is the administrative capital of the Surat district. The city is located 284 kilometres (176 mi) south of the state capital, Gandhinagar; 265 kilometres (165 mi) south of Ahmedabad; and 289 kilometres (180 mi) north of Mumbai. The city centre is located on the Tapti River, close to Arabian Sea.
Vadodara, also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, 141 kilometres (88 mi) from the state capital of Gandhinagar. The railway line and National Highway 8, which connect Delhi with Mumbai, pass through Vadodara. The city is named for its abundance of the Banyan (Vad) tree. Vadodara is also locally referred to as the Sanskari Nagari and Kala Nagari of India.
Vadodara District also known as Baroda District is a district in the eastern part of the state of Gujarat in western India. The city of Vadodara (Baroda), in the western part of the district, is the administrative headquarters. Vadodara District covers an area of 7,794 km2. As of 2011, the district had a population of 4,165,626 of which 49.6% were urban, 50.4% were rural, 5.3% were scheduled castes and 27.6% were scheduled tribes. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Gujarat, after Ahmadabad and Surat.
The history of Gujarat began with Stone Age settlements followed by Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlements like Indus Valley civilisation. Gujarat's coastal cities, chiefly Bharuch, served as ports and trading centers in the Nanda, Maurya, Satavahana and Gupta empires as well as Western Kshatrapas period. After the fall of the Gupta empire in the 6th century, Gujarat flourished as an independent Hindu/Buddhist state. The Maitraka dynasty, descended from a Gupta general, ruled from the 6th to the 8th centuries from their capital at Vallabhi, although they were ruled briefly by Harsha during the 7th century. The Arab rulers of Sindh sacked Vallabhi in 770, bringing the Maitraka dynasty to an end. The Gurjara-Pratihara Empire ruled Gujarat after from the 8th to 10th centuries. As well as, for some periods the region came under the control of Rashtrakuta Empire and Pala Empire. In 775 the first Parsi (Zoroastrian) refugees arrived in Gujarat from Greater Iran.
The Gujarat Police Department is the law enforcement agency for the state of Gujarat in India. The Gujarat Police has its headquarters in Gandhinagar, the state capital, and Ahmedabad.
The 1994 plague in India was an outbreak of bubonic and pneumonic plague in south-central and western India from 26 August to 18 October 1994. 693 suspected cases and 56 deaths were reported from the five affected Indian states as well as the Union Territory of Delhi. These cases were from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi. There are no reports of cases being exported to other countries.
India is a country in the North Indian Ocean that is the most vulnerable to getting hit by tropical cyclones in the basin, from the east or from the west.On average, 2–3 tropical cyclones make landfall in India each year, with about one being a severe tropical cyclone or greater.
This is a list of notable recorded floods that have occurred in India. Floods are the most common natural disaster in India. The heaviest southwest the Brahmaputra and other rivers to distend their banks, often flooding surrounding areas.
Deep Depression ARB 02 was a weak tropical cyclone which brought heavy rains and flooding to the Indian state of Gujarat in June 2015. It was the third tropical cyclone and second deep depression of the 2015 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.
Jagat Darpan(literally Worlds Mirror) is a Gujarati newspaper in Gujarat, India, owned by Mama's Group It is one of the highest circulation Gujarati weeklies, with the most editions in Gujarat.
Following heavy rain in July 2017, the Indian state of Gujarat was affected by severe flooding. The floods were reported to have caused total 224 deaths between 1 June and 31 July 2017. 16 people had died in neighbouring Rajasthan state by 31 July.
Widespread monsoon flooding occurred in the South Asian countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan from July through September 2017. More than 45 million people were affected by the floods, including 16 million children.
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Ockhi was a strong tropical cyclone that devastated parts of Sri Lanka and India in 2017, and was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea since Cyclone Megh in 2015. The ninth depression, and the third and strongest named storm of the 2017 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Ockhi originated from an area of low pressure that formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal on November 28. The storm organized into a Depression off southeast coast of Sri Lanka on November 29, causing damage to property and life in Sri Lanka while passing by. Due to high atmospheric moisture and warmer oceanic surface temperature between Sri Lanka and Kanyakumari in mainland India, Ockhi intensified into a cyclonic storm on November 30.
LGBT Pride marches have been held in the Indian state of Gujarat in various cities since 2013. The first LGBT pride march was held in Surat on 6 October 2013. Since then, pride march in the state has been held in Ahmedabad and Vadodara.
Due to heavy rain in July–August 2019, the city of Vadodara and its administrative district in the Indian state of Gujarat were affected by severe flooding. On 31 July 2019, nearly 50 cm of rain fell on Vadodara within 12 hours, with 424mm recorded in one 6 hour period. As a result, the nearby Vishwamitri River rose to 1 metre below the danger line and the Ajwa dam overflowed, flooding the city.
The 2019 Indian floods were a series of floods that affected over thirteen states in late July and early August 2019, due to excessive rains. At least 200 people died and about a million people were displaced. Karnataka and Maharashtra were the most severely affected states. People died but many were rescued with the help of the Indian Navy.
In Gujarat, the first two cases of the COVID-19 pandemic were confirmed on 19 March 2020 in Rajkot and Surat.
The 2006 Surat flood occurred over 7–10 August 2006, which affected Surat, India, and nearby villages. About 80–95% of Surat was flooded.
Local elections were held in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2021. Elections were held for 8,235 seats, with 237 seats having only one unopposed candidates. No form was filled for two seats in Taluka panchayat. The elections included six municipal corporations where elections took place in February — Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar – and one (Gandhinagar) in which the elections were held on 3 October. Results to Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation were declared on 5 October 2021.
