Chennai, also known as Madras, is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is one of the largest cultural, economic and educational centres 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 constitutes the Chennai Metropolitan Area, which is the 36th-largest urban area by population in the world. The traditional and de facto gateway of South India, 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". Chennai has the fifth-largest urban economy of India.
TIDEL Park is an information technology (IT) park situated in the city of Chennai, India. The name TIDEL is a portmanteau of TIDCO and ELCOT. An ISO 9001/14001 company, it is one of the largest IT parks in Asia. It was set up in 2000 to foster the growth of information technology in the state of Tamil Nadu by the TIDEL Park Ltd, a joint venture of TIDCO and ELCOT.
Nungambakkam is a locality in downtown Chennai, India. The neighborhood abounds with multi-national commercial establishments, important government offices, foreign consulates, sprawling educational institutions, shopping malls, sporting facilities, tourist spots, star hotels, restaurants, and cultural centers. Nungambakkam is also a prime residential area in Chennai. The adjoining regions of Nungambakkam include Egmore, Chetput (Chetpet), T. Nagar, Kodambakkam, Choolaimedu and Kilpauk.
Tamil Nadu has the second-largest economy in India. Over 60% of the state is urbanized, accounting for 10.6% of the urban population in the country, while only comprising 6% of India's total population. Services contributes to 45% of the economic activity in the state, followed by manufacturing at 34% and agriculture at 21%. Government is the major investor in the state, with 52% of total investments, followed by private Indian investors at 29.9% and foreign private investors at 14.9%. It has been ranked as the first most economically free state in India by the Economic Freedom Rankings for the States of India.
The Ripon Building is the seat of the Greater Chennai Corporation in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is an example of neoclassical architecture, a combination of Ionic and Corinthian styles. The Ripon Building is an all-white structure and is located near the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station.
Sultan Ahmed Ismail is an Indian soil biologist and ecologist. His work has centred on techniques for recycling biodegradable waste into fertilizer using local varieties of earthworms, and on soil bioremediation.
The ITC Grand Chola is a 5-star luxury hotel in Chennai, India. It is the third largest hotel in India after Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel and Grand Hyatt, both in Mumbai. It is located in Guindy, opposite SPIC building and along the same row of buildings as Ashok Leyland Towers. The building, designed by Singapore-based SRSS Architects, is of mixed-use development with three separate wings and is themed after traditional Tamilian Architecture of the Chola Dynasty. The hotel is the ninth "Luxury Collection" hotel of the Starwood Hotels group. The hotel, built on over 1,600,000 sq ft, is dubbed the largest stand-alone hotel in the country built with an investment of ₹ 12,000 million and has the largest convention centre in the country built on 100,000 sq ft with a 30,000-sq ft pillar-less ballroom.
The Anna Centenary Library (ACL) is an established state library of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is located at Kotturpuram, Chennai. It is built at a cost of ₹172 crores. It is named after a former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, C. N. Annadurai. It was opened by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. The average number of persons who visited the library between January and October 2011 is around 26,500, compared to the monthly average of 20,000 in 2010.
Chennai Trade Centre is a permanent exhibition complex in Nandambakkam, Chennai, hosting several trade fairs and conventions round the year. It is the first fair infrastructure that has been developed by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO)—the premier trade promotion agency of the Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry—outside Delhi. A joint initiative of the ITPO and the Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation, which hold 51 and 49 percent stakes, respectively, the Trade Centre was designed by C R Narayan Rao, and was commissioned in January 2001, while the convention centre was commissioned on 1 November 2004. The exhibition hall was constructed at an estimated cost of ₹ 23 crore and the convention centre at a cost of ₹ 22 crore. Together, these centres cover 10,560 sq m and are fully booked for 75 days in a year. Built over an area of 25.48 acres, the centre comprises four modules of 4,400 m2 each of exhibition halls and support services to be built in a phased manner. In the first phase, two air-conditioned halls without pillars or columns encompassing areas of 5,000 m2 and 1,850 m2 were constructed. There are three halls, viz, Hall No. 1 (4,400 m2), Hall No. 2 (1,760 m2) and Hall No. 3 (4,400 m2). The halls feature a height of 6 m to display all merchandise including machinery. These have been supplemented recently with a modern, fully air-conditioned convention centre. All the halls are inter-linked, and Hall No. 3 is connected with the convention centre. The convention centre can accommodate 2,000 people with a provision for dividing the hall into two equal parts and has an audiovisual facility suitable for multi-purpose use such as conferences, conventions, cultural shows, and so forth. The Chennai Trade Centre is managed by Tamil Nadu Trade Promotion Organisation (TNTPO), a joint venture of ITPO and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).
V.K.Thanabalan is a travel agent and media figure in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India who is popular by the name V.K.T. Balan..
The Consulate General of the United States of America Chennai represents the interests of the United States government in Chennai, India and surrounding regions. The consulate reports to the ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. The current Consul General is Robert G. Burgess, incumbent since 6 August 2017. He was preceded by Phillip Min.
The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Chennai represents the interests of the Russian government in the southern region of India. The other missions are the Embassy of the Russian Federation in New Delhi and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Kolkata and Mumbai. The current Consul General is Oleg N. Avdeev, incumbent since 12 September 2018. He succeeds Sergey L. Kotov.
The Deputy High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in Southern India is the mission of Sri Lanka in South India and represents the interests of the Sri Lankan government in the region. It is located in Chennai. The other missions are Consulate General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mumbai and High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, New Delhi. The Chennai Mission is responsible for the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala and the union territory of Puducherry. The current deputy high commissioner is Ahamed Lebbe Sabarullah Khan. He succeeds R. K. M. A. Rajakaruna.
The Royal Thai Consulate-General in Chennai is the mission of Thailand in South India representing the interests of the Thai government in the region. The other missions are the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi and the Royal Thai Consulates General in Kolkata and Mumbai. The Chennai Consulate covers the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala. The current Consul General is Nitirooge Phoneprasert. He succeeds Krongkanit Rakcharoen.
This is a timeline of major events in the history of Chennai.
Tamil Nadu Government Multi-Super-Speciality Hospital is a 400-bed government-owned super-speciality hospital in Chennai, India. It is located at the Omandurar Government Estate on Anna Salai and was opened in February 2014 as a referral hospital, similar to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, built at a cost of ₹ 1,431.4 million.
Chennai, with historically rich records dating from the British era, houses 2,467 heritage buildings within its metropolitan area (CMA), the highest within any Metropolitan Area limit in India. Most of these buildings are around 200 years old and older. Some of them are Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Ripon Building, Senate House, Bharat Insurance Building, and so forth. Chennai is home to the second largest collection of heritage buildings in the country, after Kolkata. The official list of heritage buildings was compiled by the Justice E. Padmanabhan committee.
Tamil Nadu Government Dental College, also known as Government Dental Hospital and College, is the dental wing of the Madras Medical College. Although the college is a separate entity administratively, it is functionally integrated with the Madras Medical College and Government General Hospital.
The Consulate General of South Korea for Southern India is one of the missions of South Korea in India focusing on Korean interests in the region. It is located in Chennai and its jurisdiction includes the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and the union territory of Puducherry. The other South Korean missions in the India is the Embassy of the Republic of Korea at New Delhi and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Mumbai, in addition to an honorary consulate office in Kolkata. The current consul general of the Chennai Consulate is Kwon Young Seup. He was preceded by Kim Hyung Tae, the second consul general of the Chennai Consulate.
