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Western India shown in red Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) Area 508, 052 km² States and territories Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu Most populous cities (2008) Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Nashik, Nagpur ,Thane & Navi Mumbai Official languages Marathi, Gujarati, Konkani, English, Hindi 1 2

Population 147,801,774 West India (Western India) or the Western region of India consists of the states of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra, along with the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. It is relatively highly industrialized, with a large urban population3. Most of Western India was part of the Maratha Empire and Mughal Empire before colonization by the British. The regions became part of India on independence, and took their current form after the States Reorganization Act of 19564. The states are roughly bounded by the Thar Desert in the North West, the Vindhya Range in the North and the Arabian Sea in the East. A major portion of Western India shares the Deccan Plateau with South India.

Contents 5 1 History 2 Geography 3 Climate 4 Demographics 5 Culture 6 Cuisine 7 Economy 8 References 9 See also

6 History

7 Geography

Konkan in monsoonThe region consists of the predominantly arid to semi-arid region of Saurashtra, Kutch and Cambay in the North. The Western Ghats and Konkan lie along the coast of Maharashtra and Goa. The Deccan plains of the Vidarbha, Marathwada in central and eastern Maharashtra define the rest of the region. The vegetation varies from tropical rainforests along the Konkan coast to thorny bushes and shrubs in northern Gujarat. The major rivers in this region are Narmada, Tapti, Godavari, Zuari, Mandovi, Krishna, Ghaggar, Chambal and many other smaller tributaries of other rivers. The Narmada and Tapti rivers generally form the boundary between Northern and Southern India.

8 Climate The climate varies between tropical wet, tropical wet and dry, and semi arid. The coastal regions experience little seasonal variations although the temperatures range between 20°C to 38°C. Mumbai and northern Konkan regions experience cooler winters with minimum temperatures hovering around 12 °C. Interior Maharashtra experiences hot summers with maximum temperatures averaging 40°C and mild winters with minimum temperatures averaging about 10°C. Gujarat also has a warm climate with hot summers and cool winters.

9 Demographics

A Megwhal woman in the Hodka village, north of Bhuj. Ileana D'Cruz, a Goan working in the Telugu language film industry.While Hinduism is practiced by the majority of the population in Gujarat, Maharashtra is religiously very diverse. The majority being Hindus, Islam is the second largest religion followed by Christianity. Indigenous Jews called the Bene Israel who speak Marathi constitute a significant number. The Parsees who settled in Gujarat made Mumbai and Surat their home. Significant percentages of Jains and Buddhists can be found too. Christianity is dominant in the state of Goa. Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Navratri, Eid and Christmas are the most important festivals in Western India.