?Chennai Tamil Nadu â€¢ India
Chennai Central Station
Chennai
Coordinates: 13°05′N 80°16′E / 13.09, 80.27
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Metro • Elevation	181.06 km² (70 sq mi)Development Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area (PDF) p. 1. Govt. of India (April 2006). Retrieved on 2007-09-12. • 1,180 km² (456 sq mi) • 6 m (20 ft)
District(s)	• Chennai  â€¢ Kanchipuram  â€¢ Tiruvallur
Population • Density • Metro	4.34 million (5th) (2001) • 24,418/km² (63,242/sq mi) • 7.5 million (4th) (2007)
Mayor	M. Subramaniam
Commissioner	Nanjil Natrajan
Codes • Pincode • Telephone • UN/LOCODE • Vehicle	• 600 xxx • +91 44 • INMAA • TN-01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 10
Website: www.chennaicorporation.com

Coordinates: 13°05′N 80°16′E / 13.09, 80.27 Chennai (Tamil: செனà¯�னை), formerly known as Madras (help·info), is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, Chennai has an estimated population of 7.5 million (2007), making it the fourth largest metropolitan city in India and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.Srivasthan, A. "New land use proposals mooted in draft Master Plan", The Hindu, April 12, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-04. Richardson, Harry Ward; Chang-Hee Christine Bae (2005). Globalization And Urban Development. Springer, 58. ISBN 3540223622. Socio-economic Conceptual Frame Work-WP2 (PDF). Sustainable Settlements in Periurban Areas p. 19. Division of Urban Systems Development, Anna University, Chennai, India. Retrieved on 2007-10-05.

The city was established in the 17th century by the British, who developed it into a major urban centre and naval base. By the 20th century, it had become an important administrative centre, as the capital of the Madras Presidency.

Chennai's economy has a broad industrial base in the automobile, technology, hardware manufacturing, and healthcare industries. The city is home to much of India's automobile industry and is the country's second-largest exporter of information technology (IT) and information-technology-enabled services (ITES), behind Bangalore."Chennai has the 'potential' to become Detroit of South Asia: IT Secretary", The Hindu, July 18, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-09-12. Ramesh, Jairam. "IT in India: Big successes, large gaps to be filled", The Business Standard, September 30, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.  The city is served by an international airport and two major ports; it is connected to the rest of the country by five national highways and two railway terminals. Thirty-five countries have consulates in Chennai.According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and the United States of America maintain full diplomatic missions or consular offices in Chennai, while Austria, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, South Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Luxembourg, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritius, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Turkey and Turkmenistan maintain honorary consulates.Protocol Division, Ministry of External Affairs. Mission List. Retrieved on 2007-10-04..

Chennai hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season, which includes performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a vibrant theatre scene and is an important centre for the Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil film industry, known as Kollywood, is based in the city; the soundtracks of the movies dominate its music scene. Chennai is known for its sport venues and hosts an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) event, the Chennai Open. The city faces problems of water shortages, traffic congestion and air pollution. The state and local governments have undertaken initiatives such as the Veeranam project, Rainwater harvesting and the construction of mini-flyovers to address some of these problems.

Names

The name Chennai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Chennapatnam, the name of the town that grew up around Fort St. George, built by the British in 1640. The town was named after Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu of Chandragiri, father of the ruling chieftain of the area, Venkatapathy Nayakudu,History. District Profile. Government of India. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. although some believe Chennapatnam was named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple, as the word Chenni in Tamil means face, and the temple was thought of as the face of the city.Srinivasan, T.A. "Face behind the name", The Hindu, February 28, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. 

The former name, Madras, is derived from Madraspatnam, a fishing village that lay to the north of Fort St. George. The origin of the name Madraspatnam is a subject of disagreement. One theory holds that the Portuguese, who arrived in the area in the 16th century, may have named the village Madre de Deus.Kurian, Nimi. "And the city grew", The Hindu, August 31, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.  However, historian S. Muthiah believes that the village's name came from the once prominent Madeiros family (variously known as Madera or Madra in succeeding years), who had consecrated the Madre de Deus church in Santhome in 1575 (demolished in 1997). Another theory says that the village was named after an Islamic college (a madrasa) which was located in the area. After the British gained possession of the area in the 17th century, the two towns, Madraspatnam and Chennapatnam, eventually merged. The British referred to the united town as Madraspatnam, while the locals preferred to call it Chennapatnam.Chennai History. Corporation of Chennai. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.

The city was officially renamed Chennai in 1996, about the same time that many Indian cities were undergoing name changes. Madras was seen as a Portuguese name.Tharoor, Sashi. "In India's name game, cities are the big losers", International Herald Tribune, September 06, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. 

History

Main article: History of Chennai

Chennai Central Railway Station, 1925

The region around Chennai has served as an important administrative, military, and economic centre since the 1st century. It has been ruled by various South Indian dynasties, notably the Pallava, the Chola, the Pandya, and Vijaynagar. The town of Mylapore, now part of Chennai, was once a major Pallavan port. The Portuguese arrived in 1522 and built a port called São Tomé after the Christian apostle, St Thomas, who had preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE. In 1612, the Dutch established themselves near Pulicat, just north of the city.

On 22 August 1639, Francis Day of the British East India Company bought a small strip of land on the Coromandel Coast from the Vijayanagara King, Peda Venkata Raya in Chandragiri. The region was ruled by Damerla Venkatapathy, the Nayak of Vandavasi. He granted the British permission to build a factory and warehouse for their trading enterprises. A year later, the British built Fort St George, which became the nucleus of the growing colonial city. In 1746, Fort St. George and Madras were captured by the French under General La Bourdonnais, the Governor of Mauritius, who plundered the town and its outlying villages. The British regained control in 1749 through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and fortified the town's fortress wall to withstand further attacks from the French and another looming threat, Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore. By the late 18th century, the British had conquered most of the region around Tamil Nadu and the northern modern-day states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, establishing the Madras Presidency with Madras as the capital. "Madras, India (Capital)". Encyclopaedia Brittanica (eleventh edition). (1911). Retrieved on 2007-09-04.  Under British rule, the city grew into a major urban centre and naval base.

Victoria Public Hall at Park Town, Chennai - one of the finest examples of British architecture in the city

With the advent of railways in India in the late 19th century, the thriving urban centre was connected to other important cities such as Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) and Calcutta, promoting increased communication and trade with the hinterland. Chennai was briefly under Portuguese and French rule during 16th & 18th century.

Chennai was the only Indian city to be attacked by the Central Powers during World War I, when an oil depot was shelled by the German light cruiser SMS Emden on September 22 1914, as it raided shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, causing disruption to shipping.Playne, Somerset; J.W. Bond, Arnold Wright (1914). Southern India: Its History, People, Commerce and Industrial resources. Foreign and Colonial Compiling and Publishing Company, London, pp. 51–52. ISBN 8120613449. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.  After India gained its independence in 1947, the city became the capital of Madras State, renamed the state of Tamil Nadu in 1969. The violent agitations of 1965 against the imposition of Hindi as the national language, marked a major shift in the political dynamics of the city and the whole state.Guha, Ramachandra. "Hindi against India", The Hindu, January 16, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-10-04. 

In 2004, an Indian Ocean tsunami lashed the shores of Chennai, killing many and permanently altering the coastline.Altaff, K; J. Sugumaran, Md. S. Naveed (July 10, 2005). "Impact of tsunami on meiofauna of Marina beach, Chennai, India" (PDF). Current Science 89 (1). Retrieved on 2007-09-04. 

Geography and climate

Main article: Geography of Chennai

See also: List of neighbourhoods in Chennai and Flora and fauna of Chennai

Chennai is on a flat coastal plain, as shown on this Landsat 7 map.]] Chennai is on the southeast coast of India in the northeast of Tamil Nadu on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. Its average elevation is around 6.7 metres (20 ft),Geographical and physical features. District Profile. Govt of India. Retrieved on 2007-10-04. and its highest point is 60 m (200 ft).Pulikesi, M; P. Baskaralingam, D. Elango, V.N. Rayudu, V. Ramamurthi, S. Sivanesan (August 25, 2006). "Air quality monitoring in Chennai, India, in the summer of 2005". Journal of Hazardous Materials 136 (3): 589–596. Retrieved on 2007-10-04. “Chennai is fairly low-lying, its highest point being only 60 metres above sea level.â€�  The Marina Beach runs for 12 km along the shoreline of the city. Two rivers meander through Chennai, the Cooum River (or Koovam) through the centre and the Adyar River to the south. Both rivers are heavily polluted with effluents and waste from domestic and commercial sources. The state government periodically removes silt and pollution from the Adyar, which is much less polluted than the Cooum. A protected estuary on the Adyar forms a natural habitat for several species of birds and animals.Baskaran, Theodore S. "Death of an Estuary", The Hindu, January 12, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-09-12. Doraisamy, Vani. "A breather for the Adyar estuary", The Hindu, October 31, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.  The Buckingham Canal, 4 km (3 miles) inland, runs parallel to the coast, linking the two rivers. The Otteri Nullah, an east-west stream, runs through north Chennai and meets the Buckingham Canal at Basin Bridge. Several lakes of varying size are located on the western fringes of the city. Red Hills, Sholavaram and Chembarambakkam Lake supply Chennai with potable water. Groundwater sources are becoming brackish.Lakshmi, K. "It's no cola, it's the water supplied in Korattur", The Hindu, July 13, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. 

Chennai's soil is mostly clay, shale and sandstone.Practices and Practitioners. Technology. Centre for Science and Environment. Retrieved on 2007-09-12. Sandy areas are found along the river banks and coasts, such as Tiruvanmiyur, Adyar, Kottivakkam, Santhome, George Town, Tondiarpet and the rest of coastal Chennai. Here rainwater runoff percolates quickly through the soil. Clay underlies most of the city including T. Nagar, West Mambalam, Anna Nagar, Perambur and Virugambakkam. Areas of hard rock include Guindy, Velachery, Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet."A ready reckoner on rainwater harvesting", The New Indian Express, August 11, 2003. Retrieved on 2005-08-05. 

Chennai, a coastal city located on the Bay of Bengal, has a tropical climate

Chennai is divided into four parts: North, Central, South and West. North Chennai is primarily an industrial area. Central Chennai is the commercial heart of the city and includes an important business district, Parry's Corner. South Chennai and West Chennai, previously mostly residential, are fast becoming commercial, home to a growing number of information technology firms, financial companies and call centres. The city is expanding quickly along the Old Mahabalipuram Road and the Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST Road) in the south and towards Ambattur, Koyambedu and Sriperumbdur in the west.Structure of Chennai (PDF). Second Master Plan - II pp. II–9, II–10, II–11, II–15. Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. Chennai is one of the few cities in the world that accommodates a national park, the Guindy National Park, within its limits.Guindy National Park. Govt. of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved on 2007-10-10.

Chennai lies on the thermal equator and is also coastal, which prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature. For most of the year, the weather is hot and humid. The hottest part of the year is late May and early June, known locally as Agni Nakshatram ("fire star") or as Kathiri Veyyil,Ramakrishnan, T. "Hot spell may continue for some more weeks in the State", The Hindu, May 18, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.  with maximum temperatures around 38–42 Â°C (100–107 Â°F). The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around 19–20 Â°C (66–68 Â°F). The lowest temperature recorded is 15.8 Â°C (60.44 Â°F) and highest 45 Â°C (113 Â°F).Climate of India. National Environment Agency – Singapore. Retrieved on 2005-08-04."Highest temperature", The Hindu, May 31, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-04-25.  The average annual rainfall is about 1,300 mm (51 inches). The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds, from mid-September to mid-December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal sometimes hit the city. Highest annual rainfall recorded is 2,570 mm (101 in) in 2005.Ramakrishnan, T. "Entering 2006, city's reservoirs filled to the brim", The Hindu, January 3, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.  The most prevailing winds in Chennai are the South-westerly between May and September and the North-easterly during the rest of the year.

Administration and utility services

Main article: Administration of Chennai

See also: Chennai architecture and Subdivisions of India

Chennai city is governed by the Corporation of Chennai, consisting of 155 councillors who represent 155 wards and are directly elected by the city's residents. From among themselves, the councillors elect a mayor and a deputy mayor who preside over about six standing committees.Executive Chart. About COC. Corporation of Chennai. Retrieved on 2007-09-04. Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, houses the state executive and legislative headquarters primarily in the Secretariat Buildings on the Fort St George campus but also in many other buildings scattered around the city. The Madras High Court, whose jurisdiction extends across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, is the highest judicial authority in the state and is also in the city. Chennai has three parliamentary constituencies—Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South—and elects 18 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the state legislature.

Chennai city police car

The metropolitan region of Chennai covers many suburbs that are part of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts. The larger suburbs are governed by town municipalities, and the smaller ones are governed by town councils called panchayats. While the city covers an area of 174 km² (67 mi²),General statistics. Corporation of Chennai. Retrieved on 2005-08-04. the metropolitan area is spread over 1,189 km² (458 mi²).Chennai Metropolitan Area - Profile. Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. Retrieved on 2007-09-15. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has drafted a Second Master Plan that aims to develop satellite townships around the city. Contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram to the south, Chengalpattu and Maraimalai Nagar to the southwest, and Kanchipuram town, Sriperumpudur, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam to the west.

The Greater Chennai Police department, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency in the city. The city police force is headed by a commissioner of police, and administrative control rests with the Tamil Nadu Home Ministry. The department consists of 36 subdivisions with a total of 121 police stations, of which 15 are ISO 9001:2000 certified.*Chennai Police ISO 9001:2000. Govt. of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved on 2005-08-09. The city's traffic is managed by the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP). The Metropolitan suburbs are policed by the Chennai Metropolitan Police, and outer district areas are policed by the Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur police departments.

Ripon Building, which houses the Chennai Corporation, was completed 1913. It is named after former viceroy Lord Ripon.

The Corporation of Chennai and municipalities of the suburbs provide civic services. Garbage in most zones is handled by JBM Fanalca Environment Management, a private company, and by the Chennai Corporation in the other zones. Water supply and sewage treatment are handled by the Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board, popularly referred to as Metro Water. Electricity is supplied by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board.Emergency and Utility Services Contact Details at Chennai. Govt. of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. The city's telephone service is provided by six mobile phone companies and four landline companies,Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (August 24, 2007). "Information note to the Press (Press Release No.71/2007)" (PDF) (in English). Press release. Retrieved on 2007-10-04., Annexure I lists these six entities as the licensed cellular operators for the Chennai circle. The CDMA Development Group's official website lists Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications as the only operators to have deployed CDMA on cellular systems in India. CDMA Worldwide: Deployment search - Asia-Pacific. CDMA Development Group. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.Narayanan, R.Y. "Touchtel arrives in Coimbatore", The Hindu, September 5, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.  which also provide broadband Internet access, along with Sify and Hathway.

Historically, Chennai has relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs, as no major rivers flow through the area. Steadily growing in population, the city has faced water supply shortages, and its ground water levels have been depleted. An earlier Veeranam Lake project failed to solve the city's water problems, but the New Veeranam project, which became operational in September 2004, has greatly reduced dependency on distant sources.Management of water supply during acute water scarcity in 2003 & 2004. Operations and maintenance. Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board. Retrieved on 2007-03-16. In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and rainwater harvesting (RWH) by Chennai Metrowater at its Anna Nagar Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages.Lakshmi, K. "Bangalore team visits RWH structures in city", The Hindu, August 3, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-11.  Moreover, newer projects like the Telugu Ganga project that bring water from water-surplus rivers like the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh have eased water shortages. The city is constructing sea water desalination plants to further increase the water supply."IVRCL to set up desalination plant near Chennai", The Hindu, August 12, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-09-18. Radhakrishnan, R.K. "Preliminary work on desalination plant to be completed by December-end", The Hindu, September 4, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-18. 

Economy

Main article: Economy of Chennai

See also: List of Tech Parks in Chennai

Parry's Corner, one of the older business districts in Chennai

Chennai has a diversified economic base anchored by the automobile, software services, hardware manufacturing, healthcare and financial services industries.O'Connor, Ashling. "Hotspot for international manufacturers", The Times, September 13, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.  As of 2000, the city's total personal income was Rs. 12,488.83 crores, making up 10.9% of the total income of Tamil Nadu.Economy (PDF). Second Master Plan - II p. III-8. Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. Retrieved on 2007-10-05. In 2001, the total workforce in Chennai was about 1.5 million, which was 31.79% of its population. According to the 1991 census, most of the city's workforce was involved in trade (25.65%), manufacturing (23.52%), transportation (10.72%), construction (6.3%) and other services (31.8%). Chennai metropolitan area accounts for over 75% of the sales tax revenue in the state.Economy (PDF). Second Master Plan - II pp. III-14, III-19, III-20. Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. Retrieved on 2007-10-05.

The city is base to around 30% of India's automobile industrySivalingam, T; Bhaskaran, E (2004). "IT applications in Automotive Industry". GCMM 2004 first international conference on manufacturing and management: p. 20. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.  and 35% of its auto components industry.Automotive Components. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Govt. of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03. A large number of automotive companies including Hyundai, Ford, BMW, Mitsubishi, TVS Motors (TVS), Ashok Leyland, Nissan, Renault, TI Cycles of India, Tafe Tractors, Royal Enfield, Caterpillar and Madras Rubber Factory (MRF), have manufacturing plants in and around Chennai. The Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi produces military vehicles, including India's main battle tank: Arjun MBT. The Integral Coach Factory manufactures railway coaches and other rolling stock for Indian Railways.Profile. Integral Coach Factory. Retrieved on 2005-11-19. The Ambattur-Padi industrial zone houses many textile manufacturers, and an SEZ for apparel and footwear manufacture has been set up in the southern suburbs of the city.Ravi Kumar, N. "Mahindra City, a world of its own", The Hindu, December 3, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.  Chennai contributes more than 50% of India's leather exports.Development Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area (PDF) p. 13. Govt. of India. Retrieved on 2007-10-06.

Tidel Park is one of the many software parks in Chennai.

The city is an electronics manufacturing hub where multinational corporations like Dell, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Flextronics and Foxconn have set up electronics and hardware manufacturing plants, mainly in the Sriperumbudur Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Many software and software services companies have development centres in Chennai, which contributed 14% of India's total software exports of Rs.144,214 crores during 2006–07, making it the second-largest exporter of software in the country, behind Bangalore. Prominent financial institutions, including the World Bank, have back office operations in the city."BPOs: Chennai most preferred", Sify.com, March 1, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.  Chennai is home to three large national level commercial banks Indian Bank Head Office. Indian Bank. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.Muthiah, S. "The bank in a 'palace' grounds", The Hindu, October 1, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-10-13. Branch Network. Bharat Overseas Bank Bank. Retrieved on 2007-10-08. and many state level co-operative banks, finance and insurance companies. Some of India's well-known healthcare institutions such as Apollo Hospitals (the largest private healthcare provider in Asia),Medical Tourism. Apollo Hospitals. Retrieved on 2007-09-12. Sankara Nethralaya and Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre are based in the city, making it one of the preferred destinations for medical tourists from across the globe.Indian State: Tamil Nadu. Govt of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-12. Telecom giants Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and chemicals giant Dow Chemicals have research and development facilities in Chennai. TICEL bio-tech parkList of clients. TICEL Bio Park. Retrieved on 2007-10-05. and Golden Jubilee bio-tech parkExisting units. Golden Jubilee Biotech Park for Women Society. Retrieved on 2007-10-05. at Siruseri house biotechnology companies and laboratories. Chennai has a fully computerised stock exchange called the Madras Stock Exchange.

Demographics

Ranganathan Street in T.Nagar is usually packed with pedestrian shoppers.

Residents of Chennai are called Chennaiites by some English-speakers and the English language media. As of 2001, Chennai city had a population of 4.34 million, while the total metropolitan population was 7.04 million.Demography (PDF). Second Master Plan - II pp. I-5, I-10. Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. Retrieved on 2007-10-06. The population density for Chennai city and the metropolitan area have been calculated using the population figures and the total area of the respective regions, mentioned in the Second Master Plan. The conversion rate of 1-mile (2 km) = 1.609 km. has been used to compute the density per sq. mile. The estimated metropolitan population in 2006 is 4.5 million. In 2001, the population density in the city was 24,682 per km² (9,534 per mi²), while the population density of the metropolitan area was 5,922 per km² (2,287 mi²), making it one of the most densely populated cities in the world.Urban Areas by Population Density (PDF). World Urban Areas (World Agglomerations) p. 77. Demographia (March 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-09. In terms of population density, Chennai was ranked 51st among all urban agglomerations in the world with over 500,000 people. The sex ratio is 951 females for every 1,000 males,Census 2001 Data. Census of India. Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved on 2007-10-05. slightly higher than the national average of 934.India. CIA World Factbook. Retrieved on 2005-08-04. The average literacy rate is 80.14%,Districts performance on Literacy Rate in Tamil Nadu for the year 2001. Department of school education. Retrieved on 2005-08-04. much higher than the national average of 64.5%. The city has the fourth highest population of slum dwellers among major cities in India, with about 820,000 people (18.6% of its population) living in slum conditions.Slum Population – Census 2001 (PDF). The Government of India. Retrieved on 2007-03-08. This number represents about 5% of the total slum population of India. In 2005, the crime rate in the city was 313.3 per 100,000 people, accounting for 6.2% of all crimes reported in major cities in India.Incidence & Rate Of Total Cognizable Crimes (IPC) In States, UTs & Cities During 2005 (PDF). Govt. of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-19. The number of crimes in the city showed a significant increase of 61.8% from 2004.Crimes in Mega Cities (PDF). Crime In India â€“ 2005. Govt. of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.

The majority of the population in Chennai are Tamilians and Tamil is the primary language spoken in Chennai. English is widely spoken especially in business, education and white collar professions. Sizeable Telugu and Malayalee communities live in the city.Chennai Culture. chennai-online.in. Retrieved on 2007-10-08. Chennai also has a large migrant population, who come from other parts of Tamil Nadu and the rest of the country. As of 2001, out of the 937,000 migrants (21.57% of its population) in the city, 74.5% were from other parts of the state, 23.8% were from rest of India and 1.7% were from outside the country.Demography (PDF). Second Master Plan - II pp. I-11. Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. Retrieved on 2007-10-06. According to the 2001 census, Hindus constitute about 82.27% of the city's population, and Muslims (8.37%), Christians (7.63%) and Jains (1.05%) are other major religious groups.Area and Population (PDF). Govt of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.

Culture

A traditional Bharata natyam performance

Main articles: Culture of Chennai and Cuisine of Chennai

See also: Tamil cuisine

Chennai's culture reflects its diverse population. The city is known for its classical dance shows and Hindu temples. Every December, Chennai holds a five-week long Music Season celebrating the 1927 opening of the Madras Music Academy."Music musings", The Hindu, February 3, 2005. Retrieved on 2005-08-04.  It features performances (kutcheries) of traditional Carnatic music by hundreds of artists in and around the city. An arts festival called the Chennai Sangamam, which showcases various arts of Tamil Nadu is held in January every year. Chennai is also known for Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu. An important cultural centre for Bharatanatyam is Kalakshetra, on the beach in the south of the city.GR. "Yearning for Chennai ambience", The Hindu, December 2, 2000. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. 

Chennai is the base for the large Tamil movie industry, dubbed Kollywood after Kodambakkam, home to most of the movie studios.Ellens, Dan; Lakshmi Srinivas (2006). A Time for India. Vantage Press Inc., New York, p. 150. ISBN 0533150922. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.  The industry makes more than 150 Tamil movies a year,Ganti, Tejaswini (2004). Bollywood: A Guidebook To Popular Hindi Cinema. Routledge, London, p. 3. ISBN 0415288541. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.  and its soundtracks dominate the city's music. Chennai's theatres stage many Tamil plays; political satire, slapstick comedy, history, mythology and drama are among the popular genres.Ramesh, V. "The Sultan of sarcasm", The Hindu, July 17, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-09-22. Ashok Kumar, S.R. "Actor R.S. Manohar dead", The Hindu, January 11, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-09-22. Kumar, Ranee. "Laughter, the best medicine", The Hindu, December 10, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.  English plays are also staged in the city.

Among Chennai's festivals, Pongal, celebrated over five days in January, is the most important. Tamil New Year's Day, signifying the beginning of the Tamil year, usually falls on April 14. Almost all major religious festivals such as Deepavali, Eid and Christmas are celebrated in Chennai. Tamil cuisine in Chennai includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Many of the city's restaurants offer light meals or tiffin, which usually include rice-based dishes like pongal, dosai, idli and vadai, served with steaming hot filter coffee.

Transport

Main article: Transport in Chennai

The IT Highway in Chennai with the MRTS passing overhead.

The Chennai International Airport, comprising the Anna International Airport and the Kamaraj Domestic Airport, handles domestic as well as international flights and is the third busiest airport in India.