Visakhapatnam

Often called the ‘Jewel of the East Coast’, Vizag is a port city located at the southeast coast of India. It’s, in fact, the third-largest city on the east coast of the country. The city is the administrative headquarters of the district of Visakhapatnam, another name for the city, in Andhra Pradesh.

Vizag is situated amongst the hills of the Eastern Ghats. While resting in these hills, the city faces the mighty Bay of Bengal. Just like Goa in the west, Vizag contains many pristine beaches and picturesque areas. Climate-wise, the humidity in this city remains quite high because it lies by the sea. The temperatures don’t alter much throughout the year. The location of the city and its climate, therefore, attract tourists all year round.

Vizag is an industrial city. Besides a major steel plant, it hosts many other heavy industries owned by the state. It also has the country’s oldest shipyard and India’s largest naval base – INS Kalinga. Health-tourism is an industry in the making in the city. This industrial scenario attracts migrant workers from all across the country.

Stats And Facts

• The population of Vizag, as per the provisional reports of the Census 2011, is 17,30,320
• The city’s sex ratio is above the national average at 977 per 1000 males. Child sex ratio, although not impressive, is still well above the national average at 959 per 1000 boys
• The average literacy rate as per Census 2011 in the city is 82.66%
• Demographically, Vizag is diverse. There is a rich concentration of Oriya, Punjabis, Marwaris, Bengalis, Malayalees, and Tamils. The local language, however, is Telugu
• Buddhist influence has loomed large over the city’s history with so many relics like ancient Buddhist monuments suggesting the rule of a Buddhist empire far back in time
• Vizag, also known as Visakhapatnam, is also referred as the ‘City of Destiny’, ‘Coromandel Coast’, ‘Goa of the East Coast’ and ‘Steel City’

Vizag – Bustling Industrial Sector

• Vizag is an industrial powerhouse, despite the fact that it was traditionally a fishing town. Today, both industry and fishing co-exist in their respective spheres
• The international port in the city contributed greatly to the development of the steel, petroleum and fertilizer industries
• Some of the industrial giants whose factories and units are located in Vizag are Hindustan Shipyard Ltd., Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Bharat Heavy Plate and Vessels Ltd., and Visakhapatnam Export
• Vizag is also a hub for the export of iron ore and other minerals. The surrounding states are mineral-rich regions and these are transported by rail or road and then exported to countries like China
• The Economic Zone in the city houses prominent industries such as Reliance, Birla and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd

Connectivity

• Vizag is connected by air through the Visakhapatnam airport. Daily flights connect the city to important domestic cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi and Kolkata and international cities like Singapore and Dubai
• The city is connected by rail to various cities across the states of India. The Visakhapatnam Railway Station is on the Chennai Central-Howrah station route. To improve the train service in the city, a suburban railway station called Duvvada railway station is being developed into a satellite hub
• The NH 5, a national highway that is part of the Golden Quadrilateral project, connects Vizag with other major Indian cities. Cargo transport occurs through this system. The city roads also connect the residents to different towns and cities in Andhra Pradesh
• The residents use Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) buses to travel around the city.

Lifestyle
One of the prime tourism destinations of the state, Visakhapatnam is famous for its beaches, caves and the Eastern Ghats, besides its wildlife sanctuaries. The most popular places of interest include Dolphins Nose, Lighthouse, Kailasagiri, Beach Road, VUDA Park, Visakha Museum, and Matsyadarsini (an aquarium). INS Kursura Submarine Museum boasts of being the only one of its kind in India. one can find a variety of wildlife species in the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park. Ramakrishna Mission Beach, Rushikonda Beach, Yarada, Bheemili, and few others are the well-known beaches here. Religious sites such as ISKCON Temple, Simhachalam temple of Lord Narasimha, Sri Kanaka Maha Lakshmi, are of great importance. Other tourist attractions in the vicnity include Araku Valley, Borra Caves, Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, Kondakarla Ava, etc. The city hosts 7 crcket stadiums, some of which are Indira Priyadarshini Stadium, ACA-VDCA Stadium, and Port Trust Golden Jubilee Stadium. When it comes to academics, Visakhapatnam is considered to be a major educational centre of the state, and it hosts institutions such as Andhra Medical College, the GITAM University, Andhra University College of Engineering, IIM-Visakhapatnam, Indian Maritime University, Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, amongst others.

Localities in Visakhapatnam