Gujarat, an Indian state, is located in the western region with neighbouring states as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. This state gets its name from the word `Gujaratta` which means the land belonging to the Gurjars. The Gurjars went through Punjab and established themselves in some areas of Western India which is now called Gujarat. Located alongside the Arabian Sea, with a coastline of 1596 kilometers long which also includes the union territory of Daman and Diu, it is bordered by Pakistan and Dadra and Nagar Haveli union territory. Gujarat has an area of 75685 sq miles. Earlier, the city of Ahmedabad was the state capital but later Gandhinagar was made the capital. The latter is located in west-central India along the banks of the river Sabarmati. The city is structured in thirty residential sectors, in a style similar to that by the work of Le Corbusier, who planned the construction of Chandigarh. Its almost symmetrical numbered streets are strangely quiet and wide, lined with numerous trees.

History of Gujarat
The history of Gujarat is steeped in mythology. As per the Hindu epics, Lord Krishna, along with his elder brother Balarama deserted Mathura and settled at Kushasthali, which is presently known as Dwarka and thus, flourished the Yadava dynasty. Dwarka afterwards became one among the four seats or mathas established by Adi Shankaracharya. Besides, ancient Gujarat also witnessed the emergence of the Parsis. After fleeing from Iran in the eighth century the Parsees first reached Sanjan on the coast of Gujarat carrying the holy flame. This flame still burns in Udwada.

The influence of Muslim rule in the medieval era has left its lasting trace on the architecture and art and it became famous as the Indo-Saracenic style. The first among the Europeans to land on Gujarat were the Portuguese who established themselves in Diu, a tiny island off the southern coastal region of Saurashtra. Then the British came and constructed warehouses in Surat in the year, 1612. At the time of the British rule, Bombay (now Mumbai) was included within the state of Gujarat. But the state was divided on linguistic lines into two sates, namely Gujarat and Maharashtra in 1960. The new state of Gujarat was formed on 1st May, 1960.

Geography of Gujarat Gujarat has an area of 75,686 sq miles or 196,077 sq kilometers. Gujarat shares its border in the northwest with Pakistan and the Arabian Sea forms the western coast of the state. Madhya Pradesh is situated in the southeast, Rajasthan in the north and Maharashtra in the south. It is also the seventh largest state of India in terms of population as well as area. It is situated on the western coastal region of peninsular India.

Gujarat experiences varied climatic conditions. During winter the day is mild, dry and pleasant having average temperature of about 29 °C and at night the temperature drops to a minimum of about 12 °C. Dot and dry summers with temperatures during day at about 41 °C is experienced. While during night the temperature gets down to about 29 °C. Monsoon comes during the middle part of the month of June with temperatures during day getting lowered to around 35 °C and the night temperature gets around 27 °C. Humidity is very high and maximum rain is experienced in this season at times causing severe floods. Even if it is mostly dry, the state is almost barren in the north-west whereas the southern districts are wet because of heavy monsoon season.

Administration of Gujarat
Gujarat is divided into 25 districts. They are Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Porbander, Surat, Amreli, Gandhinagar, Narmada, Surendranagar, Anand, Bhavnagar, Navsari, Dangs, Banas Kantha, Panch Mahal, Vadodara, Sabar Kantha, Barauch, Patan, Rajkot, Valsh, Kutch, Junagadh, Dahod, Kheda and Jamnagar. A legislative assembly comprising of 182 members govern the state of Gujarat. The Legislative Assembly members (MLA) are voted from 182 constituencies. Among them, 26 seats are reserved for scheduled tribes and 13 for scheduled castes. The members are elected for a period of five years.

People of Gujarat
The population in Gujarat was 50,671,017 according to the census data of the year 2001. The concentration of population is just 258 persons per square kilometer. Hindus are 89.1% of the total population and Muslims comprise of 9.1%. Sikhs constitute 0.1% of the total population whereas Jains are 1.0%.

The primary language of this state is Gujarati and it is also the official language. Gujarati is spoken by about 71% of Hindus in Gujarat and the rest 29% speak Hindi. 88 % of Muslims living in Gujarat speak Gujarati and rest, speak Urdu. Jains speak Gujarati and a few among them speak Marwari. Parsi Zoroastrians speak Gujarati and a considerable number of people in Surat and Vadodara speak Marathi. In Kutch district, Kutchi language is largely spoken by the masses.

There are several tribal communities residing in the state of Gujarat. For instance, the Kutchis have their own language and were the inhabitants of the cape of Kutch. They are both Muslims and Hindus and a large number of them have moved from Sindh. The Lohanas, Jadeja, Rajputs and also the Muslims a large number of whom were Maldharis, the cattle-breeders, have all arrived from Sindh subsequent to their defeat or religious harassment at the hands of some kings.

Agriculture is the major occupation for most of the people living in Gujarat. There are four agricultural universities providing education and research. People are also involve in a range of threading, embroidery, publishing and coloring techniques, handiworks prepared from gem, metal and woods of the tribal communities.

Culture of Gujarat
Gujarati culture witnesses the co-mingling of varied ethnic folks. Almost one-fifth of the population of the state comprises aboriginal and tribal communities. The effect of foreign invaders like the Chalukyan kings, the Mahmud of Ghazni, etc scarcely influenced the Gujarati culture. The individual ethnical character of the tribal population namely Dubla, Gujjars, Koli, Naikda, Bhangi are nicely fused in the Gujarati culture. Even if it is having a very few urban population, the countryside of Gujarat and its cultural liveliness are marvelously manifested in its overabundance of elements. The inhabitants are spellbound by the exclusive sensation of nature. They thus imbibed themselves with the usual religious practices followed by the Gujarati communities. These factors will be visible in the musical rhythm, dance styles, gaiety festivals, lifestyle and Gujarati cuisine.

Navaratri, International Kite Festival, Kutch Mahotsav, Sun Temple, Modhera and Bhadra Purnima are some of the festivals celebrated in Gujarat. Apart from these, a number of fairs are organised like the Dangs Darbar, Vautha Mela, Trinetreshwar Mahadev Fair, etc. Kartik Purnima Fair is celebrated at Shalmaji in Gujarat in November, every year. This fair continues for a period of two weeks and largely mobbed by the tribes of Gujarat. The musical performances are accompanied by various local musical instruments, namely, Manjira, Turi, Bungal, Pava, Ektaro, Ravan Hattho, Ektara, Jantar, etc.

Food is an essential to Gujarati culture. The Gujaratis are mostly vegetarians and Khichdi, salad and chhaas are their staple food. Dishes, like, Thepla, Dhokla are quite popular in this state. Snacks like Ghooghra, Cholafali, are made by the Gujaratis during festive seasons. Gujarati cuisine also includes various kinds of sweets. A pinch of jaggery or sugar is added to dishes made from shaak, sabzi, and daal, thus reducing the effect of the salty water of Gujarat. Sugar cane, milk, jaggery, pistachios and almonds are used to make the splendid desserts in Gujarat. Some of them are Puran Poli, Halvasan, Basundi, Sutarfeni and Ghebar.

The culture of Gujarat is characteristically reflected in the deskbound lifestyle of Gujaratis. The powerful rivers of Sabarmati, Narmada had its gift, catering to the needs of the locales. Irrigation is facilitated by the supply of water from large dams. Wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and dense forests glorify the area and give a boost to the tourism industry to flourish in Gujarat.

Education of Gujarat
Elementary education is given special attention by Gujarat’s educational department. Primary education has been made free and compulsory for all children up to a specific age limit in Gujarat. Measures have also been taken to control the percentage of school dropouts. Government as well as private schools both function in Gujarat. There are also schools run by various trusts and municipal corporations in Ahmedabad. The higher secondary and state secondary board of Gujarat is in control of the schools functioning under the supervision of the state government. The private schools in Gujarat are affiliated to Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) board or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board. The state-run schools use Gujarati as their major medium of instruction while the schools run by other boards use English to impart education. Education for women is also given special attention by the Gujarat Government.

Several universities are there in Gujarat for higher education where undergraduate and masters’ programmes in various disciplines are offered. Four agricultural universities are there in Gujarat. Besides these, National Institute of Technology Surat, IIM Ahmedabad and National Institute of Design Ahmedabad are among the other prominent centers of higher education in Gujarat. NIT, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology Surat and Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology are some of the leading engineering institutes located in Gujarat.

Economy of Gujarat
The most affluent state economy of India is the Gujarat economy. If Gujarat will be considered as an independent nation then its economic rank will be much higher than most of the European Union’s developed economies. Gujarat economy is largely industrialized. The output from agriculture is very poor in Gujarat because of the less fertile soil, insufficient rainfall, floods and regular droughts, poor drainage and outdated irrigation facilities. The major part of revenue is generated from cotton (cash crop).

Gujarat is also the origin of the Amul milk co-operative federation. Surat, the ninth largest city of India and also known as the "Diamond City" or "Silk City," is situated in Gujarat. It has a number silk factories and diamond mines.

Gujarat is placed in a higher position in the manufacturing segment. The entrepreneurship of the Gujaratis has led to a desirable revival of the industrial economy of the state.

Tourism of Gujarat
Tourists in Gujarat have many things to see and enjoy including several museums, forts, mosques, temples, wildlife sanctuaries and a number of other interesting destinations. Sightseeing is one of the luxuries of Gujarat tourism. There are several palaces and forts which till today stand as a spectator to the golden age in the Indian history. Some of the palaces and forts are Pawagadh Fort, Nazar Bagh Palace, Dabhoi Fort, Uparkot Fort, Kusum Vilas Palace, etc.

There are 21 wildlife sanctuaries and 4 national parks in Gujarat which include Gir National Park, Marine National Park, Blackbuck National Park, Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary, Vansda National Park, Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Kutch Bustard Sanctuary, etc.

Some of the religious places to visit in Gujarat are Dwarkanath Temple, Narayan Temple, Palitana Temples, Takhteshwar Temple, Somnath Temple, Sidi Saiyad`s Mosque, Akshardham Temple, Kalika Temple, Jama Masjid, Rani Rupmati Mosque, Raj Babri Mosque, etc. The secret of old generation are preserved beautifully in several museums like Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery, Gandhi Smarak Sanghrahalaya, Calico Museum of Textiles, Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, Gandhi Museum, etc.

The International airport at Ahmedabad has flights to and from Delhi, Mumbai and other Indian metro cities. Regular flights to New York, Dubai, Chicago and London are available here. Trains to and from New Delhi and Mumbai connect the cities of Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad. Gujarat is also properly connected to its neighboring states through the National highways.

With its history dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization, rich culture and strong economy, the state of Gujarat contributes immensely to the development of the country.