Tamil Nadu

Capital

Chennai

Official Language

Tamil, English

Area

130,060 km²

Districts

38

Largest City

Chennai

Geography & Nature

The Eastern and Western Ghats, Kaveri delta and Coromandel coast include hill, agricultural and coastal landscapes.

• Reported area: 130,060 km². Survey of India — Administrative Boundary Data.
• Forest and tree cover: 31,820.94 km²; India State of Forest Report 2023.

Districts & Cities

38 districts listed by the NIC directory on 2026-10-14.

• Major urban centres: Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem.
• Largest city/town: Chennai. Largest city/town using Census 2011 municipal or town boundaries; urban-agglomeration rankings can differ. Current city names are used.

State Administration

Tamil Nadu has a Governor and an elected government led by a Chief Minister. Its legislature has a Legislative Assembly. The capital is Chennai.

• Administrative capital: Chennai.
• Principal official language(s): Tamil, English. Tamil is the state's official language; English is used for additional official communication.

Government Institutions

Government institutions in Tamil Nadu include executive departments, district administration, public agencies and local bodies. The official directory provides routes to their published websites.

• The Legislative Assembly provides the elected legislative institution.
• District administrations and municipal or village institutions provide local public services.

People & Demographics

The official MoEFCC profile reports approximately 7.21 crore people on a Census 2011 basis. This is a historical, rounded population figure rather than a current population estimate.

• Principal official language(s): Tamil, English.
• Tamil is the state's official language; English is used for additional official communication.
• Census tables provide the detailed rural/urban, literacy, age and mother-tongue breakdowns.

Economy & Industries

Automobiles, engineering, textiles, electronics, information technology and agriculture support a diverse economy.

• Economic centres include Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai.
• Use the government's economic surveys and departmental publications for dated output, employment and investment figures.

Infrastructure

Chennai-region ports, railways, highways, airports, metro services and renewable energy networks are major infrastructure elements.

• Transport, electricity, water and digital networks support public services and economic activity.
• Project status and operational details are published by the responsible government departments and operators.

Education & Healthcare

University of Madras, Anna University and IIT Madras are prominent institutions; government medical colleges form an extensive healthcare and teaching network.

• Schools, universities, government hospitals and primary care facilities serve different parts of the region.
• Check the relevant institution or department for current programmes, admissions and services.

Culture & History

The Great Living Chola Temples, Mamallapuram, Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music and Pongal are cultural anchors.

• Heritage sites, languages, crafts and community traditions vary across districts.
• The official tourism and culture portal provides place-specific information.

Schemes & Public Services

The Tamil Nadu government and citizen-service portal provide access to applications, certificates, departmental services and scheme information.

• Common service areas include revenue certificates, welfare applications, education, transport and local-government services; availability varies by portal.
• Open the official service listing for the current application process and requirements.