Goa | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

(2002 pop. 1.4 million) The Indian state of Goa is approximately 400 kilometers south of Mumbai (Bombay). The states of Maharashtra and Karnataka lie to the north and southeast, respectively, and the Arabian Sea to the west. Goa occupies 3,702 square kilometers and has a population of 1,169,793. It is 62 percent Hindu, 34 percent Christian, 3 percent Muslim, and 1 percent "other." Divided into eleven talukas(districts), Goa is governed by its chief minister. The union government in New Delhi appoints the governor, whose function is largely ceremonial. Its legislature is unicameral.

In addition to Goa University, there are numerous schools and colleges. The population of Goa is 77 percent literate, far above the national average of 52 percent. Goa's principal languages are Konkani (the state language), Marathi, and Kannada. Twenty newspapers have been published in English, Marathi, Konkani, and Portuguese. English is the dominant language of journalism in Goa.

Goa is an agricultural state, rice being the principal crop. Coconuts, mangoes, and cashew nuts are also grown. The principal industries are iron mining and tourism. Although Goa is India's smallest state, it produces one-third of India's iron ore: annually, 14 million metric tons of iron ore are mined. Sandy beaches, temperate weather (25–30° C), and historical monuments make Goa a major tourist attraction.

The city of Old Goa is famous for the Sé Cathedral, the Basilica of Bom Jesus (which houses the sarcophagus of Saint Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Goa), and the Church of Saint Cajetan. Ponda is noted for the Mangesh, Mhalasa, and Mahalakshmi Hindu temples and the Safa Muslim mosque. Vasco connects Goa to the rest of India by rail, and the Dabolim airport is reached by domestic flights.

Panaji (population 43,165), the capital, is a port city on the Mandovi River. The origin of the name is uncertain. There are two possible meanings: panalkhalli ("place of running water") and ponnje ("marshy, fertile place"). The city of Old Goa was the original capital. When its population was decimated in 1759 following plagues, the viceroy moved his residence to Pangim (as it was known then). Pangim was renamed Nova Goa in 1843 and made the capital city.

Mormugao (population 83,200), at the estuary of the Zuari River, is the chief shipping center of Goa and, after Mumbai, India's largest port. Margao (population 58,500) is the chief industrial city of Goa, specializing in electronics, textiles, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and metals.

From the second century CE until 1312, Goa was under the Kadamba rulers, and for most of the fourteenth century Goa was dominated by Muslim invaders. It was annexed by Vijayanagar and later conquered by the Bahmanis, who subdivided it in 1382, making it a part of the Bijapur kingdom, which it remained until the coming of the Portuguese. Alfonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa in 1510 and made it the headquarters of Portuguese possessions in India. Daman and Diu were added later. After India gained independence in 1947, a freedom movement led to the annexation of Goa by force in December 1961. Goa became a union territory in 1962 and a state in 1987. Daman and Diu have remained union territories.

Henry Scholberg

Census of India, 1991. (1996–1998) New Delhi: Controller of Publications.

Fonseca, Nicolau da. (1878) A Historical and Archaeological Sketch of the City Goa, Preceded by a Short Statistical Account of the Territory of Goa. Mumbai, India: Thacker.

Rao, R. P. (1963) Portuguese Rule in Goa, 1510–1961. Mumbai, India: Asia Publishing House.

Whiteway, Richard Stephen. (1899) The Rise of the Portuguese Power in India. Westminster, U.K.: A. Constable.

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