Chennai

Chennai (சென்னை in Tamil), formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India's fourth largest city. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 7.45 million (2005), the 367-year-old city is the 41st largest metropolitan area in the world.

Geography

Chennai is located at {{coor d|13.04|N|80.17|E|}} on the southeast coast of India and in the northeast corner of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is located on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. The city has an average elevation of 6 meters (20 feet), its highest point being 60 m (200 ft). Two rivers meander through Chennai, the Cooum (or Koovam) in the central region and the Adyar in the southern region. Both rivers are heavily polluted with effluents and trash from domestic and commercial sources. The Adyar, which is much less polluted than the Cooum, is de-silted and cleaned periodically by the state government. A protected estuary of the Adyar forms the natural habitat of several species of birds and animals. The Buckingham Canal, 4 km (3 miles) inland, travels 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.

Related Topics:
Eastern Coastal Plains - Meter - Feet - Cooum - Adyar - Estuary - Buckingham Canal - Km - Otteri Nullah - Basin Bridge

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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 mostly brackish. The city's water supply has proved inadequate for its population, and an over-reliance on annual monsoon rains to replenish water reservoirs has compounded problems. There had been some attempts to pipe in water from other sources, such as the Veeranam, a water-rich place in Tamil Nadu or from the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh. Water is a precious commodity in Chennai and this has given rise to private water tankers supplying many areas. Alternative measures such as reverse osmosis and rainwater harvesting have been taken up. Chennai Metrowater has currently finalised a bid to construct a reverse osmosis plant with a capacity of 100 million litres per day (about 15 litres per person per day).

Related Topics:
Red Hills - Sholavaram - Chembarambakkam Lake - Potable water - Groundwater - Brackish - Water supply - Monsoon - Reservoir - Veeranam - Krishna River

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The geology of Chennai comprises of mostly clay, shale and sandstone.{{inote|rainwaterharvesting.org|rain-1}} The city is classified into three regions based on geology, sandy areas, clayey areas and hard-rock areas. Sandy areas are found along the river banks and the coasts. Clayey regions cover most of the city. Hard rock areas are Guindy, Velachery, Adambakkam and a part of Saidapet.{{inote|rain water harvesting TN gov|TN-2}}

Related Topics:
Geology - Clay - Shale - Sandstone - Guindy - Velachery - Adambakkam - Saidapet

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Climate

Chennai lies on the thermal equator, and thus sees little variation in seasonal temperature. Its proximity to the sea gives it a hot and humid climate for most of the year. The highest temperature is obtained in late May and early June usually about 38 °C (100.4 °F), though it usually exceeds 40 °C (104° °F) for a few days most years. Average daily temperature in Chennai during January is around 24 °C (75.2 °F), though the temperature rarely falls below 18 °C (64.4 °F). The lowest temperature recorded is 15.8 °C (60.44 °F) and highest 44.1 °C (111.38 °F).{{inote|singapore-temp}}

Related Topics:
Thermal equator - Humid - C - F

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The average annual rainfall is about 1,300 mm (47.2 inches). The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the north-east monsoon winds, from late September to mid November. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal often hit the city.

Related Topics:
Rainfall - Mm - Inch - Season - Monsoon - September - November - Cyclone

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Layout

For administrative purposes Chennai is divided into five talukas. 1. Egmore-Nungambakam, 2. Fort Tondiarpet 3. Mambalam-Guindy 4. Mylapore-Triplicane 5. Perambur-Purasawalkkam.

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The Chennai Metropolitan area consists of three districts namely Chennai city and the districts of Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur. The city area covers and area of 174 km² (67 mi²).{{inote|cityarea|corp-1}} The metropolitan area covers 1,177 km² (455  mi²). The city is divided on the basis of composition into four major parts: North, Central, South and West.

Related Topics:
Kanchipuram - Thiruvallur - Km² - Mi²

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North Chennai is primarily industrial. Central Chennai is the commercial heart of the city and the downtown area. South Chennai and West Chennai, previously predominantly residential areas are turning into a commercial area in recent years, hosting a large number of IT companies.

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Contiguous satellite towns include Mahabalipuram to the south, Chengalpattu to the south west, Kanchipuram town, Sriperumpudur, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam to the west.

Related Topics:
Mahabalipuram - Chengalpattu - Kanchipuram - Sriperumpudur - Tiruvallur - Arakkonam

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