Goa

Goa (???? in Devan?gar?) is India's smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population after Sikkim, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. It is located on the west coast of India, in the region known as the Konkan, and is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the east and south. The Arabian Sea makes up the state's west coast. Panaji is the state's capital, and Vasco-da-Gama (Vasco) its largest town. Portuguese merchants first landed in Goa in the 16th century but soon after colonised it. The Portuguese colony existed for about 450 years, until it was annexed as part of India in 1961.

Demographics

A native of Goa is called a Goan in English, Goenkar in Konkani, Goês (male) or Goesa (female) in Portuguese and a Govekar in Marathi. In many parts of India, the names Goanese is also sometimes used instead of Goan.

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Goa has at present a population of 1.344 million residents, making it India's fourth smallest (after Sikkim, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh). The population has a growth rate of 14.9% per annum. There are 363 people for each square kilometre of the land. 49.77% of the population live in urban areas. The sex ratio is 960 females to 1000 males. Goa's literacy rate is 82.32%, broken down into: males 88.88% and females 75.51%.{{ref|demographics}} Hinduism (65%), Catholicism (30%){{Ref|People}} and Islam are the three main religions in Goa. Roman Catholicism reached India during the period of European colonization, which began in 1498 when the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrived on the Malabar coast. During the Goa Inquisition under the Pourtuguese, Hindus were forced to convert and thousands of Hindus in Goa who refused or were suspected of practising heresy were burned alive.

Related Topics:
Literacy rate - Hinduism - Catholicism - Islam - Religions - Roman Catholicism - Europe - 1498 - Vasco da Gama - Malabar coast - Goa Inquisition

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Goa's major towns include Vasco, Margao (also spelt as Margaon, Margão or Madgaon), Marmagao (also known as Murgaon or Mormugão), Panjim and Mapusa. The region connecting the last four towns is considered a de facto conurbation, or a more or less continuous urban area.

Related Topics:
Vasco - Margao - Marmagao - Panjim - Mapusa - Conurbation

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Following the end of Portuguese rule, the most widely used languages are Konkani as the primary spoken language, and English and Marathi for official, literary or educational purposes. Language is a controversial issue in Goa, over which an agitation was fought between two contending pro-Konkani and pro-Marathi camps between 1985-87. After the agitation ended in 1987, a complex formula grants 'official language' status to Konkani, while Marathi is also allowed to be used "for any or all official purposes." Given the bitter rivalry between the two lobbies, clubbed with a maudlin issue has resulted in a stalemate over the actual implementation. Portuguese, the earlier language of the elite, has been hit by shrinking numbers, though a small section still prefer it as the medium for discourse at home, while even a few Portuguese books have been published in recent years. English, viewed as a language of opportunity and social mobility is widely understood by the many of the state residents. Hindi, India's national language, is also spoken as a second or third language.

Related Topics:
Konkani - English - Marathi - 1985 - 87 - Portuguese - English - Hindi

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