Facts About Ahmedabad
The city was founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411 A.D. But, the area around the city has been inhabited since the 11th century when it was known as Ashaval.
Ahmedabad is located on the banks of the Sabarmati River, 30 km (19 mi) from the state capital Gandhinagar, its twin city.
Ahmedabad has emerged as an important economic and industrial hub in India.
The city’s area is approximately 8,087 Square kilometre.
Ahmedabad was known as the “Manchester of the East” for its textile industry.
In 1487, the city was fortified with an outer wall 10 km (6.2 mi) in circumference by Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Sultan.
In 1573, the city was annexed by the Mughal Empire. Mughals surrendered the city to Marathas after the brief joint-rule from 1739-44.
It is the second-largest producer of cotton in India, and its stock exchange is the country’s second-oldest.
As of 2017, Ahmedabad’s estimated gross domestic product was $68 billion (Purchasing power parity).
State bank of India’s logo is taken from the lake Kankaria.
The administration of the city is divided into 14 talukas which includes 556 villages, 1 corporation, 1 cantonment area, and 7 municipalities.
Since July 1950, the city is governed by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in an urban area and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) in the suburbs area.
In 2010, Ahmedabad was ranked third on Forbes’s list of fastest-growing cities of the decade.
There are two main lakes located in the city limits: the Kankaria lake, and the Vastapur lake.
The city is connected with the pan-India railway network. It has three stations – Kalupur Station, Maninagar Station and Sabarmati Station.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Father of the nation) was born in Ahmadabad.
The city is well connected to the major cities in the state and the country through several national and state highways.
Ahmedabad is twinned with: Columbus, Ohio, United States; Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Valladolid, Province of Valladolid, Spain; Astrakhan, Astrakhan Oblast, Russia; Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan & Jersey City, New Jersey, United States.
The city is served by Sardar Vallabbhai Patel International Airport.
The estimated population of Ahmedabad is around 5.6 million, as of 2020.
In 1949 Darpana Academy of Performing Arts was established by the eminent scientist Dr Vikram Sarabhai and world-renowned Bharat Natyam dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai, and thus Ahmemedabad city became the centre of Indian classical dance.
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