Andhra Pradesh, the third largest state in India is said to have been the home of the Pre- Dravidian dark coloured inhabitants. Andhra region witnessed the rule of Chandragupta Maurya during which it established itself as an independent kingdom. The state located in South India, is bounded by Tamil Nadu in the south, Maharashtra in the North and North-West, Madhya Pradesh in the North-East, Karnataka in the West, and the Bay of Bengal in the East. The medieval city of Hyderabad is its capital. The main languages spoken here are Telugu, English, Urdu and Hindi.
Andhra Pradesh was formed on 1st November, 1956 under the States' reorganisation scheme. It is the fifth largest State with an area of 2,76,754 sq. km, accounting for 8.4 % of India's territory. The State has the longest coastline (972 km) among all the States in India.


Andhra Pradesh is endowed with a variety of physiographic features ranging from high hills, undulating plains to a coastal deltaic environment.