Pondicherry Travel Guide, India

Pondicherry, which is now officially known by the name of Puducherry, happens to be one of the Union Territories of India. Pondicherry was a French Colony in the past and it is divided into four districts. Due to the French influence, the city of Pondicherry is also known as The French Riviera of the East (which in French was known as La Cote d'Azur de l'Est). The meaning of the new name of Pondicherry, Puducherry, is New Village.

The names of four districts are: Karaikal, Mahe (located on the Arabian Sea), Yanam (located somewhere on the Bay of Bengal), and Pondicherry of course. Pondicherry and Karaikal are part of North Indian state Tamil Nadu while Mahe and Yanam are part of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh respectively. As per the census of 2001, Pondicherry has total population of around 900000 locals. The union territory of Pondicherry expands over an area of around 490 kilometer square.

Tamil is the most used language in the union territory of Pondicherry while Malayalam grabs the second place. Telugu is also used by many locals of Pondicherry and the influence of French can also be seen, as there are over 10000 inhabitants who use French to communicate with others. Tamil is more prevalent in the districts of Karaikal and Pondicherry while Telugu is famous in the districts of Yanam and Pondicherry. Malayalam is more used in the district of Mahe.

Pondicherry's gross income during the year of 2004 was around USD$ 2 billion. Fish business is the most happening business of Pondicherry. This can be proved by the number of villages which are actively involved in Fish business. There are around 27 marine fishing villages while 23 villages do fishing inline. The total population of Pondicherry that depends on Fish business is around 650000 inhabitants.

Rail and road are the two major sources of transport in the union territory of Pondicherry. The railway line of Pondicherry isn't that huge yet and slowly it is being expanded. The road network of Pondicherry is above excellence and it is as good as that of metropolitan cities. The total road length of Pondicherry is around 2550 kilometers. This is the longest road length for any region when compared to all other regions of India.

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