Ahmedabad facts for kids

Ahmedabad
Quick facts for kids Ahmedabad ; Amdavad
	Metropolis
	Clockwise from top left:; Sabarmati Ashram, Hutheesing Temple, Motera Stadium, Sabarmati Riverfront, Kankaria Lake
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Ahmedabad
Establishment	in 11th century as Ashawal; ; on 26 February 1411 as Ahmedabad;
Area
• Metropolis	464.16 km2 (179.21 sq mi)
• Urban	1,866 km2 (720 sq mi)
Area rank	1st in Gujarat
Elevation	53 m (174 ft)
Population (2011)
• Metropolis	5,633,927
• Rank	5th
• Density	12,137.90/km2 (31,437.0/sq mi)
• Urban	6,357,693
Demonym(s)	Ahmedabadi, Amdavadi (in Gujarati)
Language
• Official	Gujarati
• Additional official	Hindi and English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Pincode(s)	380 0XX
Area code(s)	079
Vehicle registration	GJ-01 (west), GJ-27 (East),, GJ-38 Bavla (Rural)
Sex ratio	1.11 ♂/♀
Literacy rate	89.62
Metropolis GDP/PPP	$64 billion
	Source: Census of India.

Ahmedabad is the largest city in the Gujarat state, situated in Western India. The city is the administrative centre of Ahmedabad district, and was the capital of Gujarat from 1960 to 1970. The city is located on the banks of the Sabarmati River, and it shares proximity with the Gandhinagar, the newly built state capital.

The city's area is approximately 8,087 sq.k.m and it's total population of District is 7,486,573 (2014).

History

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. The city was built on an elevated plain known as Bhadra on the eastern bank of Sabarmati River.

In 1487, the city was fortified with an outer wall 10 km (6.2 mi) in circumference by Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Sultan. The fortification consisted of twelve gates, 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements.

In 1573, the city was annexed by the Mughal Empire. But, in the year 1758, Mughals surrendered the city to Marathas after the brief joint-rule from 1739-44.

Governance

Since July 1950, the city is governed by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in urban area and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) in suburbs area. Both, provides a number of urban services such as water supply, roads construction, sanitation, primary education, city transport etc. In totality, the administration pf the city is divided into 14 talukas which includes 556 villages, 1 corporation, 1 cantonment area, and 7 municipalities.

Economy

For a long time, the city has been known for its textile mills and have been dubbed as "Manchester of the East". In 1861, the first textile mill was opened and gradually, the whole sector grew through city's own traditional culture and passion for entrepreneurship. Besides textile, Ahmedabad is also known for being automotive and pharmaceutical manufacturing hub.

Transportation

Railway

The city is connected with pan-India railway network. It has three stations - Kalupur Station, Maninagar Station and Sabarmati Station. The Kalupur station is situated in the heart of the city which will be convergence point for Ahmedabad Metro, Ahmedabad BRTS, and upcoming high-speed rail system.

Roads

The city is well connected to the major cities in the state and the country through several national and state highways.

Air Connectivity

The city is served by Sardar Vallabbhai Patel International Airport. The airport is located 9 km from city center and also caters the state capital Gandhinagar. It was started in the year 1937 with the inaugural flight Bombay-Ahmedabad-Karachi, piloted by J. R. D. Tata.

Images for kids

City Walls of Ahmedabad, 1866
Sabarmati Ashram, established by Mahatma Gandhi
Ahmedabad and its environs, ca 1914
19th century painted cloth map of Ahmedabad
A side walk at the Sabarmati Riverfront
Kankaria Lake, Ahmedabad
Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad
Torrent Power thermal power station at Sabarmati, Ahmedabad
Navaratri celebrations in Ahmedabad
Sabarmati Railway Station
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad is one of the best business schools in India
Physical research laboratory, Ahmedabad
Gujarat university, Ahmedabad
Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University
Broadcasting tower of the Ahmedabad Doordarshan
Sardar Patel (Gujarat) Stadium, a cricket stadium with 54,000 capacity, in Motera, Ahmedabad