Quick Facts/Information on Goa

Maps of India offers some quick facts on Goa. Located on the western coast of India, in the Konkan coastal belt, Goa is often referred to as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ and is a ‘tourist’s paradise’. Legends have it that Lord Parshuram – an incarnation of the Lord Vishnu – created Goa. Over the ages it has been ruled by several successive kingdoms – the Rashtrakutas, Kadambas, Silaharas, Chalukyas, Bahamani Muslims etc. However, Goa’s most famous rulers have been the Portuguese. On December 19, 1961, Goa was liberated from the Portuguese clutches by the Indian Army and made an Indian Union Territory. It attained Statehood in 1987.

Here are some quick facts on Goa:

Location of Goa: Goa is located on the western coast of the Indian peninsula. It is separated from Maharashtra in the north, Karnataka in the south, the Western Ghats in the east, and the Arabian Sea in the west by the Terekhol River. Geographically, its position is between the latitudes 15°48'00" North to 14°53'54" North and longitudes 74° 20'13" East to 73° 40'33" East.

How to reach Goa: Some of the important and convenient ways to travel to Goa are:

• Flights to Goa: Goa is well connected to India via an extremely adept air route and has almost all the major airline operators having flight schedules to Goa.
• Roadways to Goa: Goa is also accessible by road as it is connected to all major towns in India by the National Highways Goa NH4A, NH17 and NH17A.
• Railways to Goa: the high-speed Konkan Railway, which starts from Mumbai via Miraj and Pune, has a daily train and takes around 8-9 hours to reach. The rail route also has trains which travel past Mumbai – in the north to several areas of India upto Delhi and in the south up to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

Capital of Goa: Panaji or Panjim is the capital of Goa. It is located on the banks of the Mandovi river.

Governer of Goa: S.C. Jamir.

Chief Minister of Goa: Pratapsing Rane.

Liberation Day of Goa: December 17.

Statehood Day of Goa: May 30.

Population of Goa: 1.4 million (2001).

Languages of Goa: Along with English which is widely spoken all over Goa, Konkani and Marathi are the state languages. The national language Hindi is also well understood in most areas around the state.

Area of Goa: 3,702 square kms.

Official Language of Goa: Konkani. However, Marathi is also used for official purposes.

Telephone Code of Goa: The national code is 0832; when dialing internationally it is done as +91 832

Pin Codes of Goa: The PIN codes in Goa vary with respect to specific locations and areas. However, all codes begin with the digit ‘4’.

State Profile of Goa: Get a quick overview of Goa, its history, society & culture, economy & infrastructure, tourist centers and hotels in this section.