Few Facts About Goa
Goa is the smallest state, area wise in India. This coastal state lies along the western coast and in surrounded by maharashtra and Karnataka on the northern and southern sides respectively and by the Arabian sea towards the western coast. Western coast of India is accredited to be a bio-diversity cynosure. Some of the most famous cities of goa are panaji (or panjim), which is also the state capital, vasco d gama happens to be the largest city and the antiquated city of maragao. Goa was one of the longest held Portuguese colonies and therefore you can experience a strong hold of Portuguese art, culture and language on the goan face. Goa was liberated in 1961 and has since been under the government of India.
‘Goa’, the name literally has supposedly many origins. Some claim that it is derived from the Portuguese language, yet some others claim it is derived from certain hindi and Sanskrit words like ‘gopakapattanam’ and Gomantak. The locals here prefer to call goa as Gomantak in their native tongue.
Goa has a coastline which stretches to almost 65 miles or roughly 110 kms, and most of this tiny state lies on the coastal region of India, popularly known as ‘konkan’. This region (konkan) is basically the western coastline of India, separated from the deccan plateau by the western ghats. The highest point in goa is sonsogor, which lies 1600 m above sea level. Goa boasts of more than a hundred natural springs, having medicinal properties. The main rivers of goa are the Zuari, Mandovi and Betul. Zuari river also has the one of the world’s best and most convenient to operate natural harbors- the Mormugao harbor.
The climate here is mostly warm and humid, with slightly cool temperature during the months of December and January. The hottest month(s) are May and June with temperatures soaring well above 35” with high humidity.
Goa is mostly covered in forest and is discussed as being a well off bio-diversity destination in the world. The national geographic magazine has even compared it to the Amazon and the Congo basins for the diverse vegetation and numerous animal species it houses. Goa is home to ‘gaur’ the endangered Indian bull, which also happens to be the state animal of goa. The bondla wildlife sanctuary, Netravali wildlife sanctuary and mahavir sanctuary are homes to other wild animals like foxes, wild boars and snakes. Snakes are in abundance in goa though! Goa also experiences fresh groups of migratory birds and fish. Most common birds found here are the kingfishers, different varieties of parrots and the ruby throated yellow bulbul (also the state bird). Sea food is an intrinsic part of the goan way of life and hence, crabs, lobsters, shrimps and other edible varieties of fish are also caught off the goa coastline and in the rivers, therefore, it is a wonderful fishing spot as well.
There are more than 2 million tourists who flow into goa every year, no doubt the beaches including the Miramar beach, candolim beach, baga beach and vegator beach are one of the most revered, relished and sought after the world over! Besides, you can pay a visit to temples like shri mahalasha, durga devi and Gomentashwar temple. And last but not the least, you can take a look around the churches, dating back to the Portuguese time.