Karnataka is situated in the southwestern region of India. It is one of the most prosperous states in India and  has made tremendous progress in the fields of education, industry, agriculture, literature and tourism. The state has numerous land features, is in the coastal region you will find countless coconut trees and beautiful beaches along with the interiors of mountains, valleys and farmlands. 

Karnataka was formerly known as the state of Mysore. The State Capital is Bengaluru (Bangalore). Karnataka is the sixth largest state of India in terms of area and is the eighth largest state by population. The economy of Karnataka is the 4th largest economy in India after Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

The Government of Karnataka is headed by a Chief Minister who is chosen by the ruling party members of the Legislative Assembly.

Karnataka was formed on 1st November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act.

The state comprises of four revenue divisions, 49 sub-divisions, 31 districts and 175 taluks.

The 4 Revenue Divisions are:

• Bangalore Division
• Belgaum Division
• Kalaburagi Division ( Gulbarga division)
• Mysore Division

The state has 31 districts and the administration in each district is headed by a Deputy Commissioner who belongs to the Indian Administrative Services.

Area : 191791 Sq.Km

GDP : 186720 (Crore Rs)

Per Capita Income : 236000 (Rs)

Population : 641 (Lakhs)

The history of Karnataka goes back more than two millennia where several great empires and dynasties have ruled over Karnataka and have contributed significantly to the history, culture and development of Karnataka.

The impact of the kingdoms of Karnataka has been felt over the other parts of India also. After the Anglo-Mysore Wars, where the East India Company defeated the forces of Tipu Sultan, Company Rule began in India. Karnataka was divided between Bombay State, Mysore State, and Hyderabad State. Formal rule under the British Crown began in 1858. During this time, railways and airways, as well as modern universities were introduced in Karnataka.

India became Independent in 1947, and according to the States Reorganization Act, 1956, the Kannada-speaking areas of Hyderabad State, Madras State were unified with Mysore State. The state was renamed to Karnataka in 1973.

Airport Connectivity

Karnataka has airports in 7 cities which include:

1.  Bengaluru

2.  Mangalore

3.  Belgaum

4.  Hubli

5.  Hampi

6.  Bellary

7.  Mysore

Among them, the Bengaluru and the Mangalore airport are the international airports that offer to and fro international flights from Karnataka. Shivamogga and Vijayapur Airports are being built under the UDAN Scheme.

Railway Connectivity:

All major cities of Karnataka are well linked to other parts of the country by a wide rail network, with a railway network of a total length of approximately 3,089 kilometres (1,919 mi).

Bengaluru, in the southeast, is the main focus of rail transportation. Besides this, Karnataka also has an intrastate rail network, which connects cities within the state.

Several parts of the state now come under the South Western Railway zone with 3 Railway Divisions Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli, with the remainder under the Southern Railway zone and Konkan Railway Zone, which is considered one of India's biggest railway projects of the century due to the difficult terrain.

Port connectivity:

Karnataka has 11 ports:

The New Mangalore Port, in the southwest, a major port incorporated on 4th May 1974 connects Mumbai (Bombay) in Maharashtra to the state of Goa. It is among the 4 major ports of India that receive over 25 international cruise ships every year.

The other ten minor ports are Karwar, Old Mangalore, Belekeri, Tadadi, Honnavar, Bhatkal, Kundapur, Hangarakatta, Malpe, and Padubidri, out of which three were operational in 2012.

Road connectivity:

Karnataka has an excellent network of roads that connects the nearby cities and districts internally. With the ease of access to numerous services, transportation in Karnataka has become easy.

The total lengths of National Highways and State Highways in Karnataka are 3,973 and 9,829 kilometres (2,469 and 6,107 mi), respectively.

Bus connectivity

Transportation is made easy by the numerous services available from the KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation). They ply not only intra-state buses, but also inter-state buses to neighbouring states. KSRTC reservation counters are aplenty all over the state, and tickets can also be booked online.

There are four state-owned transport corporation which includes:

• The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC)
• The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC)
• The North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC)
• The North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC)

Agriculture

Agriculture is the main economic activity of the state The state occupied the 7th position in the production of oilseeds in India. The important cash crops of this state are coffee (60% of the country's output comes from this state), tobacco, cashew, coconut, cardamom, chilly, sunflower and sugarcane.

Industry

From the industrial point of view, Karnataka is one of the leading industrial states. It produced about 4% of the total national industrial output and accounts for about 20% of the income. Karnataka stands first in the production of electronic equipment and raw silk.

Bharat Earth Movers, Bharat Electronics, Bharat Heavy Electricals, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Hindustan Machine Tools, Indian Telephone Industries, Wheel and Axle, New Government Electric Factory and Mangalore Chemicals and Fertiliser are among the major public sector undertakings. 

Mines and Minerals

The mineral base of this state is very rich. Kolar and Raichur are the two major centres of gold mining situated in the state. There are very high-quality iron ore reserves in the state. Besides this, there are copper ore, manganese, chromite, china clay, limestone and magnesite. The country's main gold production comes from this state.

Education

Karnataka has one of the most highly educated populations in India. The state has a large number of schools and educational institutions, nearly half of which are managed by the government; the remainder is operated by local boards and private bodies. 

Among Karnataka’s oldest and most prominent institutions of higher learning are:

• Indian Institue of Management (IIM) Bangalore (1973)
• The Indian Institute of Science (1909),
• Bangalore University (1964), 
• University of Agricultural Sciences (1964),
• University of Mysore (1916) in Mysuru,
• Karnataka University (1949) in Dharwad, 
• Gulbarga University (1980) in Kalaburagi
• Mangalore University (1980) in Mangaluru.