Andhra Pradesh is situated on the Deccan (south) plateau - one of the oldest geological formations in India and is sprawled over an area of 279,744 sq. km. Andhra Pradesh, situated south of the Vindhyas, is surrounded by Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, the Bay of Bengal in the east and Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the south and by Maharashtra in the west. It is the fifth largest state in India in area and population. With a 970 km coastline, it has the largest coastline in India. The port of Vishakapatinam caters to Madhya Pradesh and Orissa too.
Andhra Pradesh was, in fact, created by combining the old princely state of Hyderabad with the Telegu speaking portions of the former state of Madras. Beautiful crafts, vibrant religious festivals, a varied cuisine and the sonorant mother tongue, Telugu, are some of the indelible impressions of this state. Kuchipudi is the famous classical dance form of Andhra Pradesh. The state is home to India's largest tiger reserve, in the Nallamai forest. The Godavari river delta is famous for reptiles like the salt water crocodile, fishing cats and other exotic animals.
The state can be divided into three important regions-the coastal region, comprising of nine districts, generally called Andhra; the interior region, consisting of four districts collectively known as Rayalaseema; and the Telengana region, consisting of the capital Hyderabad and nine adjoining districts. Eight of its 23 districts have direct access to the sea. Famous beaches are Visakhapatnam Bheemunipatnam, Kakinada, Chirala, Kalingapatnam and Mypad. The legislature in A.P is unicameral, the legislative assembly has 295 seats. The A.P Legislative Council was abolished in 1985.
