Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is the largest city in the Gujarat state, in Western India. The city is the administrative centre of Ahmedabad district, and was the capital of Gujarat from 1960 to 1970.^[1] The city is located on the banks of the Sabarmati River,^[2] and it shares proximity with the Gandhinagar, the newly built state capital.

Ahmedabad
Metropolis
Nickname:  Manchester of the East
Coordinates: 23.0219°N 72.5797°E / 23.0219; 72.5797
Country	India
State	Gujarat
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Body	Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority
Area
• Total	8,087 km2 (3,122 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	7,486,573

The city's area is approximately 8,087 sq.k.m and it's total population of District is 7,486,573 (2014).^[3]

History

The city was founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411 A.D.^[4] But, the area around the city has been inhabited since the 11th century when it was known as Ashaval.^[5] 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.^[6]

In 1573, the city was annexed by the Mughal Empire.^[7] But, in the year 1758, Mughals surrendered the city to Marathas after the brief joint-rule from 1739 to 1744.^[5]

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.^[8] In totality, the administration of the city is divided into 14 talukas which includes 556 villages, 1 corporation, 1 cantonment area, and 7 municipalities.^[3]

Economy

For a long time, the city has been known for its textile mills and have been dubbed as "Manchester of the East".^[9] In 1861, the first textile mill was opened and gradually, the whole sector grew through city's own traditional culture and passion for entrepreneurship.^[10] Besides textile, Ahmedabad is also known for being automotive^[11] and pharmaceutical manufacturing hub.^[12]

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 in the center of the city which will be convergence point for Ahmedabad Metro, Ahmedabad BRTS, and upcoming high-speed rail system.^[13]

Roads

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

Air

The city is served by Sardar Vallabbhai Patel International Airport.^[14] 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.^[15]