Gujarat

This article is about the state in India. For other uses, see Gujrat (disambiguation).

Gujarat
State
State of Gujarat
Official emblem of Gujarat
Emblem of Gujarat
Etymology: Land of Gurjars
Nickname: 
"Jewel of Western India"
Motto: 
Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs)
Anthem: Jai Jai Garavi Gujarāt ("Victory to Proud Gujarat")[1]
The map of India showing Gujarat
Location of Gujarat in India
Coordinates: 23°13′12″N 72°39′18″E / 23.220°N 72.655°E / 23.220; 72.655
CountryIndia
RegionWest India
Before wasBombay State
Formation
(by bifurcation)		1 May 1960
CapitalGandhinagar
Largest cityAhmedabad
Largest metroAhmedabad
Districts33
Government
 • BodyGovernment of Gujarat
 • GovernorAcharya Devvrat
 • Chief ministerBhupendrabhai Patel (BJP)
State LegislatureUnicameral
 • AssemblyGujarat Legislative Assembly (182 seats)
National ParliamentParliament of India
 • Rajya Sabha11 seats
 • Lok Sabha26 seats
High CourtGujarat High Court
Area
 • Total
196,024 km2 (75,685 sq mi)
 • Rank5th
Dimensions
 • Length590 km (370 mi)
 • Width500 km (300 mi)
Elevation
137 m (449 ft)
Highest elevation
(Girnar[2])
1,145 m (3,757 ft)
Lowest elevation
(Arabian Sea)
−1 m (−3 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
Increase 60,439,692
 • Rank9th
 • Density308/km2 (800/sq mi)
 • Urban
42.6%
 • Rural
57.4%
DemonymGujarati[3]
Language
 • Official
 • Official script
GDP
[6]
 • Total (2024-2025)Increase₹27.90 trillion (US$330 billion)
 • Rank4th
 • Per capitaNeutral increase₹389,332 (US$4,700) (11th)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-GJ
Vehicle registrationGJ
HDI (2019)Neutral decrease 0.672 Medium[7] (23rd)
Literacy (2011)Increase 78.03%[8] (17th)
Sex ratio (2011)919♀/1000 ♂[9] (16th)
Websitegujaratindia.gov.in
Symbols of Gujarat
Emblem of Gujarat
SongJai Jai Garavi Gujarāt ("Victory to Proud Gujarat")[1]
Foundation dayGujarat Day
BirdGreater flamingo
FishBlackspotted croaker[11]
FlowerMarigold[10]
FruitMango[12]
MammalAsiatic lion[10]
TreeBanyan[10]
State highway mark
State highway of Gujarat
GJ SH1 - GJ SH173
List of Indian state symbols
^† The state of Bombay was divided into two states i.e. Maharashtra and Gujarat by the Bombay (Reorganisation) Act 1960.

Gujarat (/ˌɡʊdʒəˈrɑːt/ GUUJ-ə-RAHT; ISO: Gujarāt, Gujarati: [ˈɡudʒəɾat̪] ⓘ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about 1,600 km (990 mi) is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some 196,024 km2 (75,685 sq mi); and the ninth-most populous state, with a population of 60.4 million in 2011. It is bordered by Rajasthan to the northeast, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the south, Maharashtra to the southeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west. Gujarat's capital city is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad.[13] The Gujaratis are indigenous to the state and their language, Gujarati, is the state's official language.

The state encompasses 23 sites of the ancient Indus Valley civilisation (more than any other state). The most important sites are Lothal (the world's first dry dock), Dholavira (the fifth largest site), and Gola Dhoro (where 5 uncommon seals were found). Lothal is believed to have been one of the world's first seaports.[14] Gujarat's coastal cities, chiefly Bharuch and Khambhat,[15] served as ports and trading centres in the Maurya and Gupta empires and during the succession of royal Saka dynasties in the Western Satraps era.[16][17] Along with Bihar, Mizoram and Nagaland, Gujarat is one of four Indian states to prohibit the sale of alcohol.[18] The Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat is home to the only wild population of the Asiatic lion in the world.[19]

The economy of Gujarat is the fourth-largest in India, with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of ₹16.55 trillion (equivalent to ₹19 trillion or US$220 billion in 2023) and has the country's 10th-highest GSDP per capita of ₹215,000 (US$2,600).[6] Gujarat has the highest exports of all states, accounting for around one-third of national exports.[20] It ranks 21st among Indian states and union territories in human development index.[21] Gujarat is regarded as one of the most industrialised states and has a low unemployment rate,[22] but the state ranks poorly on some social indicators and is at times affected by religious violence.[23]

  1. ^ "Newest version of Jay Jay Garvi Gujarat song launched(Video)". Desh Gujarat. 7 May 2011. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  2. ^ "DGFASLI REPORT". Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. ^ "50th Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). 16 July 2014. p. 118. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  4. ^ "The Gujarat Official Languages Act, 1960" (PDF). indiacode.nic.in. 1961. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  5. ^ Benedikter, Thomas (2009). Language Policy and Linguistic Minorities in India: An Appraisal of the Linguistic Rights of Minorities in India. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 89. ISBN 978-3-643-10231-7. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Socio-Economic Review 2021–2022" (PDF). Government of Gujarat. p. 30. Retrieved 11 February 2022.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "Human Development Indices (5.0)". Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Household Social Consumption on Education in India" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Census 2011 (Final Data) – Demographic details, Literate Population (Total, Rural & Urban)" (PDF). planningcommission.gov.in. Planning Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Gujarat forgets state bird, tree and flower". The Times of India. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  11. ^ Nair, Avinash (21 November 2023). "'Ghol' declared state fish of Gujarat at Global Fisheries Conference, Ahmedabad". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Which is State Fruit of Gujarat India – Mango (Keri)". Nri Gujarati News. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  13. ^ "Gujarat Population 2018". worldpopulationreview.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  14. ^ Kulke, Professor of Asian History Hermann; Kulke, Hermann; Rothermund, Dietmar (2004). A History of India. Psychology Press. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-0-415-32920-0. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  15. ^ Baṭṭūṭa, Ibn; Husain, Mahdi (1976). The Rehla of Ibn Battuta (India, Maldive Islands and Ceylon). Baroda: Oriental Institute. p. 172.
  16. ^ David Smith (2003). Hinduism and modernity. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-631-20862-4. Surat was then the place of embarkation of pilgrims to Mecca; known as Bab al-Makkah or the Gate of Mecca, it was almost a sacred place for the Muslims of India. It was the main city for foreign imports, where many merchants had their bases, and all the European trading companies were established. Its population was more than 100,000.
  17. ^ The journal of Asian studies, Volume 35, Issues 1–2. 1975. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2016. For a pious emperor, Surat had more than economic and political importance; it was the port from which the hajj (pilgrimage) ships left Mughal India for the Red Sea. The port was variously known as Bab-al-Makkah, the Bab-ul-Hajj, the Dar-al-Hajj, and the Bandar-i-Mubarak.
  18. ^ "States with total and phase-wise prohibition of alcohol in India". The Indian Express. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  19. ^ Mukherjee, Aeshita; Borad, C.K. (1 October 2004). "Integrated approach towards conservation of Gir National Park: the last refuge of Asiatic Lions, India". Biodiversity & Conservation. 13 (11): 2165–2182. Bibcode:2004BiCon..13.2165M. doi:10.1023/B:BIOC.0000040009.75090.8c. ISSN 1572-9710. S2CID 35893400. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  20. ^ "NIRYAT". niryat.gov.in. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database". Global Data Lab. Institute for Management Research, Radboud University. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  22. ^
  23. ^
    • Parwez, S. (2016). A Comparative Study of Gujarat and Kerala Developmental Experiences. International Journal of Rural Management, 12(2), 104–124. doi:10.1177/0973005216660908
    • Christophe Jaffrelot (2015) What 'Gujarat Model'?—Growth without Development—and with Socio-Political Polarisation, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 38:4, 820-838, doi:10.1080/00856401.2015.1087456
    • KALAIYARASAN, A. "A Comparison of Developmental Outcomes in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu." Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 49, no. 15, 2014, pp. 55–63. JSTOR, JSTOR 24479122. Accessed 29 December 2022.
    • Simpson, E. (2006). The State of Gujarat and the Men without Souls. Critique of Anthropology, 26(3), 331–348. doi:10.1177/0308275X06066581
    • SUD, N. (2008). Secularism and the Gujarat State: 1960–2005. Modern Asian Studies, 42(6), 1251-1281. doi:10.1017/S0026749X07002934
    • Subramaniam, M. (2014), "Resisting gendered religious nationalism: The case of religious-based violence in Gujarat, India", Gendered Perspectives on Conflict and Violence: Part B (Advances in Gender Research, Vol. 18B), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 73-98. doi:10.1108/S1529-21262014000018B007
    • Ahmad, Riaz. "Gujarat Violence: Meaning and Implications." Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 37, no. 20, 2002, pp. 1870–73. JSTOR, JSTOR 4412121. Accessed 29 December 2022.