Colonial Tidbit

[ledeper]

     GUJARAT

Gujarat was the westernmost state of India. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west and southwest, and Pakistan to the northwest which apparently belongs to Persia?.
The state of Rajasthan is to the northeast, Madhy Pradesh to the east, and Maharashtra and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the south and southeast of Gujarat ,all belonging to the Mughal Empire.

Ahmedabad is the capital of the colony of Gujarat, Its native bankers, shopkeepers and workers are all strongly organized in gilds. It has cotton mills for spinning and weaving, besides many hand looms, and factories for ginning and pressing cotton. Other industries include the manufacture of gold and silver thread, silk brocades, pottery, paper and shoes. The prosperity of Ahmedabad, says a native proverb, hangs on three threads - silk, gold and cotton.

Surat is the only port in Gujarat and consist of a Type 2 Harbor with a Type 2 Drydock and a Type 0 Slip and is also the home base of the Asian squadron.

Climate and natural features.

The relief is low in the most parts of the state and involves diverse climate conditions.The winters are mild, pleasant, and dry with average daytime temperatures around 83 °F(29 °C) and nights around 53 °F(12 °C) with 100 percent sunny days and clear nights.
The summers are extremely hot and dry with daytime temperatures around 105 °F(41 °C) and at night no lower than 85 °F(29 °C). The time just before the monsoon the temperatures are similar to above but with high humidity which makes the air feel hotter.
Relief comes when the monsoon season starts around in mid June. The day temperatures are lower to around 95 °F(35 °C) but humidity is very high and nights are around 80 °F(27 °C). Most of the rainfall occurs in this season. There is sometimes too much rain which cause severe floods.
Sun is a rare sight during the monsoon season. Though mostly dry, it is desertic in the north-west, and wet in the southern districts due to heavy monsoon season.

Gujarat is the main producer of tobacco, cotton, and groundnuts in India. Other major food crops produced are rice, wheat, jowar(dura) , bajra( candle millet, ), maize, tur, and gram(those are peas). Gujarat produces about 90% of India's required amount of Soda Ash and gives the country about 66% of its national requirement of salt.

Population 13 mill.

Religious Traditions:

Hinduism   5,5 mill

Bhakti movement 0,5 mill

Jainism 2 mill

Islam 3,5 mill

Zoroastrianism 1,5 mill