Tuticorin

Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation, and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and headquarters of Thoothukudi district. It is located about 590 kilometres (367 miles) southeast of Chennai, 190 kilometres (118 miles) northeast of Thiruvananthapuram, and 580 kilometres (360 miles) southeast of Bengaluru. According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Thoothukudi has the second highest Human Development Index in Tamil Nadu, next to Chennai.[3] Thoothukudi City serves as the headquarters of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited, one of the leading private sector banks in India. Major educational establishments in the city include the Government Thoothukudi Medical College, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Maritime Academy,[4] V.O. Chidambaram College, Kamaraj College, Anna University (Thoothukudi Campus), and Government Polytechnic College.[5] The V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority is one of the major ports in India. Thoothukudi is an emerging energy and industrial hub of South India.[6] Thoothukudi is known as "Pearl City" due to the pearl fishing carried out in the town. It is a commercial seaport that serves the inland cities of southern India and is one of the sea gateways of Tamil Nadu. It is also one of the major seaports in India, with a history dating back to the 6th century CE. The city is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled, at different times, by the Early Pandyas, Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, Ma'bar Sultanate, Tirunelveli Sultanate, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Chanda Sahib, Carnatic kingdom, Portuguese, Dutch, and the British. Thoothukudi was settled by the Portuguese, Dutch, and later the British East India Company. The city is administered by the Thoothukudi Municipal Corporation, which covers an area of 353.07 km2 (136.32 sq mi) and had a population of 237,830 in 2011. The urban agglomeration had a population of 410,760 as of 2011[update].[1]