Andhra Pradesh, known as the “Rice Granary of India” is the favourable tourist state in India, which has a coastline of 1000 kms with eight of its 23 districts having direct access to the sea. Located in South India, Andhra Pradesh is bounded by Tamil Nadu in the south, Maharashtra in the North and North-West, Madhya Pradesh in the North-East, Karnataka in the West, and by the Bay of Bengal in the East. The medieval city of Hyderabad is its capital. The main languages that are spoken in Andhra are Telugu, English, Urdu, Hindi.

It uniquely combines history, beaches and mountains into a great travel destination. The state of Andhra Pradesh is recognized variously-for its legendary dynasties; for its most revered temple, Tirupati; for its beautiful language, Telugu; for its lacquer toys and beautiful weaves; rich literature and the vibrant Kuchipudi. The Places to see in Andhra Pradesh are Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirupati, Charminar, Salar Jung Museum, Golconda Fort in Hyderabad and Buddhist viharas at Nagarjunasagar. Andhra Pradesh had been an important seat of rich Buddhist heritage. Andhra Pradesh has also the largest IT park and largest Film City in Asia.

The climate is generally hot and humid. The summer temperatures vary from 20C to 40C, while in winter it is between 13C and 32C. The South-West monsoons play a major role in determining the climate of the state. The North-East monsoons are responsible for about one-third of the total rainfall in Andhra Pradesh. Best time to visit Andhra Pradesh is October to February.

Andhra Pradesh lies between 12o41′ and 22o longitude and 77o and 84o40′ latitude. It is bounded by Madhya Pradesh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the east, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the south and Maharashtra in the west. Andhra Pradesh is the fifth largest state in India and it forms the major link between the north and the south of India. It is the biggest and most populous state in the south of India.

There are three main regions in Andhra Pradesh – (1) Northern Circars or coastal Andhra comprising Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Ongole and Nellore districts; (2) Rayalaseema or Ceded districts comprising Kurnool, Cuddapah, Chittoor and Anantapur districts; and (3) Telangana comprising Khammam, Nalgonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, Aadilabad, Mahbubnagar and Hyderabad districts. The Circars or Coastal districts are well developed and enjoy a greater degree of affluence than the other two regions; Rayalaseema is close to the coastal districts and here rainfall is less than in the coastal districts and drought conditions prevail sometimes, and the Telangana region is of the former princely state of Nizam’s Hyderabad, which is close to Maharashtra’s Marathwada region and some parts of Karnataka.

Climate of the state: Andhra Pradesh receives rainfall from the southwest monsoon as well as the northeast monsoon. The first begins in the second week of June and lasts till September while the second occurs in October-November. The state’s coastal areas receive heavy rains during the northeast monsoon and are also subject to cyclonic conditions, which cause enormous damage to residential accommodation and to standing crops. The rainfall decreases from north to south. The Nizamabad district in Telangana receives about 87.5 cm of rain while Anantpur in Rayalaseema receives only 31 cm. The state has a really hot summer but after the rains begin in the middle of June, there is a decline in the heat when humidity takes over. There is a mild winter in December but the temperature does not go down below 16^o Celsius. While the southwest monsoon is comparatively heavy in the northern parts of the state, the northeast monsoon brings more rain to the southern areas like Rayalaseema. The hot season causes the mercury to rise to troublesome proportions in the months of April and May when it could shoot upto 40 degrees and more.

[flickr-gallery mode="search" tags="Andhra Pradesh Tourism" ]