Tamil Naduis one of the 29 states ofIndia. Its capital and largest city isChennai(formerly known as Madras). Itlies in the southernmost part of theIndian Peninsulaand is bordered by theunion territoryofPuducherryand theSouth Indianstates ofKerala,Karnataka, andAndhra Pradesh. Itis the eleventh-largest state in India by area and the sixth-most populous.The state has also the highest numberof business enterprises and stands second in totalemploymentin India.Its official language isTamil, which is one of the longest-survivingclassical languagesin the world.
Tamil Nadu is home to manynatural resources. In addition, its people have developed and continueclassical arts,classical music, andclassical literature. Historic buildings and religious sites includeHindu templesofDravidian architecture,hill stations,beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites, and eightUNESCO World Heritage Sites.