With the Sahyadri Ghats hovering protectively to its East, the Arabian Sea lapping on at its long western coastline and its rivers criss-crossing midlands at country side, Goa is indeed a land of many flavours and fragrances.

Area - 3702 sq. kms.
Population - 14 lacs
Altitude - Sea level to 1022 metres
Location - Between latitude 15 48'00" N and 14 53'54" N and Longitudes 74 20'13"E and 73 40'33" E.
Neighbouring Cities - Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra towards the North, Belgaum at the East, Karwar district of Karnataka on the South and on the West by the Arabian Sea.
Major Rivers of Goa - Tiracol, Chapora, Mandovi, Zuari, Sal and Talpona.
Main Beaches of Goa - Arambol, Mandrem, Morjim, Vagator, Anjuna, Baga, Calangute, Sinquerim are the major beaches on the Northern stretch of Goa while Majorda, Betalbatim, Colva, Benaulim, Varca, Cavelossim and Palolem are towards the Southern stretch.

The Eastern side of Goa is densely forested where most of the Wild Life Sanctuaries are located.

Languages

Goa is a multi-lingual state, thanks to its chequered history of thousands of years, which has seen people of various regions, ethnic races and religions from India and abroad settling in Goa and influencing the local language. Konkani is the mother tongue of the Goans, while Marathi too is widely spoken.

The Portuguese Influence

In major towns, English is widely used in writing and conversation. Goa being a major tourist place offers a tourist-friendly medium of interaction through English. On the other hand, Portuguese, the language of the colonial rulers and the official language till 1961 before liberation, not withstanding the official patronage and a compulsory medium of study, failed to make a dent in the mind of the majority of Goans.

It remained only the language of the elite but alienated the masses. Thus just after the departure of the Portuguese, the Portuguese language lost all its favour and usage. However, very few - particularly the older or pre-liberation generation - still speak Portuguese.

Religion

The multi-religious fabric of Goan society shines brightly, imbibed with the spirit of "Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava" (Equal Respect for All Religions). The major religions are Hinduism and Christianity, together accounting for more than 95% of the population, while Islam, Buddhism and other religions account for the rest. Unlike the common perception, Goa is not a Christian majority state, but on the contrary a Hindu majority state.

Climate

Usually the climatic conditions of Goa are temperate, except during the monsoon, which lasts from June to September. Thanks to the coastal Konkan region and the backdrop of Western Ghats, the weather of Goa is pleasant and sunny. There are no extremes in temperature and no clear demarcations from one season to the other, except for the monsoons.

The average temperature varies between 23°C - 32°C. The average rainfall is approximately 250cms, the average daily hours of sunshine is nine to ten hours in summer and three to five hours during the monsoon.

Monsoon

The main feature of the Goan climate is the monsoon, which occurs between June and the end of September. Goa is in the path of the southwest monsoon, thereby experiencing a dry period lasting six to eight months of the year, followed by the annual rainfall, which occurs over the remaining four months. During the two months preceding the onset of the monsoon the humidity increases dramatically, and the normally clear skies become hazy and then cloudy. During the monsoon, 200cm to 250cm of rain is normal, although in the Western Ghats the downpour is considerably higher than on the coast.

Once the monsoon has run its course the skies clear up and the weather becomes pleasant. For four to five months from October through February the climate is near perfect-cloudless blue skies, warm but not oppressively hot days, and calm seas. By mid-March the humidity starts to rise as the monsoon begins to approach again.