Surat

Surat
Location of Surat
Location	20.58° N 72.54° E
State	Gujarat
District	Surat
Mayor	Smt.Snehlata Chauhan
Altitude	? metres
Area	200 km²
Population ( 2005)	3,671,000
Density	18,355 Persons/ km²
Sex Ratio/1000 male	{{{sex_ratio}}}
Codes • Postal • Telephone • Vehicle	395 0xx +0261 GJ-5
Time zone	IST ( UTC +5:30)

Surat ( Gujarati: સુરત) is a port city in the Indian state of Gujarat and administrative headquarters of the Surat District. It is located at 20.58° N latitute and 72.54° E longitude and as of 2005, Surat and its metropolitan area had a population of approximately 3.6 million.

The city is situated on the left bank of the Tapti River, 14 miles from its mouth. A moat indicates the dividing-line between the old city, with its narrow streets and handsome houses, and the newer suburbs, but the city wall has almost disappeared. The city is largely recognized for its textile and diamond businesses.

History

Local traditions fix the establishment of the modern city in the last year of the fifteenth century, and in 1514 the Portuguese traveller Duarte Barbosa described it as an important seaport, frequented by many ships from Malabar and all parts. There still is an irregular picturesque fortress on the banks of the river built in 1540. One particular village in the suburbs of Surat is Barbodhan Village, possibly named after the explorer Duarte Barbosa. The British entered India through Surat.

Surat eclipsed Cambay as the major port of western India, as Cambay's harbor had began to silt up. During the reigns of Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan it rose to be the chief commercial city of India. At the end of the 16th century the Portuguese were undisputed masters of the Surat sea trade. But in 1612 the British Captain Best, and after him Captain Downton, destroyed the Portuguese naval supremacy and obtained an imperial firman establishing a British factory at Surat, and making the city the seat of a presidency under the British East India Company, while the Dutch also founded a factory. In 1664 the Maratha leader Shivaji sacked Surat, with the exception of the British factory, a fortified warehouse-counting house-hostel, which was successfully defended by Sir George Oxenden. The prosperity of the factory at Surat received a fatal blow when Bombay was ceded to the Company (1668) and shortly afterwards made the capital of the Company's possessions and the chief seat of their trade. From that date also the city began to decline, and the city was sacked again by Shivaji in 1670. At one time its population was estimated at 800,000, by the middle of the 19th century the number had fallen to 80,000; but in 1901 it had risen again to 119,306. Surat was taken by the British in 1759, and the conquerors assumed the undivided government of the city in 1800. Since the introduction of British rule the district has remained comparatively tranquil; and even during the Revolt of 1857 peace was not disturbed, owing in great measure to the loyalty of the leading Muslim families.

A fire and a flood in 1837 destroyed a great number of buildings, but there remain several of interest, such as the mosque of Nay Saiyid Sabib, with its nine tombs, the Saiyid Edroos mosque (1634) and the ornate Mirza Sami mosque and tomb (1540). Among the interesting monuments are the tombs of English and Dutch merchants of the 17th century, especially that of the Oxenden brothers.

By the early 20th century, Surat was still a centre of trade and manufacture, though some of its former industries, such as ship-building, were extinct. There were cotton mills, factories for ginning and pressing cotton, rice-cleaning mills and paper mills. Fine cotton goods were woven in hand-looms, and there were special manufactures of silk brocade and embroidery. The chief trades were organized in guilds. The trading brought an eclectic mix of ethnicities which make Surat's culture unique even in modern times.

In 1992, violent riots took place between Hindus and Muslims, and in 1994, a plague epidemic spread in the city. The municipal commissioner Rao and the people of Surat worked hard in the late 1990s to clean the city up after which it was recognized in many circles as the 'second-cleanest city in India'.

Geography

Surat is a port city situated on the banks of the Tapti river. The Surat district is surrounded by Bharuch, Narmada (North), Navsari and Dang (South) districts. To the west is the Gulf of Cambay. The climate is tropical and the monsoom is abundant (about 2500 mm a year).

• Latitude: 22° 17’ 59’’ North
• Longitude: 73° 15’ 18’’ East
• Area: 112.27 km²

Climate

• Winter Temperature: Max 31 °C, Min 22 °C
• Summer Temperature: Max 40 °C, Min 22 °C
• Rainfall (mid-June to mid-September): 931.9 mm
• Lowest Recorded Temperature: 7 °C
• Highest Recorded Temperature: 45 °C

Economy

Surat is the heart of India's thriving diamond-polishing industry, which in 2003 cut 92% of the world's diamond pieces and earned India $8 billion in exports. Gujarati diamond cutters emigrating from East Africa established the industry in 1901 and by the 70's Surat-based diamond cutters began exporting stones to the US for the first time. Though a majority of polishing work takes place on small weight stones, Surat's workshops have set their eyes on the lucrative market for finishing larger, pricier stones in the future.

Furthermore, Surat is an industrial hub for the production of synthetic fibers and man made fabrics-contributing almost 28% of India's total synthetic fiber output and 40% of the nation's total man made fabric production. So vital is the textile industry in Surat that the city has distinguished itself as the "Manchester of the East" since British times.

Government and Politics

The Surat Municipal Corporation is responsible for the city's civic infrastructure as well as carrying out associated administrative duties.

Demographics

The population of Surat totals well over 3 million residents at a density of 21,673 persons per square kilometer. The sex ratio of 773 females for every 1000 males can be explained by influx of working males who leave their families behind in rural areas for better opportunities available in the city. The total literacy rate is 83% compared to the national average of 65%.

Education

Most of the schools in the area have Gujarati as the medium of instruction and are part of the Gujarat State Education Board, though the Seventh Day Adventist school in Athva Lines is part of the national ICSE board.

Surat has a large concentration of colleges under the South Gujarat University in the Athva Lines area on the banks of the Tapti river. It has a medical college and three engineering colleges, including the prestigious Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology (SCET) and the C K Pithavala College for Engineering and Technology. SCET is one of the only institutions in the country to offer engineering degrees in Surat's main industry, Textiles. The MTB Arts and PT Science colleges are among the oldest in the state of Gujarat.