Goa

Goa became the twenty-seventh—and most recent—state of the Indian Union on 30 May 1987. With a population of approximately 1,169,800 inhabitants (1991 census), Goa covers an area of 3,702 square kilometers on the west coast of India, bordered by Maharashtra to the north, Karnataka to the east and south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. The state is divided into eleven districts and has its political and administrative capital at Panjim. Prior to 1961, when Goa acquired the rank of Union Territory, agriculture always played an important role in the economy, especially the cultivation of rice, coconut, cashews, and flowers. Since that time, agricultural production has decreased, and today involves no more than 24 percent of the work force. Other sectors of the economy, particularly mining, education, and tourism, are now expanding.