Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Andhra Pradesh is situated on the south-eastern coast of the country. The state is the seventh largest state in India by area. As per Census of India, the state is tenth largest by population. Andhra Pradesh was ranked eighth among other Indian states in terms of contributor to India’s GDP

On 2 June 2014, the north-western portion of the state was bifurcated to form a new state of Telangana. Andhra Pradesh’s longtime capital, Hyderabad, was transferred to Telangana as part of the division. However, in accordance with the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Hyderabad will remain the de jure capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states for a period of time not exceeding 10 years. The new riverfront proposed capital in Guntur district is Amaravati, which is under the jurisdiction of APCRDA. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of the state in the 2016–2017 financial year at current prices stood at ₹6,800.3 billion (US$110 billion).

The state has a coastline of 974 km (605 mi) with jurisdiction over nearly 15,000 km2 territorial waters, the second longest among all the states of India after Gujarat. Andhra Pradesh is composed of two regions: Coastal Andhra, located along the Bay of Bengal, and Rayalaseema, in the inland south-western part of the state. These two regions comprise 13 districts, with 9 in Coastal Andhra and 4 in Rayalaseema. Visakhapatnam, located on the Bay of Bengal in North Coastal Andhra is the largest city and commercial hub of the state with a GDP of $26 billion, followed in population and GDP by Vijayawada, which is located on the Krishna River and which has a GDP of $3 billion as of 2010.

The state comprises of well qualified, skilled, disciplined, productivity-oriented and English-speaking workforce. The standard of education and educational institutions is highly rated in the country. Average wages are also lower than similar workforce in the developed countries.

Andhra Pradesh hosted average 121.8 million visitors, a 30% growth in tourist arrivals year by year. The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati is one of the world’s most visited religious sites, with 18.25 million visitors per year. Other pilgrimage centers in Andhra Pradesh include the Mahachaitya at Amaravathi, and the Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada, while the state’s natural attractions include the beaches of Visakhapatnam, hill stations such as the Araku Valley and Horsley Hills, and the island of Konaseema in the Godavari River delta.

Andhra Pradesh was ranked eighth among other Indian states in terms of GSDP for the financial year 2014–2015. The GSDP at current prices was 5200.3 billion and at constant prices was 2645.21 billion. The domestic product of agriculture sector accounts for ₹545.99 billion (US$8.5 billion) and Industrial sector for ₹507.45 billion (US$7.9 billion). The service sector of the state accounts more percentage of the GSDP with a total of ₹1,305.87 billion (US$20 billion). In the 2016 list by Forbes magazine, there were several from Andhra Pradesh among the top 100 richest Indians.