Facts About Goa

Goa, a tiny emerald land on the west coast of India, the 25th State in the Union of States of India, was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961. It was part of Union territory of Goa, Daman & Diu till 30 May 1987 when it was carved out to form a separate State. Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year for its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture. Goa is India's smallest State-with the largest heart.

Capital city : Panaji

Chief Minister : Laxmikant Parsekar

Governor : Mridula Sinha

High Court  : High Court of Bombay at Goa- Altinho, Panjim

Chief Justice : Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela

Number of Districts: 2 (North Goa District, South Goa District)

Speciality:  Goa is endowed with Mineral Resources. Iron ore, Manganese ore, Bauxite are minerals of economic importance. Besides there are minor minerals like Basalt, Laterite stones and rubbles, River sand, Murrum etc., which are in great demand as construction material.

National Parks :

Sl.No.	Name of National Park	Special Species (if any important)	Important Remarks
1.	Bhagwan Mahavir (Mollem) National Park	Gaur, Sambar, Leopards, Spotted Deer, Slender Toris, Jungle Cats, Malayan Giant Squirrels	located in the Goan town of Mollem, situated on the eastern border of Goa
2.	Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary	flying foxes, jackals and crocodiles	Goa's only bird sanctuary, area consists of mangrove vegetation

Important Dams, Rivers and Lakes:

Dams

Sl.No.	Dam	River	Nearest City	Purpose/Project
1.	Salaulim Dam	Sanguem	Sanguem	Irrigation
2.	Anjunam Dam	Mandovi	Satari	Irrigation

 

Rivers

Sl.No.	River	Remarks
1.	Mandovi	described as the lifeline of the indian state of Goa.Mandovi joins with the Zuari at a common point at Cabo Aguada, forming the Mormugao harbour.
2.	Chapora	It runs westward into the Arabian sea at Chapora and demarcates the border between the North Goa talukas of Pernem and Bardez.
3.	Zuari	the largest river in Goa, it is a tidal river

 

Lakes/ Waterfall

Sl.No.	Lake/Waterfall	Located in/near
1.	Dudhsagar Waterfall	Sonaulim
2.	Mayem Lake	Bicholim
3.	Carambolim Lake	Panaji

 

Important Power generation plants:

Sl.No.	Plant/Project	Type/Category
1	Reliance Energy Limited	Thermal
2	Goa Gas Power Station	Gas Power generation

 

Airports:

1. Goa International Airport (Dabolim Airport)

Folk Dances:

1. Talgadi
2. Goff
3. Tonya Mel
4. Mando
5. Kunbi dance
6. Suvar
7. Dasarawadan
8. Virabhadra

Tribes:

1. Gowdas
2. Kunbis
3. Velips
4. Dhangars

Important Regional Festivals:

Sl.No.	Festival Name	Remarks
1.	Bonderam Festival	celebrated in the month of August, in memory of the protests that were raised by scores of villagers against the unjust and unreasonable system adopted to settle down land disputes and ownership issues of land.
2.	Christmas	celebration of Christmas in Goa starts from the Christmas Eve and lingers on for some time even after the actual date of the festival.
3.	Goa Carnival	It is a four-day celebration that begins on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday. The Goa Carnival is led by King Momo which has its own rhythms of guitars, folk songs and drumbeats accompanied by a colourful parade of floats and dancing troupes.
4.	Feast of St Francis Xavier	held on the 3rd of December at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. St Francis Xavier is the patron saint of Goa. His body has been preserved for centuries and lies in an exquisite silver casket at the Basilica and is displayed every ten years during the exposition.
5.	Grape Festival	Goa Tourism Development Corporation organizes this festival.
6.	Shigmo Festival	This 'festival of colours' in the state of Goa is celebrated as Shigmotsav. This is celebrated to bid farewell to winter and to welcome the season of spring.
7.	Sunburn Music Festival	Asia's largest music festival

 

Important Temples/Archaeological Monuments/Sites:

Sl.No.	Monument/Temple/Sites	Located in	Remarks
1.	Bom Jesus Basilica	Old Goa	UNESCO heritage site, this church is world renowned to still host the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier.
2.	Se Cathedral	Velha	one of the largest in India whilst being amongst the famous churches in Goa too. Being one of the oldest in the country, the Se Cathedral was built to celebrate the victory of the Portuguese ruler Afonso de Albuquerque for capturing a Goan city in 1510.
3.	Church of St Francis of Assisi	Velha	amongst the revered Roman Catholic churches. Known for its Barque and Corinthian architecture, the church’s interiors are finely inlaid with ornaments. On the tabernacle reside two statues – one of the Christ and the other of St. Francis of Assisi.
4.	Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception	Panaji	17th century structure
5.	Church of St. Cajetan	Velha	resembles the St. Peter’s Church in Rome. Built with laterite blocks, the church has influences of Corinthian style of architecture.
6.	Church of Our Lady of Miracles	Sanguem	Built by the Portuguese government, this church once collapsed before being rebuilt. By 1977, the old church was completely demolished and in place a new church was erected.
7.	Mormugao Port	South Goa district	Goa’s main port
8.	Baga Beach	North Goa
9.	Candolim Beach	North Goa	One of the best beaches in Goa known for its scrubbed sand dunes. Located close to the famous Princess River is known for its unspoiled scenic beauty and serene atmosphere.
10.	Calangute Beach	North Goa	Referred as the Queen of Goa Beaches, Calangute Beach, famous for its golden shimmering sand
11.	Anjuna Beach	North Goa	known for its rock formations
12.	Morjim Beach	North Goa	Referred to as the Turtle Beach, Morjim Beach is nestled amidst verdant locales.
13.	Fort Aguada	Bardez sub-district, North Goa	well-preserved seventeenth-century Portuguese fort
14.	Chapora Fort	near Anjuna Beach	Built by Adil Shah of Bijapur. It was given a new dimension when the Portuguese took over and one can see traces of the Portuguese architecture in it.

 

Sport Stadiums:

Sl.No.	Stadium	Sport-Purpose	City
1	Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium (Fatorda Stadium)	multipurpose	Margao
2	Tilak Maidan Stadium	football	Vasco da Gama

Constituency of Cabinet Ministers:

Sl.No.	Name	Constituency	Ministry
1.	Manohar Parrikar	Panaji	Defence

 

I hope you like this, so kindly comment below the post and do share your response. Thanks for reading :)