Formerly (until 1968) Madras State State of se India
Area 130,100 sq km/50,219 sq mi
Capital Madras
Industries mainly industrial: cotton, textiles, silk, electrical machinery, tractors, rubber, sugar refining
Population (1991) 55,638,300
Language Tamil
History the present state was formed 1956. Tamil Nadu comprises part of the former British Madras presidency (later province) formed from areas taken from France and Tipu Sahib, the sultan of Mysore, in the 18th century, which became a state of the Republic of India 1950. The ne was detached to form Andhra Pradesh 1953; in 1956 other areas went to Kerala and Mysore (now Karnataka), and the Laccadive Islands (now Lakshadweep) became a separate union territory.