Interesting and Fun Facts About Hyderabad
State: Andhra Pradesh
Area: 217 Sq. Km
Altitude: 542 meter
Climate: Summer: Max 40oC and Min 22oC
Winter: Max 22oC and Min 13.8oC
Rainfall: 890 mm (June to Sept)
Best Season: June to February
STD Code: 040
Tourist Attractions: Charminar, Golconda Fort, Qutb Shahi Tomb, Mecca Masjid, Osmania University and HITEC City
Languages Spoken: Urdu, Hindi, Telugu and English
Tipping: Usually 10% to 15% of the charge
Airport: Begumpet, 8 Km north of the Hyderabad city
Electricity: 220v, 50Hz
Exports: Software, Basmati rice and spices, medical transcription and oil
Industries: Electrical fans, cooling systems, software industries, jewelers, pharmaceuticals and automotive industries
- Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah founded Hyderabad in 1591. It was an integral part of the Qutb Shahi dynasty till 1687. Later, Aurangzeb captured Hyderabad and annexed it to the Mughal Empire.
- Hyderabad is situated in the north-western part of Andhra Pradesh and on the bank of the river, Musi, in the northern part of the Deccan plateau. Spanning across an area of 650 sq. km (250 sq. miles), Hyderabad is one of the biggest metropolitan cities in the country and lies at an altitude of 542 m above mean sea level.
- Harboring monuments like the Chowmahalla Palace, Charminar and Golconda fort, several museums, bazaars, and innumerable other cultural and historical sites, the city of Hyderabad is one of the prominent tourist destinations in southern India.
- Hyderabad is also known for its Telegu film industry (Tollywood) and in recent times has evolved as one of the major technological and commercial centers of India. The city is also known for its research centers, academic institutions and software industries.
- Hyderabad has a semi-arid climate. The average annual temperature is around 26 °C. The summers are extremely hot and humid with maximum temperatures soaring up to 40 °C. During winters, the temperature drop to as low as 10 °C. Owing to the cities elevation, evenings are comparatively cooler during the summers. The monsoon in Hyderabad arrives in the month of June which continues up to September.
- The people of Hyderabad are known as Hyderabadis, which consists mainly of Telugu, Marathi and Urdu speaking communities. Other communities consist of Kannada, Punjabi, Marwari, Tamil, Bengali and Gujarati population. As far as foreign communities are concerned, the city is inhabited by Yemeni Arabs, Persian, African Arabs, Abyssinians, Iranians, Armenians and Turkish people.
- As per the 2011 census, the per capita annual income of the city was estimated to be 44,300 (US$806.26). The city also featured at the second position in the 2009 World Bank Group list of best Indian cities for doing business.
- The city of Hyderabad is popularly known as the "City of Pearls" as it was a major pearl trade center. Till the 18th century, Hyderabad was the only trading center for large diamonds and pearls in the world. There are several historical markets situated within the city, which are famous for pearls, diamonds and other traditional jewelery.
- Hyderabad is known for its Hyderabadi biryani and its fusion of Mughlai and Arab cuisine. Some of the most popular dishes from Hyderabad are nihari, baghara baingan chakna, qubani ka meetha and kaddu ki kheer.