Goa

Goa is a small state on the Konkan coast, about 3,700 sq km, with its capital at Panaji. It was a Portuguese territory until 1961 and a Union Territory until 1987, when it became a state. Konkani is the official language.

The state has among the highest per-capita incomes in India, but the distribution is uneven. Iron ore mining in the interior was for decades a major source of revenue and employment before being suspended in 2012 on environmental grounds; mining resumed only partially and after long litigation. Tourism — concentrated along the northern beaches and in the south — and fisheries, coconut, cashew and areca cultivation make up much of the rest of the economy.

Western Ghats forest covers a large part of the eastern interior and holds substantial biodiversity, including several endemic species. Because tourism, mining and conservation all press on the same small land area, land-use disputes have been persistent, and the state has one of the highest per-capita rates of motor vehicle ownership in the country.