The state of Goa is located between latitudes 15
degrees 48'00" N 14 degrees 53'54" N and Longitude
74 degrees 20'13" E 73 degrees 40" 33"
E.
Goa is divided into 11 talukas with Panaji being its
capital. The eleven talukas are Ilhas, Bardez, Salcette,
Ponda, Marmagoa, Bicholim, Satari, Pernem, Quepem, Sanguem,
and Canacona.
Time Zone
The whole of India has a single time zone. It is five
and half hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) or
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), ten and half hours
ahead of the American EST. As such, this Indian Standard
Time (IST) as it is known also applies to Goa.
Climate
Goa has a tropical climate characterized by balmy weather
for much of the year with heavy monsoon rains just after
the summer months from March to May.
The humidity is at its highest in the summer and quite
low from September to early March. The temperature ranges
from a pleasant 20°C during winter to a warm 35°C
in summer.
Area
The state of Goa covers an area of 3,702 sq. km.
Altitude
From sea-level at the coast to an altitude of 1,022
metres above sea-level at its highest point in the Sahyadri
Ghats.
Boundaries
On the Eastern and Southern boundaries lies the state
of Karnataka; on the Western side the Arabian Sea and
the state of Maharashtra lies on the Northern side.
Highest Mountain
Sonsogad in the Sahyadri range of the Western Ghats
(3,827 feet).
Longest rivers
The Zuari (39 miles), and The Mandovi (38.5 miles)
Highways
Goa is connected by the National Highways - NH4A, NH17
and NH17A to the neighbouring states of Maharashtra
and Karnataka.
Airport
The only airport is the Goa Airport at Dabolim near
the town of Vasco-da-Gama and the Mormugao Harbour handles
both the domestic and the international flights.
Clothing required
Tropical clothing throughout the year.
Light woollens during December and January.
Rainwear in the Monsoons.
Tourist Season
October to February is peak season while June to September
is off season.
Languages Spoken
English is widely spoken and understood in urban areas
and to a lesser extent in the rural areas. Konkani,
the official language, is most commonly used in day
to day life.
Marathi and Hindi, the national language are also understood
by most of the population. Portuguese once very popular
all over the state, has rapidly declined since liberation
in 1961 and today is used mostly by the elderly generation
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