Goa

Goa गोवा गोंय ಗೋವಾ
State of India
The Se Cathedral at Old Goa
Location of Goa in the Republic of India
Map of Goa
Coordinates: 20°N 77°E / 20°N 77°E / 20; 77
Country	India
Region	West India
Established	1987
Government
• Legislature	Unicameral (295* seats)
Area
• Total	3,702 km2 (1,429 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,457,723
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
Official languages	Konkani
Other languages spoken	Portuguese, Marathi, Kannada, Hindi, Urdu
^* 294 elected, 1 nominated

Goa (गोवा) is a state in the Republic of India. It is India's smallest state. It has the second smallest number of people. The total area is 1,430 mi² (3,702 km²), it is bigger than Samoa but smaller than the Georgian territory of South Ossetia. In traditional Indian geography it falls under the South Indian zone. It is on the west coast of India, in the region known as the Konkan. The state of Maharashtra is its neighbour to the north, and Karnataka to the east and south. The Arabian Sea makes up the state's west coast. Panjim is the state's capital, and Margao its largest town.

Portuguese merchants first landed in Goa in the 16th century but soon after, colonised it. It was a part of the Portuguese empire for about 450 years. In 1961 India took control of Goa by sending its army and defeating Portuguese army.