Travel guideHistorySightsNightlifeMap

Goa Travel Guide, India

Goa is one of the most famous tourist spots for Indians as well as foreigners who are keen on visiting India. It is surrounded by the state of Karnataka from the South and from the East while the state of Maharashtra surrounds Goa from the northern side. The Arabian Sea lies on the western side of Goa and this happens to be the reason why so many tourists pour into Goa i.e. they come for the beaches found on the Arabian Sea coast.

Panjim (also known as Panaji) is the capital of this tiny state of India, Goa. Vasco da Gama (also called as Vasco in short) happens to be the largest city of Goa. Vasco da Gama was named after the traveler Vasco da Gama who is said to have landed on this land while on a sea expedition.

Goa has a mix of Indian as well as Portuguese culture as Portuguese are said to have visited Goa somewhere in early years of 16th Century. The main reason of the Portuguese to come here was to do business in Goa but soon after their visit, they captured Goa and took control of this beautiful land. The overseas territory of Portuguese existed in Goa for over 450 years without any interventions. Later on, the Indian Government decided to annex the Portuguese territory and hence in 1961 finally the Portuguese territory of Goa was annexed.

Goa is famous for various beaches, architectural monuments (which are now considered as world heritage architecture), and the lush green environment. Thousands of tourists from India as well as from the rest of the world visit Goa every year to enjoy nature at its best in the atmosphere of Goa. The Western Ghats always act as add - on for the beauty of this state.

The complete state of Goa is spread over an area of around 3700 square kilometers. Goa’s coastline is around 100 kilometers long. Goa has been immensely gifted with water bodies, the Arabian Sea Goa and five rivers flowing through the state. The names of these rivers are Zuari, Mandovi, Chapora, Terekhol, and Sal. The length of all these rivers, if connected head to tail, is around 250 kilometers.

email to a friendAsk our travel experts a question about Goa