Thoothukudi

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Thoothukudi (Tuttukkudi; Tamil: தூத்துக்குடி Tūttukkuṭi [ˈt̪uːt̪ːɯkːuɖi]), formerly anglicized Tuticorin, is a port city in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu with about 320.000 inhabitants (2011 census). The Thoothukudi City Municipal Corporation is divided into 4 zones (North, South, West, East) and 60 wards.

It is located on the Gulf of Mannar, about 100 kilometres northeast of Cape Comorin, the southernmost point of mainland India, and 530 kilometres southwest of Chennai. It is the capital of the district of the same name.

Thoothukudi was already an important port city in ancient times. In modern times, it represented an important base for European colonial powers. Re-founded by the Portuguese around the middle of the 16th century, Thoothukudi became Dutch property in 1658 and British in 1825.

In the past, pearl fishing was the main occupation of the population. Today, the city is home to the cotton, fishing, salt and luxury food industries. The man-made seaport, opened in 1974, is one of India's 12 major overseas ports and, along with Navi Mumbai and Chennai, the main transshipment point for container goods. The port is experiencing high annual growth rates, not least thanks to its convenient location close to the main sea routes. In 2004/05, 15.81 million tonnes were handled here. Of this, 12.06 million tonnes (76 per cent) were imports, mainly coal, general cargo, fertilisers or fertiliser base materials and copper concentrate. Exports were 3.75 million tonnes, mainly general cargo, granite, building materials and salt. There is also a domestic airport in Thoothukudi. Passenger ferries have been operating from Thoothukudi to Colombo since June 2011. This means that there is once again a ferry connection between India and Sri Lanka after a thirty-year interruption due to the civil war.

65 percent of the inhabitants of Thoothukudi are Hindus, 30 percent are Christians and 5 percent are Muslims. The main language, as in the whole of Tamil Nadu, is Tamil, which is spoken by 98 percent of the population as their mother tongue.