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The Gujarati people, or Gujaratis, are an Indian ethnolinguistic group who reside in or can trace their ancestry or heritage to a region of the Indian subcontinent primarily centered in the present-day western Indian state of Gujarat. They primarily speak Gujarati, an Indian language.
- Overview
- Population composition
- Settlement patterns
- Agriculture
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing and labour
- Transportation
- Constitutional framework
The diverse peoples constituting the Gujarati population may be categorized broadly as either Indic (northern-derived) or Dravidian (southern-derived). The former include the Nagar Brahman, Bhatia, Bhadela, Rabari, and Mina castes. The Parsis, originally from Persia (Iran), represent a much later northern influx. Among the peoples of southern origi...
The diverse peoples constituting the Gujarati population may be categorized broadly as either Indic (northern-derived) or Dravidian (southern-derived). The former include the Nagar Brahman, Bhatia, Bhadela, Rabari, and Mina castes. The Parsis, originally from Persia (Iran), represent a much later northern influx. Among the peoples of southern origi...
Nearly three-fifths of the residents of Gujarat are rural, although the rural proportion of the population has declined as urban areas have grown. The main concentration of population is in the eastern part of the state, in the plains surrounding the cities of Ahmadabad, Kheda, Vadodara, Surat, and Valsad; the region is both agriculturally productive and highly industrialized. Other concentrations of population occur on the Kathiawar Peninsula, particularly on the southern coast between the cities of Mangrol and Mahuva, in the interior around Rajkot, and on the Gulf of Kachchh around Jamnagar. The distribution of population gradually decreases toward the Kachchh district in the northwest and toward the hilly regions of eastern Gujarat.
Most of the major cities are found in the more fertile regions, and many of them—such as Rajkot, Junagadh, Porbandar, Bhavnagar (Bhaunagar), and Jamnagar, all on the peninsula—were once the capitals of small states. The most-urbanized area of Gujarat is the Ahmadabad-Vadodara (Baroda) industrial belt in the east-central region. Since the late 20th century that area has become just one segment of an ever-expanding urban agglomeration along the highway that links the northern and southern parts of the state.
Unfavourable climatic conditions, salinity of soil and water, and rocky terrain have hampered Gujarat’s agricultural activities, but the sector has remained a major component of the state’s economy, employing about half the workforce. Wheat, millet, rice, and sorghum are the primary food crops, with rice production being concentrated in the wetter ...
Gujarat is rich in minerals, including limestone, manganese, gypsum, calcite, and bauxite. The state also has deposits of lignite, quartz sand, agate, and feldspar. The fine building stones of Porbandar, on the Kathiawar Peninsula, are among Gujarat’s most valuable products, and the state’s output of soda ash and salt amounts to a significant portion of the national yield. In addition, Gujarat produces petroleum and natural gas.
The state draws its electricity from a variety of sources. The bulk of Gujarat’s power is supplied by coal- and gas-fueled thermal plants, followed by hydroelectric generators. There also are a number of wind farms scattered across the state.
Gujarat occupies a leading place in India’s manufacturing sector, especially in the production of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and polyester textiles. The state’s major industrial belt exists in its southern sector. There is a large oil refinery at Koyali (near Vadodara), which supports a nearby petrochemical industry. Pharmaceutical production is concentrated at Vadodara, Ahmadabad, and Valsad. Small-scale, largely agriculture-based manufacturing is located in the Kathiawar Peninsula. Vegetable oil, cotton textiles, and cement are among the products of those industries.
Favourable investments, the availability of resources and power, solid management, and labour efficiency have been the basis of the state’s industrial development. Moreover, the Gandhian approach to labour problems—strict reliance on the truth, nonviolence, settlement by arbitration, minimal demands, and the use of the strike only as a last resort—has had a great impact in the field of industrial relations in Gujarat, which has remained relatively free from labour unrest.
Gujarat’s towns and cities are well connected—to each other and to the rest of India—by road and rail. Coastal shipping routes link the state’s many ports. Kandla is a major international shipping terminal. There is air service both within the state and to major Indian cities outside Gujarat.
The governmental structure of Gujarat, like that of most Indian states, is defined by the national constitution of 1950. The governor is the chief executive and is appointed by the president of India. The Council of Ministers, led by the chief minister (head of government), aids and advises the governor. Gujarat’s Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) is an elected unicameral body. The High Court is the highest judicial authority in the state. Various lower courts—including the city courts, the courts of district and sessions judges, and the courts of civil judges—operate within each administrative district.
The state is divided into nearly three dozen administrative districts. The revenue and general administration of each district is overseen by the district collector, who also functions as the district magistrate for the maintenance of law and order. With a view toward involving the people in local government, elected governing councils (panchayats) were introduced at the village level in 1963.
Gujarat is inhabited by people belonging to varied castes, religions, and communities. Due to that, a number of varied languages are spoken in the state. The official language of the state is Gujarati. It is an Indo-Aryan language derived from Sanskrit. Gujarati is the 26th-most widely spoken language in the world.
1 day ago · May 25, 2024, 3:45 PM ET (AP) At least 27 people killed in a fire at an amusement park in western India, police say. Gujarat, India. Gujarat, state of India, located on the country’s western coast, on the Arabian Sea. It encompasses the entire Kathiawar Peninsula (Saurashtra) as well as the surrounding area on the mainland.
May 2, 2024 · Gujarati language, Indo-Aryan member of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages. Gujarati is officially recognized in the Indian constitution and is spoken by more than 46 million people. Most of these reside in the Indian state of Gujarat, though there are significant diaspora.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Gujarati (/ ˌ ɡ ʊ dʒ ə ˈ r ɑː t i / GUUJ-ə-RAH-tee; Gujarati script: ગુજરાતી, romanized: Gujarātī, pronounced [ɡudʒəˈɾɑːtiː]) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old Gujarati (c. 1100–1500 CE).
Gujaratis are the inhabitants of Gujarat, a western state of India with a history of diverse rule and culture. Learn about their origin, language, religion, and the 2002 communal violence that involved the state government and the BJP leader Narendra Modi.
