Chennai is located on the map at 13.04° N 80.17° E in the South of India. Chennai has a long coastline with a rich culture attached to its history. The city is full of historical sites that were built during the British colonial days. The Britishers owned the East India Company, which dealt in the export of spices. Chennai is often referred to as the gateway to the South of India.
If you look at the map of India,, you will see that the city is a complex of roads, railway tracks, and buildings. However this is not true as there are lots of things that will keep you as a tourist busy. Taking a look at a map of Chennai, you will see that it has a long coastline with the Bay of Bengal on the east. The coastline is home to the Marina Beach which is considered as one of the longest beaches in world. The shores of the Marina beach approximately measure up to thirteen kilometers. Chennai has an artificial harbor, which connects to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. If you notice, on the map you will see that there are two water strips. One is at the north and the other in the south. The one at the south of Chennai is a canal, which is called Buckingham Canal.
The canal runs across Chennai and connects two rivers, which extend right up to Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The second of the two water strips in Chennai is called Otteri Nullah, which runs from East to West. The Urban part of Chennai is divided into two parts the city and the Metropolitan area. The Metropolitan area is further divided up into four main categories, North, Central, South & West Chennai. This is essentially important if you would like to know how the city is divided. The industrial part of the city lies in the North. The heart of the commercial area is in Central Chennai, and the West side contains residential areas with a few industries.
You will be surprised to know that the Metropolitan area consists of many suburbs. Most of these suburbs are located in the South, South West and West region of Chennai. Another surprising factor is that most of the flourishing IT companies are located in the suburbs of the city.
Since Chennai is geographically close to the equator, you will find that the climate here is very hot and humid. There are no winters here, but the weather here does turn pleasant. The city also faces a lot of rain. Majority of these rains come from the North eastern monsoon winds. Sometimes, the rainfall expected in Chennai is almost doubled due to the Bay of Bengal, which adds its share sometimes to the rainfall.
