About Kakinada

Kakinada  is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located 465 kilometres (289 mi) east of the state capital, Hyderabad. It is also the headquarters of East Godavari district. It is also known as the "Pensioner's Paradise" and "Second Madras". The city had an urban population of 542,936 in 2011, making it the fourth largest city by area and the fifth largest city by population in Andhra Pradesh. Its population consists of 267,573 males and 275,363 females. The sex ratio of Kakinada city is 1046 per 1000 males. It is spread over an area of 190 km. Kakinada is part of a Special Economic Zone and a proposed "Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR)". It is a hub to all the deep sea exploratory activity in the region due to its deep-water sea port and its proximity to the gas fields.

Etymology

Several theories exist regarding the origin of the name Kakinada. One is that the place was called Kakinandiwada' during the reign of Nandi kings who ruled prior to the arrival of the Europeans and the name was truncated to Kakinada over time. The British used to call it Cocanada (pronounced "Caa-key-naada"). After Independence, the name was renaturalised to Kakinada, although a few organisations established during the British colonial rule retain the old name (e.g., Cocanada Chamber of Commerce). As per history this place was full of ponds filled with red lotus which is called as Kokanadamu in Telugu. Eventually this became CoCanada during the British rule. Even now, the City's two railway stations are codenamed CCT (Kakinada Town Junction) and COA (Kakinada Port) by Indian Railways. Kakinada is also known as "Pensioners Paradise", as it shares it calm and pleasant environment to the retired and old-age people. Some of the people locally conjures Kakinada as second MADRAS as they have some similar properties.

Climate

Kakinada has a tropical savanna climate. The weather is hot and humid for most of the year. The hottest part of the year is late May to early June with maximum temperatures around 38–42 °C (100–108 °F). The coolest part of the year is January, with minimum temperatures around 18–20 °C (64–68 °F). The city gets most of its seasonal rainfall from the south-west monsoon winds although a good deal of rains greet these parts during the northeast monsoon

from mid-October to mid-December. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal frequently hit the city. Prevailing winds in Kakinada are usually southwesterly for most part of the year except during October to January when they blow north-easterly. The city experiences an average annual rainfall between 110 and 115 centimetres.