Chennai Districts
The southeastern extremity of the Indian peninsula is known as Tamil Nadu. Chennai is an important district as well as it is the capital city of the State. The district is also one of the metropolises of India and serves as the gateway of the culture of South India. This is the state where the majority of the people are Tamil speaking. But during the days it has emerged as a cosmopolitan city playing an important role in the historical, cultural and intellectual development of India as well. It is still representing the distinct components of the highest form of Dravidian civilization. The place also holds out an interesting fare of South Indian architecture, music, dance, drama, sculpture and other arts and crafts.
Chennai is situated on the northeast end of Tamil Nadu on the coast of Bay of Bengal. It lies between 12* 9` and 13* 9` of the northern latitude and 80* 12` and 80* 19` of the southern longitude on a `sandy shelving breaker swept beach`. It stretches nearly 25.60 kms. Along the Bay coast from Thiruvanmiyur in the south to Thiruvottiyur in the north and runs inland in a rugged semi-circular fashion. Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur Districts bound it on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the remaining three sides as well.
The city of Chennai came into being due to a strategic necessity and historical accident. It symbolizes the rise of British power in South India by setting up and consolidation of the East India Company in the seventeenth century with its headquarters at Fort St. George in Chennai as a trading centre. Within 350 years, a few scattered villages namely Mylapore, Triplicane and Chennai Patnam have developed into a modern metropolitan city without shedding its traditional customs, religious outlook and other traditions. The city can be remarked as the most religious city of the ancient time as it preserves the old famous Saivaite and Vaishnavite shrines signifying the antiquity of the state.
The growth of the city is significant and closely linked with the development of British Institutions and administration. In short, Chennai city was the chief centre from which the British rule expanded in the sub-continent and it remains a standing monument of British contribution to India. Chennai city has acted as an important centre of culture and education in South India and has been the site of many movements that have played an important role in the history of the sub-continent.
A large number of institutions, which are known in India and abroad, are located in the city. Some of the mentionable are as follows: the Theosophical Society, the Kalakshetra and colleges of Arts and Crafts. The establishment of professional colleges like Medical, Veterinary, Law and Teaching, the location of the Indian Institute of Technology and the establishment of Central Leather Research Institute has added to the development of the city. Today from the trade and commerce point of view Chennai is one of the leading cities in India with the fourth largest port in the country and the first to have developed a full-fledged container terminal to international standards.
The port is providing trade links with Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, Bangladesh, Ceylon and other far eastern countries. Chennai is also one of the most important industrial cities of the sub-continent. As a district of the State it ranks third after Coimbatore and Salem in so far as the number of factories is concerned but stands at the top in case of employment and productive capital and first in revenue. It, however, ranks second in terms of industrial out-put next to Chengalpattu. Chennai city enjoys an eminent position in the country in film industry and Kodambakkam is a place known as the Hollywood of Chennai, has a number of studios engaged in the production of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi movies which are quite popular. Total area of the district is 178.20 sq. kms.
The city of Madras has now been renamed as Chennai. It is stated that the name Chennai traced its origin to "some other language". The rechristening of the city is part of the steps announced for the "growth of Tamil in various fields". There are different versions about the name of this once sleepy coastal village. When the British landed here in 1639 A.D. it was said to be part of the empire of the Raja of Chandragiri. The British named it Chennapattinam, after they acquired it from Chennappa Nayakar. Gradually, it became Chennai. The first instance of the use of the name Chennai is said to be in the Vestiges of Old Chennai. On the sale deed of August 1639 to Francis Day, an agent for the British. There it has been referred to as Chennaipatnam.
Fort Saint George In 1640 the British are said to have built Fort Saint George, which is the present seat of power. 
It was named after the patron saint of England. The Vestiges of Old Chennai infer that the original village of Madraspatnam lay north of the proximate to Chennapattinam. In course of time and with rapid growth, the two virtually became one. It is also inferred that the English preferred the name Madraspatnam, while Indians chose Chennapattinam.
Geographical and physical features:
Chennai is a low-lying area where the surface is almost flat. The even topography of the land throughout the district provides sub-divisions into natural regions, which is rather difficult. It rises slightly as the distance from the seashore increases but the average elevation of the city is not more than 22` above mean seal-level, while most of the localities are just at sea level and drainage in such areas remains a serious problem. From very early times, Chennai was known for its pleasant scenery and was said to be a town open to sky and full of garden of mangoes, coconuts, guavas, oranges, etc.
Nageswara Rao Park In earlier days when the city was not so congested there were gardens and groves all over the city. And this was a common feature and most of the roads were flanked by frequent groves of palm and other trees. Even in all the houses lot of greeneries were seen. All of them had gardens displaying fine trees canopied by green branches and creepers. But in present days the Chennai city is devoid of any forest areas but can still be proud of some of the well maintained green belts found in the Peoples park, the Napier park, the Horticulture-gardens, My Lady`s Park, Children`s Park Guindy, Snake Park, Nehru Park, Nageswara Rao Park, Independence Park, Anna Square Park, the Raj Bhavan, the Theosophical Society Campus, and a number of bungalows and newly developed colonies where provisions of public parks, etc. have been provided. All of these are the places where greeneries can be enjoyed. These also helped to maintain the ecological balance.
Some of the indigenous trees that are found in this area can be named as neem, mango, tamarind, rain-tree, vagai, banyan, coconut, palm and pipal. Stretches of casuarina plantations are available on the seacoast beyond the mouth of the Adyar in the South and Tondiarpet in the North, supplying firewood to the city. House gardening is not very common these days due to shortage of water and lack of space. But still the localites try to maintain it in every possible way.
Rivers:
Cooum RiverTwo languid streams, the Cooum and the Adyar, intersect the city respectively. Cooum runs through the heart of the city and enters the sea in-between the university buildings and the Fort. St. George. This is placed underneath the Napier Bridge, while the latter moves its way through the southern part of the city and enters the sea near Adyar. These two rivers are almost stagnant and do not carry enough water except during rainy seasons. 
Cooum River starts from Kesavaram Anicut in Kesavaram village built across Kortaliyar River. The surplus from Cooum tank joins this course at about 8 kms. lower down. This point is the head of Cooum River, which is located at 48 kms. West of Chennai. The river receives a sizeable quantity of sewage from its neighbourhood for disposal. Though the river Adyar can be traced to a point near Guduvancheri village. It assumes the appearance of a stream only after it receives the surplus water from the Chembarambakkam tank as wells as the drainage of the areas in the southwest of Chennai. The river has no commercial importance, but the fishermen in the neighborhood make their living by fishing in the river.
Canals:
The Buckingham canal that runs through the states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is a navigation canal of the states. This canal runs almost parallel to the Coromandal coast. It is within the limits of 5 kms from the coast. It joins up a series of natural backwaters and connects all the coastal districts from Guntur to South Arcot. In the north it enters in the city at Tondiarpet and while running along the western outskirts of George Town, it joins the new canal, southwest of General Hospital.
Buckingham Canal Otteri Nullah is the other canal, which is worth mentioning in the city. It commences from the village Mullam, runs eastwards upto Purasawalkam and then passes through Buckingham and Carnatic Mills. Finally it joins the Buckingham Canal, north of Basin Bridge Railway Station. Chennai has 25.60 kms. of sea coast which is flat and sandy for about a km. from the shore. The bed of the sea is about 42` deep. The slopes further in gradual stages for a distance of about 5 kms. from the coast attaining a depth of about 63`. The two principal currents, first from the north and second from the south flow parallel to the coast. The former sets in about the middle of October and continue till February while the latter starts by about August and continues till the burst of the northeast monsoon in the middle of October. These two principal currents must be caused by the winds.
