Port cities are located along a seacoast, which provides harbor to ships and boats from storms and rough water. The water front district of a city is called a port city. A port can be defined as a facility at the edge of an ocean, river, or lake for receiving ships and transferring cargo as well as travelers. Ports are specially designed to help in the loading and unloading vessels or ships. Ports also have the facility for handling cranes and forklifts. The cargoes, which arrive at, a port by train and truck has to be consolidated at a port and loaded onto a large container ship for international transport. The port cities of India are Allapuzha, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Haldia, Kandla, Kochi, Lothal, Machilipatnam, Maikala, Manglore, Mormugao, Nhava Sheva, Panaji, Paradip, Porbandar, Ratnagiri, Surat, Veraval, Vijaydurg, Vishakapatanam.  Allapuzha, located in Kerala is a landmark between the Arabian Sea and a network of rivers, lagoons flowing into it. As a result of its proximity to the sea, Allapuzha has grown into an important backwater tourist center. Allapuzha is washed by the silvery waves of Arabian Sea. Fascinated by the scenic beauty of Allapuzha Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of the Indian Empire said, "Here nature has spent up on the land her richest bounties". In his exhilaration he described Allapuzha as "the Venice of the East".History says Allapuzha had trade relations with ancient Greece and Rome in B.C and in the Middle Ages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bharuch is a large sea port city in the Bharuch district of Gujarat. The place was always prosperous as a result of its location on the Narmada River. Though there tends to be scarcity of water in Gujarat, Bharuch is always blessed with water. As a result of this, agriculture and other linked commercial activities have flourished in Bharuch.  Bhavnagar is the fifth largest city in Gujarat. It is a place of great commercial importance because of its proximity with the Gulf of Cammbay and the Arabian Sea. The ship breaking yard of Alang(town in Bhavnagar district) is the the biggest in the world, recycling about 50% of the salvaged ships of the world. Bhavnagar is an important center for diamond cutting and polishing industry in Gujarat as well as India.Haldia is a port city in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Haldia Township is bordered by the Haldi River. The port has attracted factories of foreign companies, like Mitsubishi Chemical Company, Haldia Petrochemicals etc. The Haldia Petrochemicals is second largest project of in India. The city has many industries as South Asian Petrochemicals Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Exide, Shaw Wallace, Tata Chemicals, Petrochemical complex and Hindustan Lever. Kandla, the number one port among the major ports of India, is located in the Kutch district of Gujarat State. It is aiming to become the number one in Asia in terms of traffic handling. The Kandala port plays a major role in the country`s international trade.  Kochi, the Queen of Arabian Sea is a city in Kerala, India. The city is one of the principal seaports of the country. The Cochin Shipyard in Kochi is the largest shipyard in India. The Cochin fishing harbour is the major fishing port in the state and supplies fish to local and export markets. It is also one of the fastest growing second tier metro cities in India. The economy of the city can be classified as a business economy with emphasis on the service sector. Kochi is a major destination for IT and ITES companies. NASSCOM ranked the city as the second-most attractive city in India for IT-based services. The other buisness sectors include gold and textile retailing, seafood and spices exports, information technology, tourism, shipbuilding, banking and fishing industry. There are various technology and industrial campuses as InfoPark, Cochin Special Economic Zone and Kinfra Export Promotion Industrial Park operate in the outskirts of the city.Lothal is an ancient city located 82 kms from Ahmedabad that offers an insight into one of the world`s oldest urban cultures and the largest civilisation of it`s time ( the Indus valley civilization or Harappan culture). At the peak of the city is situated the dockyard. This was one of one of the most important ports on the subcontinent. Seals discovered at the site suggest that trade may have been conducted with the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia. Machilipatnam is a port city located in Andhra Pradesh. The port is located on the Coromandel Coast of India. It is said that flourishing sea trade was carried out at the Machilipatanam port. It was a 17th century port for French, Dutch and British trade. Mormugao is a port city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa`s main port. Mormugoa is listed as one of the major ports of India. Mormugoa consistently records the highest tonnage of ore exported, as it is the only port on the western seaboard of the country. It has a sophisticated, high capacity, mechanical ore handling plant for the iron ore. Yearly about 24 million tons of iron ore is exported through this port. Mangalore is a chief port city located in the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated on the west coast of the country on the Arabian Sea. The economy of Banglore is mainly dominated by port-related activities and agricultural processing. Nhava Sheva, also known as Jawaharlal Nehru Port is the largest port in India is located on the west coast of India close to Mumbai. It handles 50% of the country`s port traffic. The port was sanctioned to relieve pressure of the port of Bombay. The port has three terminals-JNPCT, NSICT and GTI(Gateway Terminal Of India). Nhava Sheva is India`s first privately managed container terminal. It is run by DP Ports. Currently it is managed under a Build-Operate-Transfer agreement set up with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.  Panaji or Panjim is a port city situated in Goa. The port is one of India`s finest natural harbors. The city lies on the left banks of Mandovi River. For many centuries, Panaji was a simple Konkani port surrounded by marshes and defended by a hill-fort. The loading operations at the Panjim Port are done by way of grab fitted vessels. There are also three Tran shippers at Panjim port that belongs to private exporters, which are available for loading vessels on spot basis and subject to port authority approval. The names of the three Trans shippers are M.V. Goan Pride, M.V. Asatixa and M.V. Sunrise.Paradip is a primary seaport in the Indian state of Orissa. It is said that Paradip port handled 33,109,000 tonnes of cargo in 2005-2006, out of which 12,529,000 tonnes was thermal coal and 10,273,000 tonnes was iron ore. Paradip is emerging as a major investment in India with several upcoming steel plants including a gigantic $12 billion plant by POSCO, alumina refineries, thermal power plants, and a petrochemical complex.  Porbandar, located in the extreme west of India (Gujarat) is an important all weather port on the Arabian Sea. Its deep sea port was built during the last quarter of the 20th century. The name Porbandar came from the two words: "Porai" and "Bandar". Porai is the name of a local goddess, and "Bandar" means port or harbour. Thus, `Porbandar` means `Porai`s port.Ratnagiri, is a port city located in Maharashtra. The port is located on the south of Pawas Bay in the Ratnagiri District. The port is located at Lat 16º 52 and on Long 73º 17` 5 E. The northern and southern shores of the bay are rocky. Surat is a port city in Gujarat. It is the second largest city in Gujarat and ninth largest in India. The port city is located at the center of India`s thriving diamond-polishing industry. It is said that out of this port, the city of Surat was born. Veraval was a equipped port located 6kms from Somnath temple, Gujarat. The most striking sight of Veraval is the fishing port, where thousands of trawlers, country crafts and dhows can be seen unloading their catch. Vijaydurg bears testimony to Maharashtra`s marital supremacy during Shivaji`s reign. It lies at the Southern portion of Burmana bay near the mouth of Vaghothane River. The port is located at Lat 16º 33` ON Long 73º 20 OE. At this port presently there is one jetty (51 m x 6.6 m) with maximum permissible draft of 3.0 m. 70% of the traffic potential of Kolhapur and 20% of Sholapur are expected to be handled at the Vijaydurg port.  Visakhapatnam or Vizag is a is a port city in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located on the eastern shore of India, facing the Bay of Bengal. The port plays a crucial role as the middle point distribution base for Southern, Eastern, Central and Northern states of India. The port of Visakhapatnam is described as the Gateway to the East Coast of India. This port is described as the "Brightest Jewel" of all Indian major ports for its outstanding performance and productivity; Visakhapatnam Port serves as a catalyst in spurring domestic and international trade. It is the only Indian port having three international accreditations as ISO9001, ISO14001, and OHSAS18001. It is the top ranking major port of India since 2000.SOURCE-------  Largest Free Encyclopedia on India with Lakhs of Articles |
