Maharashtra: The name "Maharashtra" is a combination of

Marathi words "Maha" meaning Great, and "Rashtra" meaning

Nation. Maharashtra literally means "Great Nation".

History: Maharashtra is mentioned as one of the places to which

mauryan emperor Asoka sent an embassy

Geography: Maharashtra encompasses an area of 308,000 km²

(119,000 mi²), and is the third largest state in India. It is bordered
by the states of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the
east, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, Karnataka to the south, and
Goa to the southwest. The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtra's
west coast.

Hill stations of Maharashtra: Some popular hill stations are

Matheran, Lonavla, Khandala, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani,
Bhandardara, Malshej Ghat, Amboli, Chikhaldara, Panhala,
Sawantvadi, Toranmal, Jawhar, etc. These hill stations attract
domestic and foreign tourists in large numbers

Places of scientific significance: A crater lake is situated on the

outskirts of Lonar town in district Buldhana, Maharashtra.
Goa: It is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by
population

History: After India gained independence from the British in

1947, Portugal refused to negotiate with India on the transfer of
sovereignty of their Indian enclaves. On 12 December 1961, the
Indian army commenced with Operation Vijay resulting in the
annexation of Goa, Damman and Diu into the Indian union. Goa,
along with Daman and Diu was made into a centrally administered
Union Territory of India

Geography: Goa encompasses an area of 3,702 km² (1,430 sq mile

Flora and fauna: Goa's wildlife sanctuaries boast of more than

1512 documented species of plants, over 275 species of birds, over
48 kinds of animals and over 60 genera of reptiles. Rice is the main
food crop with pulses, ragi and other food crops are also grown.
Main cash crops are coconuts, cashewnuts, arecanuts, sugarcane
and fruits like pineapples, mangos and bananas

Tourism: Goa has two main tourist seasons: winter and summer.
In the winter time, tourists from abroad (mainly Europe) come to
Goa to enjoy the splendid climate. In the summertime (which, in
Goa, is the rainy season), tourists from across India come to spend
the holidays.
Gujarat: Modern-day Gujarat is derived from Gujjar (Gujjar
Rāshtra), which means Gujjar nation

History: Historically, the present-day state of Gujarat has been one

of the main centers of the Indus Valley Civilization

Geography: Gujarat borders with Pakistan to the north-west,

bounded by the Arabian Sea to the southwest, the state of
Rajasthan to the northeast

Economy: Gujarat has some of the largest businesses in India.

Major agricultural produce of the state include cotton, groundnuts
(peanuts), dates, sugar cane, milk and milk products. Industrial
products include cement and petrol

Agriculture: Gujarat is the main producer of tobacco, cotton, and

groundnuts in India