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Hyderabad is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies 650 km2 on the banks of the Musi River on the Deccan Plateau in southern India. The population of the city is 6.8 million and that of its metropolitan area is 7.75 million, making it India's fourth most populous city and sixth most populous urban agglomeration. The Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was expanded in 2007 to form the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. As a growing metropolitan city in a developing country, Hyderabad experiences substantial pollution and other logistical and socio-economic problems.

Hyderabad was established in 1591 CE by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. It remained under the rule of the Qutb Shahi dynasty until 1687, when Mughal emperor Aurangzeb conquered the region and the city became part of the Deccan province of the Mughal empire. In 1724 Asif Jah I, a Mughal viceroy, declared his sovereignty and formed the Asif Jahi dynasty, also known as the Nizams of Hyderabad. The Nizams ruled the princely state of Hyderabad for more than two centuries, in a subsidiary alliance with the British Raj. The city remained the princely state's capital from 1769 to 1948, when the Nizam signed an Instrument of Accession with the Indian Union at the conclusion of Operation Polo. The 1956 States Reorganisation Act created the modern state of Andhra Pradesh, with Hyderabad as its capital. Since 1969, Hyderabad has been a major center of the Telangana movement, which demands that the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh should be made a separate state.

Situated at the crossroads of North and South India, Hyderabad is noted for its unique culture. As the former capital of the largest and richest princely state, and with the patronage of the Nizams, Hyderabad established local traditions in art, literature, architecture and cuisine. The city is a tourist destination and has many places of interest, including Chowmahalla Palace, Charminar and Golkonda fort. It has several museums, bazaars, galleries, libraries, sports venues and other cultural institutions. Hyderabad has emerged as a global hub for the information technology, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. It is home to the Telugu film industry and a major centre for higher education and research, with 13 universities and business schools.

Etymology
The origin of the name Hyderabad is the subject of many myths. According to one of them, when Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah founded the city he named it Bhaganagar after Bhagmathi, a local nautch (dancing) girl with whom he had fallen in love. When they married, she converted to Islam and adopted the title Hyder Mahal, and in her honour the city was renamed Hyderabad, meaning "Hyder's abode" in Persian and Urdu. Yet another theory claims that Hyderabad was named to honour the Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib, who was also known as Hyder. Andrew Petersen, a scholar of Islamic architecture, states that the city was originally called Baghnagar (city of gardens).

Early and medieval history
Near the city, archaeologists have unearthed Iron Age sites that may date from 500 BCE. The region comprising modern Hyderabad and its surroundings was known as Golkonda (shepherd's hill). It was ruled by the Chalukya dynasty from 731 CE to 966 CE. Following the dissolution of the Chalukya empire into four parts in the 11th century, Golkonda came under the control of the Kakatiya dynasty (1000–1310), whose headquarters was at Warangal, 148 km northeast of modern Hyderabad.



When Sultan Alauddin Khilji of the Delhi Sultanate took over Warangal, the region came under the Khilji dynasty (1310–1321). Alauddin Khilji took the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is said to have been mined from the Kollur Mines in Golkonda, to Delhi. Muhammad bin Tughluq succeeded to the Delhi sultanate in 1325, bringing Warangal under the rule of the Tughlaq dynasty until 1347. Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, a governor under Muhammad bin Tughluq, rebelled against the sultanate and established the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan, with Gulbarga, 200 km west of Hyderabad, as its capital. The Bahmani kings ruled the region until 1518 and were the first independent Muslim rulers of the Deccan.

In 1518, Sultan Quli, a governor of Golkonda, revolted against the Bahmani Sultanate and established the Qutb Shahi dynasty. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth sultan of this dynasty, established Hyderabad on the banks of the Musi River in 1591 to avoid the water shortages experienced at Golkonda, the sultanate's capital. He built the Charminar, the Purana Pul (old bridge) and Mecca Masjid in the city. On 21 September 1687, the Golkonda Sultanate came under the rule of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after a year-long siege of the Golkonda fort. The annexed area was renamed Deccan Suba (Deccan province), and the capital was moved from Golkonda to Aurangabad, about 550 km northwest of Hyderabad.

Nizam period
In 1712, Farrukhsiyar, the sixth of Aurangzeb's successors, appointed Asaf Jah I to be Viceroy of the Deccan, with the title Nizam-ul-Mulk (Administrator of the Realm). In 1724, Asaf Jah I defeated Mubariz Khan to establish autonomy over the Deccan Suba, starting what came to be known as the Asaf Jahi dynasty. He named the region Hyderabad Deccan. Subsequent rulers retained the title Nizam ul-Mulk and were referred to as Asif Jahi Nizams, or Nizams of Hyderabad. When Asaf Jah I died in 1748, there was political unrest due to contention for the throne among his sons, who were aided by opportunistic neighbouring states and colonial foreign forces. Asif Jah II, who reigned from 1862 to 1803, ended the instability. In 1768 he signed the treaty of Masulipatnam, surrendering the coastal region to the East India Company in return for a fixed annual rent.

In 1769, Hyderabad city became the formal capital of the Nizams. In response to regular threats from Hyder Ali, Dalwai of Mysore, Baji Rao I, Peshwa of the Maratha Empire, and Basalath Jung (Asaf Jah II's elder brother, who was supported by the Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau), the Nizam signed a subsidiary alliance with the East India Company in 1798, allowing the British Indian Army to occupy Bolarum (modern Secunderabad) to protect the state's borders, for which the Nizams paid an annual maintenance to the British. From the late nineteenth century on, Hyderabad was transformed into a modern city by the establishment of railways, transport services, underground drainage, running water, electricity, Begumpet Airport, telecommunications, universities and industries. The Nizams ruled the state from Hyderabad until 17 September 1948, a year after India's independence from Britain.

Post-independence


Following the independence of India from British rule, the Nizam declared his intention not to become part of the Indian Union but to remain independent. In 1948, the Hyderabad State Congress began agitating against Nizam VII, with the support of the Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of India. On 17 September 1948 the Indian Army took control of Hyderabad State through Operation Polo, and Nizam VII joined the Union by signing the "Instrument of Accession", which made him the Rajpramukh (Princely Governor) of the state. Between 1946 and 1951, the Communist Party of India led a peasant rebellion called the Telangana uprising against the feudal lords of the Telangana region and later against the princely state of Hyderabad. The Constitution of India, which became effective on 26 January 1950, made Hyderabad State one of the part B states of India, and Hyderabad city continued to be its capital. In his 1955 report Thoughts on Linguistic States, B. R. Ambedkar, then chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution, proposed that the city should be designated the second capital of India because of its strategic central location and its amenities.

Since 1956, the Rashtrapati Nilayam in Hyderabad has been the second official residence and business office of the President of India. On 1 November 1956, the states of India were reorganised by language group. Hyderabad State ceased to exist; it was split into three parts, which were included in the modern Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The nine Telugu- and Urdu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State that make up the Telangana region were merged with the Telugu-speaking Andhra State to create Andhra Pradesh, with Hyderabad as its capital. Several protests, known collectively as the Telangana movement, attempted to invalidate the merger and demanded the creation of a new Telangana state. Major actions took place in 1969, 1972 and from 2010. In 2007, terrorist groups detonated a series of bombs in the city in May and in August, leading to temporary communal tension and riots. Telangana people went on strike for more than 40 days in 2011, and in 2012 there were threats of further protests against discrimination in employment.

Topography
Hyderabad is located in the north-western part of Andhra Pradesh and lies on the banks of the Musi River in the northern part of the Deccan plateau in South India. The city is spread over 650 km2, making it one of the largest metropolitan areas in India. Its predominant topography is sloping rocky terrain of grey and pink granites. Several small hillocks are scattered throughout the area. Hyderabad has an average altitude of 1778 ft above mean sea level. Its highest point is Banjara Hills at 2206 ft. In 1996 the city had 140 lakes and counted 834 water tanks smaller than 10 ha. The city's lakes are often called sagar (sea). Hussain Sagar, built in 1562, is near the city center. Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar are artificial lakes created by dams on the Musi.

Neighbourhood and landmarks
The historic city established by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah on the southern side of the Musi River forms the "Old City", while the "New City" encompasses the urbanised area on the northern banks. The two are connected by many bridges across the river, of which Purana Pul is the oldest. Hyderabad is twinned with neighbouring Secunderabad, from which it is separated by Hussain Sagar.

In the southern part of central Hyderabad are many historical and touristic sites, such as the Charminar, the Mecca Masjid, the Salar Jung Museum, the Nizam's museum, the Falaknuma Palace and the traditional retail corridor comprising Laad Bazaar, Pearls Market and Madina circle. North of the river are hospitals, colleges, major railway stations and business areas such as Begum Bazaar, Koti, Abids, Sultan Bazaar and Moazzam Jahi Market, along with administrative and recreational establishments such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat, the Hyderabad Mint, the Andhra Pradesh Legislature, the Public Garden, the Nizam Club, the Ravindra Bharathi, the state museum, the Birla Temple and the Birla Planetarium.

Towards the north of central Hyderabad lie Hussain Sagar, Tank Bund Road, Rani Gunj and the Secunderabad Railway Station. The majority of the city's parks and recreation centres are here: Sanjeevaiah Park, Indira Park, Lumbini Park, NTR Gardens, the Buddha statue and Tankbund Park. In the northwest part of the city there are upscale residential areas such as Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Begumpet and Khairatabad. The northern end contains industrial areas such as Sanathnagar, Moosapet, Balanagar, Pathan Cheru and Chanda Nagar. The northeast end is dotted with residential colonies. The "Cyberabad" area in the southwest and west parts of the city has grown rapidly since the 1990s. It is home to information technology and bio-pharmaceutical companies and to landmarks such as Hyderabad Airport, Osman Sagar, Himayath Sagar and KBR National Park. In the eastern part of the city lie many defence research centres and Ramoji Film City.

Climate
Hyderabad has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen Aw) bordering on a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The annual mean temperature is 26 C; monthly mean temperatures are 21 - 32 C. Summers (March–June) are hot and humid, with average highs in the mid 30s Celsius; maximum temperatures often exceed 40 C between April and June. Winter lasts for only about $2 1/2$ months, during which the lowest temperature occasionally dips to 10 C in December and January. May is the hottest month, when daily temperatures range from 26 to 38.8 C; January, the coldest, has temperatures varying from 14.7 to 28.6 C. Temperatures in the evenings and mornings are generally cooler because of the city's moderate elevation.

Rains brought by the south-west summer monsoon lash Hyderabad between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of 812.5 mm. The highest total monthly rainfall, 181.5 mm, occurs in September. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period was 241 mm on 24 August 2000. The highest temperature ever recorded was 45.5 C on 2 June 1966, and the lowest was 8 C on 8 January 1946. The city receives 2,731 hours of sunshine per year; maximum daily sunlight exposure occurs in February.

Local government
Hyderabad is administered by several government agencies. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) oversees and manages the civic infrastructure of the city's 18 "circles", which together encompass 150 municipal wards. Each ward is represented by a corporator, elected by popular vote. The corporators elect the Mayor, who is the titular head of GHMC; executive powers rest with the Municipal Commissioner, appointed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The GHMC undertakes the city's infrastructure work, building regulation, government-aided schools, hospitals, municipal markets, parks, solid waste management and demographic records. It was formed in April 2007 by merging the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) with 12 municipalities of the Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medak districts covering a total area of 650 km2. In the 2009 municipal election, an alliance of the Indian National Congress and Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen formed the majority. The Secunderabad Cantonment Board is a civic administration agency overseeing an area of 40.1 km2 where there are several military camps. The Osmania University campus is administered independently by the university authority.

Hyderabad's administrative agencies have jurisdiction over areas of different sizes. The Hyderabad Police area is the smallest, followed in ascending order by Hyderabad district, the GHMC area ("Hyderabad city") and the area under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA). The HMDA is the apolitical urban planning agency that encompasses the GHMC area and the suburbs, extending to 54 mandals in five districts occupying an area of 7100 km2. It coordinates the development activities of GHMC and suburban municipalities and manages the administration of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Corporation, the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) and other bodies.

The jurisdiction of the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate is divided into five police zones, each headed by a deputy commissioner. The Hyderabad Traffic Police is headed by a deputy commissioner who reports to the commissioner. The area under the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad City Police is only part of the GHMC area; other parts fall under the jurisdiction of the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate. In 2012 the Andhra Pradesh Government announced its intention to merge the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police Commissionerates into a single Greater Hyderabad Police Commissionerate.

As the seat of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad is home to the Andhra Pradesh Legislature, the state secretariat and the Andhra Pradesh High Court, as well as to various local government agencies. The Lower City Civil Court and the Metropolitan Criminal Court are under the jurisdiction of the High Court. The GHMC area contains 24 State Legislative Assembly constituencies, which come under five constituencies of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Parliament of India).

Utility services
The HMWSSB regulates rainwater harvesting, water supply and sewerage services. It sources water from several dams located in the suburbs, and in 2005 it started operating a 150 km water supply pipeline from Nagarjuna Sagar Dam to meet increasing demands. The Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Company manages electricity supply. Firefighting services are provided by the Andhra Pradesh Fire Services department. As of March 2012, the city has 13 fire stations. The state-owned Indian Postal Service has five head post offices and many sub-post offices in Hyderabad, and privately run courier services are also available. In 1999, the state government launched eSeva, an electronic facility that supports several citizen services, including utility bill payment.

Pollution control
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Every day Hyderabad produces around 4,500 metric tonnes of solid waste, which is transported from collection units in Imlibun, Yousufguda and Lower Tank Bund to the dumpsite in Jawaharnagar. The GHMC started the Integrated Solid Waste Management project in 2010 to manage waste disposal. The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) is the regulatory and screening authority for pollution. Rapid urbanisation and increased economic activity encouraged population migration to Hyderabad, which led to increased air pollution, industrial waste, noise pollution and water pollution. The contribution of different sources to air pollution in 2006 was: 20–50% from vehicles, 40–70% from a combination of vehicle discharge and road dust, 10–30% from industrial discharges and 3–10% from the burning of household rubbish. Deaths from atmospheric particulate matter are estimated at 1,700–3,000 each year. The ground water in Hyderabad has a hardness of up to 1000 ppm, around three times higher than is desirable. The region's ground water levels are shrinking, and dams are facing water shortage due to burgeoning population and the consequent increase in demand. Inadequately treated effluents from industrial treatment plants are polluting the drinking water sources of the city. APPCB and local authorities have designed and implemented multiple actions to control pollution.

Healthcare
The Andhra Pradesh Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, a department of the state government, administers healthcare in Hyderabad. Medical services are provided by government-run hospitals and clinics, private hospitals and charities. In 2010–11 the city had 50 government hospitals, 300 private and charity hospitals and 194 nursing homes; together these facilities provide approximately 12,000 hospital beds, less than half of the required 25,000. For every 10,000 people in the city, there are 17.6 hospital beds, 9 specialist doctors, 14 nurses and 6 physicians. The city also has about 4,000 individual clinics and 500 medical diagnostic centres. Most residents prefer treatment at private facilities, and only 28% use government facilities, because of their distance, poor quality of care and long waiting times. As of 2012, many new hospitals of all sizes have opened or are being built. Overall, healthcare services in Hyderabad are standardised and affordable in comparison with those of many other cities in India. Hyderabad also has outpatient and inpatient facilities that use Unani, homeopathic and Ayurvedic treatments.

According to the 2005 National Family Health Survey, 24% of Hyderabad's households were covered by government health schemes or health insurance—the highest proportion among the cities surveyed. The city's total fertility rate is 1.8, Only 61% of children had been provided with all basic vaccines (BCG, measles and full courses of polio and DPT), fewer than in all other surveyed cities except Meerut. The infant mortality rate was 35 per 1,000 live births, and the mortality rate for children under five was 41 per 1,000 live births. According to the survey, about a third of women and a quarter of men were overweight or obese, about 49% of children below 5 years are anaemic, and up to 20% of children are underweight. More than 2% of women and 3% of men suffer from diabetes in Hyderabad.

Demographics
Hyderabad underwent very sudden growth in the first decade of the 21st century. When the GHMC was created in 2007, the area occupied by the municipality increased from 170 km2 to 650 km2. As a consequence, the population increased by over 87%, from 3,637,483 in the 2001 census to 6,809,970 in the 2011 census, making Hyderabad the fourth most populous city in India. Migrants from elsewhere in India constitute 24% of the city population. The population density is 18480 /sqkm. The Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration has a population of 7,749,334, making it the sixth most populous urban agglomeration in the country.

There are 3,500,802 male and 3,309,168 female citizens—a sex ratio of 945 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 926 per 1000. Among children aged years, 373,794 are boys and 352,022 are girls—a ratio of 942 per 1000. Literacy stands at 82.96% (male 85.96%; female 79.79%), higher than the national average of 74.04%.

Ethnic groups, language and religion
Residents of Hyderabad are called Hyderabadi. The majority of them are Telugu people, followed by Urdu-speaking and Marathi people, and there are minority Kannada (including Nawayathi), Marwari, Bengali, Tamil, Malayali, Gujarati, Punjabi and Uttar Pradeshi communities. Among the communities of foreign origin, Yemeni Arabs form the majority, and African Arabs, Armenians, Abyssinians, Iranians, Pathans and Turkish people are also present. The foreign population declined after Hyderabad State became part of the Indian Union.

Telugu is the official language of Hyderabad and Urdu is its second language; English is also used, particularly among white-collar workers. The Telugu spoken in Hyderabad is a dialect called Telangana, and the Urdu spoken there is called Deccani Urdu. A significant minority speaks other languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada and Tamil.

Hindus form the majority of Hyderabad's population. Muslims are present throughout the city and predominate in and around the Old City. There are also Christian, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist and Parsi communities, and iconic temples, mosques and churches can be seen. According to the 2001 census, Hyderabad district's religious make-up was: Hindus (55%), Muslims (42%), Christians (2.4%), Jains (0.4%), Sikhs (0.28%) and Buddhists (0.02%); 0.22% did not state any religion.

Slums
According to a 2012 report submitted by GHMC to the World Bank, Hyderabad has 1,476 slums with a total population of 1.7 million, of whom 66% live in 985 slums in the "core" of the city (the part that formed Hyderabad before the April 2007 expansion) and the remaining 34% live in 491 in suburban tenements. About 22% of the slum-dwelling households had migrated from different parts of India in the last decade of the 20th century, and 63% claimed to have lived in the slums for over 10 years. Overall literacy in the slums is and female literacy is. A third of the slums have basic service connections and 90% have water supply lines. There are 405 government schools, 267 government aided schools, 175 private schools and 528 community halls in the slum areas.

According to a 2008 survey by the Centre for Good Governance, 87.6% of the slum-dwelling households are nuclear families, 18% are very poor, with an income of per annum, 73% live below the poverty line (a standard poverty line recognised by the Andhra Pradesh Government is  per annum), 27% of the chief wage earners (CWE) are casual labour and 38% of the CWE are illiterate. About 3.72% of the slum children aged 5–14 do not go to school and 3.17% work as child labour, of whom 64% are boys and 36% are girls. The largest employers of child labour are street shops and construction sites. Among the working children, 35% are engaged in hazardous jobs.

Economy
Of all the cities of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad is the largest contributor to the state's GDP, tax and other revenues. Its per capita annual income in 2011 was. As of 2006, the largest employers in the city are the governments of Andhra Pradesh (113,098 employees) and of India (85,155). In 2009 the World Bank Group ranked the city as the second best Indian city for doing business. In 2010, the economic analysis group GaWC ranked Hyderabad in its third tier (Gamma+) of world cities. The city and its suburbs contain the highest number of special economic zones of any Indian city. Hyderabad's $74 billion gross domestic product makes it the fifth-largest contributor to India's overall GDP.

Hyderabad is known as the "City of Pearls" on account of its role in the pearl trade. Until the 18th century the city was the only global trading center for large diamonds. Many traditional and historical bazaars are located in the city. The Laad Bazaar and nearby markets have shops that sell pearls, diamonds and other traditional ware and cultural antiques. Hyderabad's commercial markets are divided into four sectors: central business districts, sub-central business centres, neighbourhood business centres and local business centres. Several central business districts are spread across the city. According to a survey by Cushman & Wakefield, Hyderabad's retail industry and traditional markets were growing in 2007.

Industrialisation began under the Nizams in the late 19th century, helped by railway expansion that connected the city with major ports. From the 1950s to the 1970s, Indian enterprises were established in the city, such as Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), Bharat Electronics (BE), Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Andhra Bank (AB) and State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH). Thus Hyderabad evolved from a traditional manufacturing city to a cosmopolitan industrial service centre. Since the 1990s, the growth of information technology (IT), IT-enabled services, insurance and financial institutions has expanded the service sector, and these primary economic activities have boosted the ancillary sectors of trade and commerce, transport, storage, communication, real estate and retail. The service industry remains dominant in the city, and 90% of the employed workforce is engaged in this sector. According to a government survey, 77% of males and 19% of females in the city were employed in 2005.

Hyderabad is known as "India's pharmaceutical capital" and as the "Genome Valley of India" because of its many pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. It is a global centre of information technology, for which it is known as Cyberabad (Cyber City). During 2008–09, Hyderabad's IT exports reached US$ 4.7 billion, and 22% of the NASSCOM's total membership is from the city. The development of HITEC City, a township with extensive technological infrastructure, prompted multinational companies to establish facilities in Hyderabad. The city is home to more than 1300 IT firms, including global conglomerates such as Microsoft (operating its largest R&D campus outside the US), Google, IBM, Yahoo!, Dell, Facebook, and major Indian firms including Mahindra Satyam, Infosys, TCS, Genpact and Wipro.

Like the rest of India, Hyderabad has a large informal economy that employs 30% of the labour force. According to a survey published in 2007, it had 40–50,000 street vendors, and their numbers were increasing. Among the street vendors, 84% are male and 16% female, and four fifths have stationary shops. Most are financed through personal savings; only 8% borrow from moneylenders. Vendor earnings vary from to  per day. Other unorganised economic sectors include dairy, poultry farming, brick manufacturing, casual labour and domestic help. Those involved in the informal economy constitute a major portion of urban poor.

Transport
Public modes of transport such as buses, auto rickshaws and light railways are the most commonly used in Hyderabad. As of 2007, its vehicle distribution is 75% two-wheelers, 14% cars, 1% taxis, 4% goods vehicles, 2% buses and 4% other vehicles. As of 2012, there are 77,035 auto rickshaws and 3,800 RTC buses. In some parts of the city cycle rickshaws are hired to travel smaller distances. As of 2001, two-wheelers and cars are involved in 50% of road accidents, public transport buses and trucks in 10% and auto-rickshaws in 15%. Altogether, 12% of the accidents are fatal and 88% result in injury (including the 40% of accidents that are caused by non-availability of pedestrian facilities). As of 2010, maximum speed limits within the city are 50 km/h for two-wheelers and cars, 35 km/h for auto rickshaws and 40 km/h for light commercial vehicles and buses.

Three National Highways pass through the city: NH-7, NH-9 and NH-202. Five state highways, SH-1, SH-2, SH-4, SH-5 and SH-6, either begin at or pass through Hyderabad, and traffic congestion is widespread. Like many other Indian metropolitan cities, Hyderabad faces parking problems, particularly in the city centre. Roads occupy 6% of the total city area. The Inner Ring Road, the Outer Ring Road and various interchanges, overpasses and underpasses have been developed to ease the congestion. As of 2008, the Hyderabad Elevated Expressway is the longest flyover in India.

The bus service provided by the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the most frequently used means of public transport within the city. According to Guinness World Records 2005, APSRTC operates the world's largest fleet of buses in terms of number of commuters, estimated to carry 13 million passengers a day. The Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station in the city centre is the main bus station. Setwin (Society for Employment Promotion & Training in Twin Cities) operates minibuses in the city. Hired transport includes taxis and the widely used auto rickshaws.

The Secunderabad Railway Station is the headquarters of the South Central Railway zone of Indian Railways, and the largest station in Hyderabad. Other major railway stations are Hyderabad Deccan Station, Kachiguda Railway Station and Begumpet Railway Station. Hyderabad's light rail transportation system, known as the Multi-Modal Transport System, is used by over 150,000 passengers daily. Hyderabad Metro, a rapid transit system, is under construction and is scheduled to operate three lines by 2014. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGAI) was opened in 2008, replacing Begumpet Airport. In 2011, Airports Council International, an autonomous body representing the world's airports, judged RGAI the world's best airport in the passenger category and the world's fifth best airport for Airport service quality.

Culture
Hyderabad is noted for its mingling of North and South Indian linguistic and cultural traits and for the coexistence of Hindu and Muslim traditions there. Telugu and Urdu are the languages most commonly spoken. Traditional Hyderabadi garb is Sherwani and Kurta–Paijama for men and Khara Dupatta and Salwar kameez for women. Muslim women commonly wear burqas and hijabs in public. Most youths wear western clothing. Festivals celebrated in Hyderabad include Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Bonalu, Bathukamma, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Literature
Hyderabad received royal patronage for arts, literature and architecture from its former rulers; this attracted artists and men of letters from different parts of the world. The resulting multi-ethnic settlements popularised cultural events such as mushairas (poetic symposia). The Qutb Shahi dynasty patronised the growth of Deccani Urdu literature; the Deccani Masnavi and Diwan (collection of poems) composed during this period are among the earliest available manuscripts in Urdu. The reign of the Nizams saw many literary reforms and the introduction of Urdu as a language of court, administration and education. In 1824, a collection of Urdu Ghazals (a specific poetic form) named Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa, penned by Mah Laqa Bai—the first female Urdu poet—was published in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad Literary Festival, held since 2010, is an annual event that showcases the city's literary and cultural creativity. Organisations engaged in research into and promotion of literature include the Sahitya Akademi, the Urdu Academy, the Telugu Academy, the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, the Comparative Literature Association of India, and Andhra Saraswata Parishad. The State Central Library, established in 1891, is the largest public library in the state. Other major libraries are the Sri Krishna Devaraya Andhra Bhasha Nilayam, the British Library and the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram.

Music, performing arts and films
In princely Hyderabad, the nobles had a tradition of courtesan dance and poetry, which led to the development of certain styles of court music and dance. Taramati in the early 16th century and Mah Laqa Bai in the 18th are two courtesans who popularised Kathak dance. Besides western and Indian popular music genres such as filmi music, the residents of Hyderabad play city-based marfa music, especially at weddings, festivals and other celebratory events. The state government organises the Golconda Music and Dance Festival, the Taramati Music Festival and the Premavathi Dance Festival. Though the city is not particularly noted for theatre and drama, the state government promotes theatre with multiple programmes and festivals. The Ravindra Bharati, Shilpakala Vedika and Lalithakala Thoranam are auditoria for theatre and performing arts in the city. Numaish is a popular annual exhibition of local and national consumer products. The city is home to the Telugu film industry, popularly known as Tollywood. As of 2012, Tollywood is second only to Bollywood in producing the most films in India. Since 2005, films in local Hyderabadi dialect have gained in popularity. The city hosts the annual International Children's Film Festival and the Hyderabad International Film Festival. In 2005, Guinness World Records declared Ramoji Film City to be the world's largest film studio.

Art and handicraft
The Golconda and Hyderabad styles are branches of Deccani painting. Developed during the 16th century, the Golconda style is a native style blending foreign techniques, bearing some similarity to the Vijayanagara paintings of neighbouring Mysore. A significant use of luminous gold and white colours is generally found in the Golconda style. The Hyderabad style originated in the early 17th century under the Nizams. Highly influenced by Mughal painting, this style makes use of bright colours and mostly depicts regional landscape, culture, costumes and jewellery.

A metalware handicraft known as Bidri ware was popularised in the region in the 18th century. Bidri ware is a Geographical Indication (GI) tagged craft of India. Kalamkari, a hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile, is popular in the city. Hyderabad's museums include the Salar Jung Museum (housing "one of the largest one-man-collections in the world" ), the AP State Archaeology Museum, the Nizam Museum, the City Museum and the Birla Science Museum, which contains a planetarium.

Architecture
A distinct style of Indo-Islamic architecture enriched with regional influences is reflected in the city's buildings. The Qutb Shahi architecture of the 15th century is manifest in colossal arches found in Golconda fort, the Qutb Shahi Tombs, Charminar, Mecca Masjid and Charkaman. The chief materials used in these constructions are granite and lime mortar. Asif Jahi architecture began to emerge in the 17th century. Some 20th-century structures such as Osmania University, Osmania General Hospital and the High Court are designed and constructed in the styles of medieval and Mughal architecture. The Nizams applied European styles in some of the constructions such as the Falaknuma and King Kothi Palaces. Other historical sites include the Chowmahalla Palace, the Purani Haveli, and the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly Building. Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam, is called the maker of modern Hyderabad because of his patronage of architecture in the city. In 2012, The government of India declared Hyderabad the first "Best heritage city of India".



Cuisine
Hyderabadi cuisine became prominent with the Nizams. It comprises a broad repertoire of rice, wheat and meat dishes and the skilled use of various spices. Hyderabadi biryani and Hyderabadi haleem, with their blend of Mughlai and Arab cuisines, have become iconic dishes of India. Hyderabadi cuisine is highly influenced by Mughlai and to some extent by French, Arabic, Turkish, Iranian and native Telugu and Marathwada cuisines. Other popular native dishes include nihari, chakna, baghara baingan and the desserts qubani ka meetha, double ka meetha and kaddu ki kheer (a sweet porridge made with sweet gourd).

Media
One of the earliest newspapers to be published in Hyderabad was The Deccan Times, which was established in the 1780s. The major Telugu dailies published in Hyderabad are Eenadu, Sakshi and Andhra Jyothy, the major English papers are The Times of India, The Hindu and The Deccan Chronicle, and the major Urdu papers include The Siasat Daily, The Munsif Daily and Etemaad. Many coffee table magazines, professional magazines and research journals are regularly published there. The Secunderabad Cantonment Board established the first radio station in Hyderabad State around 1919. Deccan Radio was the first local general radio station, going on air on 3 February 1935. In 2000, radio stations were permitted to broadcast in FM; the available channels included All India Radio, Radio Mirchi, Radio City and Big FM.

Television broadcasting in Hyderabad began in 1974 with the launch of Doordarshan, the Government of India's public service broadcaster, which transmits two free-to-air terrestrial television channels and one satellite channel. Private satellite channels started in July 1992 with the launch of Star TV. Satellite TV channels are accessible via cable subscription, direct-broadcast satellite services or internet-based television. Hyderabad's first dial-up Internet access became available in the early 1990s but was initially limited to computer software development companies. The first public internet access service began in 1995, and in 1998 the first private sector ISP started operating.

Education
Schools in Hyderabad are affiliated to either CBSE, SSC or ICSE, run by government or private entities (local governing bodies, individuals, missionaries or other agencies). An estimated two-thirds of students study at private schools. Languages of instruction include English, Hindi, Urdu and Telugu. Schools follow the "10+2+3" plan. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in schools or junior colleges that have a higher secondary facility. Admission to professional colleges in Hyderbad is through Engineering Agricultural and Medical Common Entrance Test. The majority of colleges are affiliated with either Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University or Osmania University.

As of 2012, there were 13 universities located in Hyderabad, of which two are private universities, two deemed universities, six state universities and three central universities. The central universities in the city are the University of Hyderabad, Maulana Azad National Urdu University and English and Foreign Languages University. The Osmania University established in 1918 was the first university in Hyderabad. As of 2012, it is India's second-most popular destination for international students. The Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University, established in 1982, is the first distance learning open university in India.

Notable business and management schools in Hyderabad are the Indian School of Business, and the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India. Institutes of national importance include the Institute of Public Enterprise, the Administrative Staff College of India, and the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy. Hyderabad is home to five major medical schools—Osmania Medical College (established in 1846), Gandhi Medical College, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Shadan Institute Of Medical Sciences, and many affiliated teaching hospitals. The Government Nizamia Tibbi College, established in 1810, is a unani medicine college. The city is also a major centre for biomedical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical studies and research; the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research is located here. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and the Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University are notable agricultural engineering institutes. The city is home to many of India's premier technical and engineering schools, including the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad,the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, and the Indian Institute Of Technology (IIT-H). The premier professional fashion designing institutions in the city are Raffles Millennium International, NIFT Hyderabad and Wigan and Leigh College.

Sports
Cricket and football (soccer) are the most popular sports. The city has hosted national and international sports events such as the 2002 National Games of India, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, the 2004 Hyderabad Open, the 2007 Military World Games, the 2009 BWF World Championships and IBSF World Snooker Championship (2009). The Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium and the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium host cricket matches; the latter serves as a home ground of Hyderabad Cricket Association. Hyderabad has been the venue of multiple international cricket matches, including matches in 1987, 1996 and 2011 Cricket World Cups. The Swarnandhra Pradesh Sports Complex is a venue for field hockey, and the G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium at Gachibowli is an athletics and football venue.

The Hyderabad cricket team represents the city in the Ranji Trophy, a first-class cricket tournament among India's states and cities. The Deccan Chargers, a franchise in the Indian Premier League, won the 2009 Indian Premier League held in South Africa. The city houses many elite clubs formed by the Nizams and British, such as the Secunderabad Club, the Nizam Club and the Hyderabad Race Club known for its horse racing, especially the annual Deccan derby. The Andhra Pradesh Motor Sports Club organises popular events such as the Deccan 1/4 Mile Drag, TSD Rallies and 4x4 Off road. The Hyderabad Golf Club is an eighteen-hole golf course. Notable sports persons of international stature from Hyderabad include cricketers Ghulam Ahmed, M. L. Jaisimha, Mohammed Azharuddin, V. V. S. Laxman, Venkatapathy Raju, Shivlal Yadav, Arshad Ayub, Noel David; football players Syed Abdul Rahim, Syed Nayeemuddin, Shabbir Ali; tennis player Sania Mirza; badminton players S. M. Arif, Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal, Jwala Gutta, Chetan Anand; hockey players Syed Mohammad Hadi, Mukesh Kumar and bodybuilder Mir Mohtesham Ali Khan.