French India in the context of "French colonial empire"

South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area (635,780 km or 245,480 sq mi) and 20% of India's population. It is bound by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse, with two mountain ranges, the Western and Eastern Ghats, bordering the plateau heartland. The Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Penna, Tungabhadra and Vaigai rivers are important non-perennial sources of water. Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Kochi are the largest urban areas in the region.

The majority of the people in South India speak at least one of the four major Dravidian languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. During its history, a number of dynastic kingdoms ruled over parts of South India, and shaped the culture in those regions. Major dynasties that were established in South India include the Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, Satavahanas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Rashtrakutas and Vijayanagara. European countries entered India through Kerala and the region was colonized by Britain, Portugal and France.

Puducherry, also known as Pondicherry, is a union territory of India, consisting of four small geographically unconnected districts. It was formed out of four territories of former French India, namely Pondichéry (now Puducherry), Karikal (Karaikal), Mahé and Yanaon (now Yanam), excluding Chandannagar (Chandernagore), and it is named after the largest district, Puducherry, which was also the capital of French India. Historically known as Pondicherry, the territory changed its official name to Puducherry on 1 October 2006.

The Union Territory of Puducherry lies in the southern part of the Indian Peninsula. The areas of Puducherry district and Karaikal district are bound by the state of Tamil Nadu, while Yanam district and Mahé district are enclosed by the states of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, respectively. Puducherry is the 29th most populous of the 36 states and union territories of India, and the third most densely populated union territory. It has a gross domestic product (GDP) of ₹210 billion (US$2.5 billion) and ranks 25th in India.

Mahé (English: /mɑːˈheɪ, ˈmɑːhiː/, French: [mɑˈe]), also known as Mayyazhi (Malayalam: [mɐjːɐɻi]), is a municipality and small town in the Mahe district of the Puducherry Union Territory. It is situated at the mouth of the Mahe River and is surrounded by the State of Kerala. The district of Kannur surrounds Mahe on three sides and Kozhikode district on one side.

Formerly part of French India, Mahe now forms a municipality in Mahe district, one of the four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry. Mahe has one representative in the Puducherry Legislative Assembly.

Visakhapatnam (/vɪˌsɑːkəˈpʌtnəm/; formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is between the Eastern Ghats and the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It is the second largest city on the east coast of India after Chennai, and the fourth largest in South India. It is one of the four smart cities of Andhra Pradesh selected under the Smart Cities Mission and is the headquarters of Visakhapatnam district. Vizag is popularly known as shipbuilding capital of India due to presence of multiple shipyards such as Hindustan Shipyard, Naval Dockyard and being the central naval command of the east coast. As the economic hub of Andhra Pradesh, the city hosts diversified economy with the presence of heavy industries, ports, logistics, pharmaceuticals, medtech, biotechnology, energy production, tourism, textiles, R&D and a growing information technology & financial technology ecosystem. It is also described as the City of Destiny and the Jewel of the East Coast.

Visakhapatnam's history dates back to the 6th century BCE. Historically considered part of the Kalinga region.The city was ruled by the Andhra Satavahanas, Vengi, the Pallava, Eastern Ganga dynasties and Gajapati dynasty. Visakhapatnam was an ancient port city which had trade relations with the Middle East and Rome. Ships in Visakhapatnam were anchored at open roads and loaded with cargo transported from the shoreside using small masula boats. A reference to a Vizagapatnam merchant is available in the inscriptions of Bheemeswara temple (1068 CE) in the East Godavari District. During the 12th century CE, Vizagapatnam was a fortified mercantile town managed by a guild. European powers eventually established trade operations in the city, and by the end of the 18th century it had come under French colonial rule. Control of the city passed to the East India Company in 1804 and it remained under British colonial rule until Indian independence in 1947.

Yanam (Telugu: [jaːnaːw̃]) (previously Yanaon, (French: [janaɔ̃])) is a town located in the Yanam district in Puducherry, India. It has a population of 35,000 and is entirely surrounded by Andhra Pradesh. It was formerly a French colony for nearly 200 years, and, though united with India in 1954, is still sometimes known as "French Yanam". It possesses a blend of French culture and the Telugu culture, nicknamed Frelugu. During French rule, the Tuesday market (Marché du mardi or Maṃgaḷavaram Saṃta) at Yanam was popular among the Telugu people in the Madras Presidency, who visited Yanam to buy foreign and smuggled goods during Yanam People's Festival held in January.