Mangaluru (Kannada: [mɐŋɡɐɭuːru]), formerly called Mangalore (/ˈmæŋɡəlɔːr, ˌmæŋɡəˈlɔːr/ MANG-gə-lor, -LOR), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about 352 km (219 mi) west of Bengaluru, the state capital, 14 km (8+1⁄2 mi) north of the Karnataka–Kerala border and 297 km (185 mi) south of Goa. Mangaluru is the state's only city to have all four modes of transport—air, road, rail and sea. The population of the urban agglomeration was 619,664 according to the 2011 national census of India. It is known for being one of the locations of the Indian strategic petroleum reserves.
The city developed as a port in the Laccadive Sea during ancient times, and after Independence a new port was constructed in 1968 and has since become a major port of India that handles 75 percent of India's coffee and cashew exports. It is also the country's seventh largest container port. Mangaluru has been ruled by several major powers, including the Mauryan empire, Kadambas, Alupas, Vijayanagara Empire, and Keladi Nayaks. In 1568 Jain Tuluva Queen Abbakka Chowta killed Portuguese officers General Jao Peixoto and Admiral Mascarenhas in Battle in Ullal. The city was a source of contention between the British and the Kingdom of Mysore rulers Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, and was eventually annexed by the British in 1799. Mangaluru remained part of the Madras Presidency until India's independence in 1947 and was unified with Mysore State (now called Karnataka) in 1956.
