Hyderabad is a large historic region in India. It is also the name of the joint capital city of the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (see Hyderabad ). The Hyderabad region covered about 83,000 square miles (215,000 square kilometers) in southern India.
Hyderabad was part of the Mughal Empire from 1687 to 1724. Then a Mughal viceroy (governor) made it independent. During the 1800’s, the United Kingdom gained control of Hyderabad’s foreign affairs. The nizams (rulers) of Hyderabad were famous for being among the richest people in the world. Though the nizams were Muslims, four-fifths of their subjects were Hindus.
In 1947, when India was divided into Pakistan and India, the nizam of Hyderabad refused to join either Pakistan or India. Clashes followed between Muslims and Hindus. In 1948, India set up a military government in Hyderabad. Hyderabad became a state of India in 1950.
In 1956, India reorganized its states and divided Hyderabad among the states of Bombay (now Gujarat and Maharashtra), Mysore (now Karnataka), and Andhra Pradesh (now split into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana). The city of Hyderabad became the capital of Andhra Pradesh, and later the joint capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
