Nagpur (pop. 2,405,665; met. area pop. 2,497,777) is an Indian city in the state of Maharashtra. It alternates with Mumbai as the seat of the state legislature. The city is situated on the Nag River.
Nagpur lies at the junction of major routes linking India’s greatest cities—that is, Mumbai and Kolkata, and Chennai and Delhi. As a result, many of Nagpur’s industries produce transportation equipment. The city also makes a variety of other metal products. Local deposits yield manganese and coal. The region around Nagpur is an orange-growing area.
The city was founded in the early 1700’s. In 1861, the British established Nagpur as the capital of the Central Provinces. The city developed as a commercial and industrial center after the completion of the Great India Peninsula Railway in 1867. The improved transport facilities led to the introduction of a cotton crop and a textile mill to the region.
