Know Goa: How many regions does Goa have?

For a large country like India, Goa is a relatively very small state with only two districts which are broadly divided into north Goa and south Goa. These two districts put together are further divided into 11 talukas which may be classified as sub-districts. Geographically tourists can relate to Goa better when informed of the two districts as south and north Goa although it does not mean much in terms of type of geography and landscape etc as both these areas are pretty similar.

While both North Goa and South Goa are similar in many respects, each district has their own "coastal" and "hinterland" areas. Likewise, the major coastal part of both the districts have similar histories, similar people, same language and have undergone Portuguese rule for longer than the hinterland of Goa thus making these places more affluent and Westernized in outlook.

When you talk about Goa's different regions, they are actually its central coastal areas where the beaches of Goa are located, and these areas were under colonial rule for longer periods of time, reflecting more of how the Portuguese held sway in these areas and influenced their will more in these places which also have a relatively larger Catholic population than the interior hinterland areas which are more of the land mining areas or the natural habitats or hilly slopes.

While Goa’s disposition is a western appearance and gives a colourful outlook through its culture, Goa actually has a minority Catholic population which is around 30% while the Hindus with all their caste groups put together form the majority of 60% of the Goan populace.

Also like many may otherwise believe, Goa is actually not an island although there are many parts within Goa which are islands and in the past were cut off from mainland Goa by rivers etc. while some of the inhabitants of such islands still prefer to remain virgin by not connecting to the mainland and using ferries to move across rivers, Goa on a larger basis has connected the many islands through bridges and as such ease d the conveyance of these people.

People in Goa are known to be relaxed and simply put, “succegado” which means easy going ion Portuguese. With better connectivity by Air and rail, and the booming construction sector, Goa ahs seen an influx of migrants from rest of India trying to set their footprints here thereby settling in Goa

What about Goa’s ‘cities’

Goa is not a highly urbanized place like you would see places in other cities of India. Its cities are relatively modest in their outlook and for a tourism infested place, Goa’s cities can be termed as just small regions of affluent cities such as Mumbai or Delhi. Panjim is the capital city which is connected to the major arteries of the north Goan sector leading to many of the tourist hot spots of Goa. The Other major city is in South Goa – Margao which is also known as the commercial hub of Goa – more so due to its former concentration of mining offices in this southern part of Goa. There are also various shopping markets concentrated in Margao such as the cloth shops etc.

The other notable cites are Vasco which is the port town and hosts the major Port – Mormugao Port trust. The Dabolim airport is also at the edge of Vasco city catering to the whole of Goa. The other cities are Mapusa city which is hardly 15 kms from Panjim and Ponda in the South which is a relatively smaller town leading to the south Goa hinterland areas.

There is not much city life in any of the cites except for Panjim which can claim to have some of it being the capital city and also has some nightlife. The off shore casinos in Goa are hosted in Panjim city limits and are floating off the Mandovi river.

Besides the major cities , Goa also has a number of other smaller, sometimes charming and sometimes crowded towns such as all along the beach belt. You see lot of activity in the beach belt of Calangute, Baga and, Candolim and in the interior southern areas of Chaudi in Canacona, Sanvordem-Quepem, Bicholim, Pernem town, etc. Some of these are towns are gateways to the nearby tourist areas. In addition, Goa has some nearly 350 villages, often scenic and each having a character of its own.