In India, Chennai, also known as Madras (which was the official name until 1996), is the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu, which is also known as Tamil Nadu. It is the major cultural, commercial, and educational centre in South India, and is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.
A recent Indian census revealed that Chennai is India's sixth-most populated metropolis and that it comprises the country's fourth-most populous metropolitan agglomeration. By population, the city is coterminous with the Chennai district, which, combined with the surrounding suburbs, forms the Chennai Metropolitan Region, which is the world's 36th-largest metropolitan area. When it comes to international visitors, Chennai is one of the most popular destinations in India. It is the traditional and de facto entrance to South India. This city was listed as the world's 43rd most visited city in the year 2015, and it will be ranked as the world's 36th most visited city in the year 2019. Chennai was regarded as the safest city in India by the Quality of Living Survey, which was conducted in 2013. 45 percent of health tourists visiting India come to Chennai, while 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists come to Chennai as well. The city is famous as "India's health capital" because of this. With a population of about 10 million people, Chennai is the fifth-largest city in India.
When it came to expatriate populations in India, Chennai was the third-largest city with 35,000 in 2009, 82,790 in 2011, and an anticipated population of more than 100,000 in 2016. For the second year running, travel book publisher Lonely Planet has picked Chennai as one of its top 10 destinations across the globe to visit in 2015. When it comes to the Global Cities Index, Chennai is regarded as a beta-level city, and it was chosen as the best city in India by India Today in the annual Indian city poll conducted in 2013. As a result of its blend of contemporary and traditional traditions, Chennai was rated the "hottest" city in the world by the BBC in 2015. The city is both worth visiting and worth living in for the long run. As the only South Asian city to appear on National Geographic's 2015 "Top 10 food cities" list, Chennai was hailed as "a culinary mecca." Additionally, according to Lonely Planet, Chennai is the tenth most cosmopolitan city in the world. A strong musical legacy led to the inclusion of Chennai in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in October 2017.
Located in southern India, the Chennai Metropolitan Area is one of the country's most prosperous municipal economies. The city is home to more than one-third of the country's car industry. Chennai is best recognised as the home of the Tamil film industry, but it is also a significant film production hub. According to the Smart Cities Mission, it is one of the 100 Indian towns and cities that will be transformed into smart cities.