The state of Goa, India, is famous for its beaches and places of worship, and tourism is its primary industry. Tourism is generally focused on the coastal areas of Goa, with decreased tourist activity inland. Foreign tourists, mostly from Europe, arrive in Goa in winter whilst the summer and monsoon seasons see a large number of Indian tourists. Goa handled 7% of all foreign tourist arrivals in the country in 2011. This relatively small state is situated on the western coast of India, between the borders of Maharashtra and Karnataka and is better known to the world as a former Portuguese enclave on Indian soil. Influenced by over 450 years of Portuguese rule and Latin culture, Goa presents a somewhat different representation of the country to foreign visitors. Major tourist attractions include: Bom Jesus Basilica, Fort Aguada, a wax museum on Indian culture and a heritage museum. The Churches and Convents of Goa have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Goa's beaches cover about 125 kilometres (78 mi) of its coastline. These beaches are divided into North and South Goa. North Goa is more commercial and touristy with an abundance of mostly low and medium budget tourist accommodations; whereas South Goa is where most higher–end hotels and private beaches are located. A notable exception in South Goa is Palolem Beach which features basic accommodation and is one of the most visited beaches in Goa. The further north or south you go, the more isolated the beaches get. Some of the more popular beaches are Colva, Calangute, Baga and Anjuna. These beaches are lined with shacks that provide fresh sea food and drinks. Some shacks arrange special events to attract more customers.
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Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa, who form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian and Austro-Asiatic ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries. They speak different dialects of Konkani natively. Goan Hindus refer to themselves as Konkane, meaning the residents of Konkan. Goanese is an incorrect usage for Goans. Goans speak the Konkani language, a Prakrit based language belonging to the Southern group of Indo-Aryan Languages. Various dialects of Konkani spoken by the Goans include Bardeskari, Sashtikari, Pednekari, Antruj bhasha, whereas Konkani spoken by the Catholics is notably different from those of the Hindus, with a lot of Portuguese influence in its vocabulary.
Konkani was suppressed under the Portuguese rule, playing a minor part in education of the past generations. They are mostly multilingual and Marathi has played a significant role for Hindus. Most Goans were educated in Portuguese in the past. There is a very small minority of descendants of the Portuguese, most of whom are of mixed descent and speak Portuguese. They use Devanagari and Latin script for education as well as communication (personal, formal and religious). In the past Goykanadi, Modi, Kannada scripts were also used which later fell into disuse owing to many social, political and religious reasons.
Goans are a predominantly Hindu population followed by Roman Catholic population and small Muslim community. Hindus in Goa are divided into many different castes and sub-castes, known as Jatis. They use their village names to identify their clans, some of them use titles. Some are known by the occupation their ancestors have been practicing. Nayak, Borkar, Raikar, Prabhu, Kamat, Lotlikar, Chodankar, Naik, Bhat, Tari, Gaude are few examples. The Catholics display a strong Portuguese influence, because of the 451 years as a Portuguese colony. Portuguese names are common among the Christians.
Goans have been migrating all along the coast and across the world for the last six centuries because of many socio-religious and economic reasons, the diaspora are commonly known as the Konkani people, residing in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala who do not refer to themselves as Goans. Many Goans have settled in Mumbai (Bombay) in the last century and still identify themselves as Goans. India's Goan population is mainly concentrated in the mega cities like Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Pune. Until the early 1970s there were substantial populations of Goans in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Goans in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Angola.
The end of colonial rule and the subsequent waves of explusion of Indians from Kenya and Uganda forced the community to migrate elsewhere. The Gulf News put the number of Goans residing outside India as approximately 300,000. - Courtesy Wikipedia
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Mapusa Market, Goa
Oxford Arcade, Anjuna, Goa
Glastonbury Street, Arambol (Harmal), Goa
Friday Market, Mapusa, Goa
Star Magic Shop, Goa
Golden Heart Emporium, Margao (Madgaon), Goa
Municipal Market, Panaji (Panjum), Goa |
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