About Goa

hello friends
I am going to write some inersting facts about the history of Goa.
Goa is one of the smallest states of India , comprises a mainland district on the country's western coast and an offshore island, it is located 400 kilometers south Mumbai.It is sand witched by the states of Maharastra on the north and Karnataka on the east and south by the Arabian sea on the west. The total area is3702 square kilometers. The capital is Panaji . Formerly Goa was a Portuguese possession. It was annexed by India in 1962 and statehood in 1987.
The ancient Hindu land of Goa , of which hardly a fragmant survives , was built at southernmost point of island. Known as Gove , Govapuri and Gomant in the Puranas and certain inscriptions, Goa was famous in early hindu legend and history. The medieval Arabian geographers knew it as Sindabur or Sandabur,and the Portuguese as Velha Goa.
In the 1510 the charm and the geographical location of Goa attracted the
Portuguese to the land.Their aim was to control the spiceroute form the east and also carried a mission to spread Christianity.St Francis Xavier with his Jeesuit missionaries , arrived in 1542. Portuguese control had axpanded beyond
Old Goa to include the provinces of Bardez and Salcate , by the middle of the 16th century.
Apart from Portuguese , the parts of Goa had captivated many from the west - the Turks,the British , the French, the Dutch. The most prosperous times
of Goa happened with eventual ousting of the Turks, who controlled the trade routes across the Indian Ocean , and the resultant fortunes made from the spice trade. The colony became the viceregal seat of the Portuguese empire of
the east , including various East African port cities, East Timor and Macau.But
rivalry between the British , French and Dutch in the 17th century,combined with Portugal's lack of ability to service its distant empire , led to their decline.
The Portuguese were nearly overthrown by the Marathas in the late 18th
century. However the Portuguese clung on till 1961,when they were finally ejected by India. Goa remained a union territory for 26 years and gained full flegged statehood on august 12th 1987.