Silvassa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, India

# Geography :

Silvassa is located at 20.27°N 73.02°E[1]. It has an average elevation of 32 metres (104 ft).

# Demographics :

As of 2001 India census[2], Silvassa had a population of 21,890. Males constitute 57% of the population and females 43%. Silvassa has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 68%. In Silvassa, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.Gujarati is the main languages spoken.[3]
Silvassa is also considered to be the home of Warli culture. Warli is the language spoken by the Warli people which is basically a mixture of Marathi and Gujrati languages with a local twist.
Silvassa is famous for its natural beauty with number of beautiful gardens. Shooting of well known Hindi movie "Phool aur Kante" has been done here. The Lion Safari and Vasona Deer Park are new upcoming tourist attractions. The union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli is a paradise for trekkers.
A former Portuguese Enclave, Silvassa has few Roman Catholic Christian. The interesting aspect of these Portuguese Christians is that they speak a distinct dialect of Portuguese which is not spoken even in Portugal. Yet to the credit of these indigenous Christian, they have assimilated with the local population and have been living in complete harmony with the brethren of other community.

# Industry :

Far from being a tribal region, it has now developed into a full blown industrial hub. With major industrial houses setting up manufacturing bases in the region. The initial tax free status granted by the Govt. of India to boost industrial investment in the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli has greatly contributed to the industrial growth of the region.
With groups like Sterlite, Hindalco, advance detchem ltd Gulf Oil, Castrol, Reliance Industries, Blue Star, Global Wind Power(Reliance ADAG), Hindustan Unilever, Sterling & Wilson (P) Ltd, an associate company of Shapoorji & Pallonji Group, Dabur and host of other players in the field of Textiles like Alok Industries, VRIL, and many other FMCG, Gensets, Electronics, Heavy Engineering goods, Chemical, insecticides, Paints, to name a few, the landscape of Silvassa and surrounding region has altered dramatically. It is one of the largest states in collection of Excise duty from more than 3500 small & medium industries.Silvassa is a big hub for plastic products.Its product like polybags,containers etc. can be found all over India due to its better quality and low cost.
Silvassa is also a host to more than 200,000 floating population, coming from all parts of the country, mostly the labourers hail from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar & Orrisa. Other floating community being from the state of Maharashtra, Gujarat, kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Rajasthan.
Due to the mixed population of the city, it is a city in transition struggling to establish its true identity.Gujarati, Hindi, and Marathi being largely spoken by the population.

# Transport and Connections :

Silvassa to its credit has great roads and are surrounded with astounding trees. The nearest railway station, Vapi is around 18 km away.
Daman is 30 km away via Bhilad on National Highway number 8
Bombay is 180 km away from Silvassa, via Bhilad, on National Highway number 8
Rickshaw services ply between Vapi and Silvassa at a regular interval and easily available from Vapi(E) railway station.
Gujarat Road Transport Buses ply between Silvassa & Vapi at a regular interval.

# Places of interest :

Roman Catholic Church located near to Bus stand built on Portuguese style.
Silvassa Museum- a small museum which explains the history and the people of Silvassa.
Lion Safari- Supposed to be good if you get a glimpse of lion.
Madhuban Dam-A dam with boating facility, built across River Daman Ganga.
Dadra Park- A scenic beauty with lush green trees and boating facility, 5 km from Silvassa.
Dudhani- A vast lake having water sports complex. A must see for all Silvassa goers. Located at 35 km from Silvassa.
Vrindaban-A temple dedicated to lord Krishna and Shiva, en route Dudhani.
Balaji templet located in amli dedicated to Lord Balaji,Shiva,Maha Ganapathy,Karthikeyan,Padmavathi,Saraswathi,Hanumanji and Navagraha.
Ban Ganga Lake - An exotic destination for lovers of Mother nature especially those who relish boating in big lakes.The place is particularly famous for several movie shootings.

# Education :

Silvassa has some very good schools and colleges, the missionary school started by the Agnelo group, i.e. Fr. Agnelo English School is one of the oldest convent school run by the Our Lady of Piety.

List of Schools : 1. Father Agnelo English High School 2. Lions English School 3. Prabhat Scholars Academy 5. Shiv Prakash Memorial School 5. St. Xaviers Primary School 6. Kendriya Vidyalaya 7. BAPS Vidya Mandir 8. Dadra's Little Heart 9 Vidyatech Technical Institute 10. Diamond Computers list of colleges : 1. SSR College of Art,Commerce And Science. 2. SSR College of Education 3. SSR college of Pharmacy 3. SSR Institute of Research and Management 4. Silvassa Polytechnic college of Engineering 5. BAPS Institute of Information Technology etc.