Vasco da Gama | |
|---|---|
City | |
 A view of the city in 2016 | |
 Vasco inGoa | |
| Coordinates:15°23′53″N73°48′40″E / 15.39806°N 73.81111°E /15.39806; 73.81111 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Goa |
| District | South Goa |
| Sub-district | Mormugao |
| Named after | Vasco da Gama |
| Area | |
• Total | 27.36 km2 (10.56 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 43 m (141 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 94,393 |
| • Density | 3,450/km2 (8,936/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 403802 |
| Area code | 91-832 |
| Vehicle registration | GA-06 |
| Official language | Konkani[2] |
| Website | mmcvasco |
Vasco da Gama (/ˌvæskoʊdəˈɡæmə/,Portuguese:[ˈvaʃkuðɐˈɣɐmɐ]), often shortened toVasco, is a city in the state ofGoa on the west coast of India. It is named after thePortuguese explorerVasco da Gama. It is the headquarters of theMormugão taluka (subdistrict). The city lies on the western tip of the Mormugao peninsula, at the mouth of theZuari River, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) fromPanaji, Goa's capital, 28 kilometres (17 mi) fromMargao, the district headquarters and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) fromDabolim Airport.
The city was developed along with the nearbyMormugao Port in 1886 and remained with thePortuguese Empire until the1961 Indian military operation that annexed Goa. The 1888-constructed Mormugao Port remains a busy shipping route in Asia. This port is built by the Portuguese king in alliance with Gali Sidhayya who is the then zamindar of the Goa region. It is one of the major ports ofindependent India.[3] The shipbuilding area ofGoa Shipyard Limited that buildsIndian Navy andCoast Guard vessels was also built there in 1957 (during the Portuguese era). Initially built around the city's harbour as the 'Estaleiros Navais de Goa', the area has, since the end ofPortuguese presence, expanded into construction for several other branches of maritime patrol and security. The Indian Navy has an obvious presence here, with its vast campuses and ports, which include the naval baseINS Hansa.[4]
The city, in the formerPortuguese territory of Goa, is named after the famousPortuguese explorer and navigatorVasco da Gama, who held the title ofGovernor of Portuguese India. The city was named so by then Governor Ferreira de Amaral in 1886 when theMormugao Port was being developed.[5]
Vasco da Gama, 1stCount of Vidigueira was the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India (1497–1499) was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting theAtlantic and theIndian oceans and, in this way, theWest and theEast. He reached Goa on 11 September 1524 but died atKochi three months later. His remains were eventually returned to Portugal and interred atSt Jeronimos monastery.[6][7]
After theLiberation of Goa in 1961, reports suggest that the city was renamed to Sambhaji Nagar, afterSambhaji,[8][9] in 1971[10] and this is reflected in a few government records.[11] This has long been cited as a political move by right-wing parties such as theMaharashtrawadi Gomantak Party in the 1960s[12] and the other members of theSangh Parivar, in 1997[13] and theBharatiya Janata Party in 2015.[14][15] Some sources also claim Sambhaji as the original name of the city, before the Portuguese.[5]
In 2015, after a campaign by the Goa Heritage Action Group and the History Lovers Group, the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) decided to renovate the clock tower of the municipal market in the heart of the city. Built in 1921, the complex is an example ofArt Deco style of architecture.[16][17] The renovation work was completed in 2017 with funding provided by the Rajaram and Tarabai Bandekar Charitable Trust, and the clock was brought in fromNashik.[18][19]
The city has atropical monsoon climate (Koppen: Am)
Climate data for Vasco da Gama | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.4 (88.5) | 32.0 (89.6) | 31.6 (88.9) | 27.9 (82.2) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.7 (80.1) | 27.5 (81.5) | 29.5 (85.1) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.6 (88.9) | 29.9 (85.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.9 (78.6) | 27.0 (80.6) | 28.4 (83.1) | 28.5 (83.3) | 26.1 (79.0) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.1 (77.2) | 25.5 (77.9) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.4 (79.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20.4 (68.7) | 20.9 (69.6) | 23.0 (73.4) | 25.2 (77.4) | 26.1 (79.0) | 24.9 (76.8) | 24.3 (75.7) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.0 (73.4) | 21.5 (70.7) | 23.4 (74.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 5 (0.2) | 6 (0.2) | 83 (3.3) | 718 (28.3) | 868 (34.2) | 578 (22.8) | 272 (10.7) | 137 (5.4) | 27 (1.1) | 5 (0.2) | 2,700 (106.4) |
| Average rainy days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 104 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 64 | 67 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 89 | 91 | 91 | 89 | 84 | 72 | 63 | 78 |
| Source: Climate data.org[20] | |||||||||||||
Vasco is connected by road by theNational Highway 17A andNational Highway 17B, by rail by theVasco da Gama railway station,[21] by the sea through theMormugao Port[22] and by air throughDabolim Airport, thus serving as the main hub for most tourists visiting the state of Goa.
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As in the rest of Goa,football is the most popular sport in Vasco. Two teams from the town have participated in theI-League –Vasco Sports Club andSalgaocar Sports Club. Salgaocar SC were Champions of the 1998–99 season[23] of the erstwhileNFL.Tilak Maidan is a 6,000-seater[24] football ground located in the city, hostsIndian Super League matches.[25] The stadium sporting a magnificent turf, hosted I-League matches during April 2013 as the home ground for the four teams from Goa in the league, when Fatorda Stadium was closed down for renovation.[26]
Although cricket is not as popular as football, a Vasco residentShadab Jakati[27] plays forGoa in theRanji Trophy first-class competition and has also been selected to play for theChennai Super KingsIPL franchise.Railway Stadium is acricket ground in Vasco da Gama. The only recorded match held on the ground was afirst-class match betweenGoa andKerala in the 1986/87Ranji Trophy,[28] which Kerala won by 6 wickets.[29]
The city of Vasco falls under the boundaries of theSouth Goa (Lok Sabha constituency) previously Mormugao Lok Sabha constituency in theLok Sabha. The current Member of Parliament isViriato Fernandes of theIndian National Congress.[30]
The extended city of Vasco / Mormugao elects three representatives to theGoa Legislative Assembly:[31]
TheNational Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR)[32] located at Headland Sada is a research and development institution administered by theMinistry of Earth Sciences. It is responsible for administering the Indian Antarctic Program and maintains the Indian government's Antarctic research station,Maitri. In addition to laboratories for marine sample processing/analyses, it hosts a special low-temperature ice core sample storage facility. It is also the nodal agency for Indian scientific participation in the deep sea drilling research under the aegis of International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).
Media related toVasco da Gama, Goa at Wikimedia Commons
Vasco da Gama travel guide from Wikivoyage