Andhra Pradesh is the fifth largest state in India. Set in the heart of peninsular India, it lies entirely within the tropics. It has a longer stretch of coastline than any other Indian state. The Bay of Bengal forms the eastern boundary of the state. To the northeast is Orissa, and on the north and northwest borders are the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Karnataka forms the western border, with Tamil Nadu to the south. The state capital is Hyderabad.

Location and description. Andhra Pradesh stretches over 1,200 kilometres along the eastern seaboard of India, and more than 700 kilometres from the coast at Masulipatnam, to the west of Hyderabad. It is one of India's tropical states.
The state has three main regions: the coastal strip, the mountains, and the inland plateau. Irrigation in the flat coastal area has helped to make it the richest agricultural region of the state. The deltas of the Godavari and Krishna rivers have particularly fertile soil. Rice and sugar cane are the most important crops.
Immediately inland, a series of mountain ranges, covered with forest or scrub jungle, runs nearly parallel with the coast. Large gaps in the ranges lead up to the plateau behind. The plateau has some of India's oldest rocks, which geologists believe are more than 3,000 million years old.

Climate. Temperatures in central Andhra Pradesh range from an average minimum of 13 °C in December to 26 °C in May, the hottest month. In the coastal areas, the minimum temperatures do not fall as far. In the coolest months, December and January, the mean maximum temperatures are 28 °C or 29 °C. In May, they go up to 39 °C. Once the rainy season starts in late June, mean maximum temperatures fall back to around 30 °C.
The whole state receives most of its rain during the monsoon season, from June to October. However, the northeast of the state gets more than twice as much rain as the southwest. Hyderabad in the centre receives a total of 76 centimetres a year on average. 57 centimetres fall between June and September, while only 3 centimetres fall between December and March. Cyclones cause massive damage in the deltas.

Tourist Centres: Andhra Pradesh is rich in historical monuments. It possess many number of holy temples which attract a large number of pilgrims and tourist.
Tirupati in Chittoor district houses one of the most famous temples of India. The presiding deity is known as Venkateshwara. The main temple is situated on hill top, Tirumalai, and is a masterpiece of south Indian architecture. The temple of Sri Ramchandra at Bhadrachalam, the Mallikarjunaswamy temple at srisailam, the Ahobalam temple, Srikummam temple and the Simhachalam temple are among the other famous temples of Andhra Pradesh.
The main places of interest in the capiatal city Hyderabad is the Char Minar built in 1591, Osmania University, State museum and art gallery, Salarjung museum, Health museum, Nehru zoological park, public gardens, Birla Mandir and macca masjid.
Another important centre of tourism is Golconda, about 8 Kms. from Hyderabad. The capital of the Qutb Shahi Sultans in the 16th century, Golconda is famous for the Golconda Fort. Nagarjuna Sagar dam and the vicinity attracts a number of visitors. Yadagiri Gutta at Nalgonda, Vemulawada at Karimnagar and ramappa and thousand pillars temple at Warragal are also centers of attraction. Nagarjuna Srisailam Sanctuary is the largest tiger reserve in India.