Karnataka is one of the four southern statess of India. Bangalore is its capital. Other major cities include Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad and Belgaum.
The predominant language of this area is Kannada, which is its official language. Other languages include Kodava Takk, Tulu and Konkani, as well as the languages of the surrounding states: Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and to some extent Malayalam.
It has Goa to its northwest, Maharashtra to its north, Andhra Pradesh to its east, Tamil Nadu to its east and southeast, and Kerala to its southwest. The western border is the shore of the Arabian Sea.
The state has three principal physical zones;