Tulu Nadu

Tulu Nadu
Region
South Canara, an erstwhile district, forms the centre of the Tuluva region called 'Tulu Nadu'.
Coordinates: 13°00′N 75°24′E / 13.00°N 75.40°E / 13.00; 75.40
Country India
StateKarnataka, Kerala
DistrictsDakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod
Largest CityMangalore
No. of districts & Talukas3 District and 18 Taluks
Area
  Total
10,432 km2 (4,028 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
  Total
4,574,385
  Density440/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Demonyms
Languages
  Lingua FrancaTulu
  SpokenTulu, Konkani, Beary, Kannada,malayalam
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Telephone code0824, 0825
ISO 3166 codeISO 3166-2:IN
Vehicle registrationKA19, KA20, KA21, KA62, KA70, KL14.

Tulu Nadu, or Tulunad, is a region and proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (pl. 'Tuluver') are speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, and are the predominant ethnic group of the region. South Canara, a former district, encompasses the territories of the contemporary Dakshina Kannada (Kudla), Chikmagalur (Elyamagalnur), Hassan (Paesano), Udupi (Odipu), parts of Shimoga districts of Karnataka State, and Kasaragod district (Kasrod) of Kerala state. These areas collectively form the cultural region of the Tuluver.

Historically, Tulu Nadu lies between the Gangavalli River (Uttara Kannada district) and the Payyanur (Kannur district). Currently, Tulu Nadu consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka state and Kasaragod district of Kerala state. The region is not an official administrative entity.

Kudla (Mangalore) is the largest city of Tulu Nadu. It is the third largest city by area and fifth largest by population in Karnataka, Odipu (Udupi) and Kasrod (Kasaragod) are the other major cities of this region.

Moreover, the term "Tulunadu" is cited as "Tuḷu Nāṭṭu" in the "Akananuru", which is a classical Tamil poetic work and part of the "Eight Anthologies" (Ettuthokai) - a collection of Sangam literature composed more than 2000 years ago.