The port city of Chennai, formerly called Madras and still widely known by that name, is the capital of Tamil Nadu. Chennai was the site where the East India Company built its first settlement in 1639. Nowadays the city is a major textile manufacturer and its inhabitants mainly belong to the Tamil people, who fiercly defend their culture and oppose and attempts to make Hindi the national language of India.

There are two parts in Chennai. George Town is the older part of town, with numerous narrow, busy streets, lined with shops, offices and restaurants. Southwest from George Town runs Mount Road (Anna Salai), on which the new town is concentrated. Around that street you will find numerous banks, theatres, consulates and expensive hotels.

There are several interesting sights in Chennai, but they are far less impressive than those in most of India's other large cities. The East Indian Company built Fort St George in 1653. Nowadays it is home to the Secretariat and Legislative Assembly. There is also a nice museum that has memorabilia from the days of the Raj on display. The oldest British church in India is Chennai's St Mary's Church. It was built from 1678 to 1680 and it is the oldest surviving British construction in India. In George Town is the huge High Court Building. It was built in Indo-Saracenic style and it is possible to sit in on courtroom sessions. The ancient Siva temple of Kapeleeshwara features a typical Dravidian gopuram (pyramidal gateway). Not far from the seafront is the San Thome Cathedral.

There are numerous hotels and hostels in Chennai. Most of the cheaper ones are situated in George Town and around Egmore Station. Expensive hotels can be found along Mount Road (Anna Salai). The city has air, rail and road connections with many other places in India. Chennai is 1710 km south of Delhi.