Karnataka is the eighth largest state in India in both area and population. It was formerly  known as Mysore. On November 1,1973, the name Mysore was changed to Karnataka. Karnataka lies between 74o and 78o East longitudes and 11o and 18o North latitudes. It is situated on the western edge of the Deccan plateau and is surrounded by Maharashtra and Goa on the north, Andhra Pradesh on the east, and Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the south. On the west, it opens out on the Arabian Sea. Geographically, Karnataka occupies three natural regions like the Coastal strip, the Sahyadris and the Deccan plateau. They are known in Kannada as Paschima Karavali, Malnad and Maidan respectively.