Andhra Pradesh is located on the South-Eastern coast of India, with the Bay of Bengal in the East. It has two main rivers, the Godavari and Krishna.  The capital is Hyderabad, a cosmopolitan city, which is one of the centres of IT, biotechnology, Pharmaceutical industry, construction industry, film industry and Business management. There is also agriculture in terms of rice, tobacco, cotton, spices and sugar cane. Its main container port is Vishakapatnam, often known in the shipping industry as Vizag. Vishakapatnam also has shipbuilding, oil and gas refineries and is a naval base.

The population is a mix of Aryans from the North and Dravadians from the South, and have mainly a mix of Hindus and Muslims. The Nizam of Hyderabad is well known for his wealth and as patron of art and culture. The languages spoken are English, Telegu and Urdu. In this state there is a contrast between the rural population, the majority who live below the poverty line, and the sizeable number of affluent people in the bigger cities.