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Daman is a city
and a municipal council in Daman district in the state of Daman
& Diu, India. Although the Indian Air Force operates Daman Airport
there is no public airport in the area.Daman District is an enclave
on the western coast of India, surrounded by Valsad District of
Gujarat on the north, east and south and the Arabian Sea to the
west. The district has an area of 72 km², and a population
of 113,949 (2001 census), which increased 83% between 1991 and 2001.
Daman lies at the mouth of the Daman Ganga River. Major industries
have factories here. The closest railway station is Vapi (7 km).
It is also famous for its beach, Portuguese colonial architecture,
churches, and for the scenic beauty in the twin cities of Nani-Daman
and Moti-Daman, which lie opposite each other across the Daman Ganga.
The chief occupation has been fishing. The city of Surat lies to
the north, and Mumbai lies approximately 160 km (100 mi) south of
Daman on the Arabian Sea coast in Maharashtra state.
Daman was occupied by the Portuguese
in 1531, and was formally ceded to Portugal in 1539 by the Sultan
of Gujarat. It remained a Portuguese colonial possession until it
was liberated by Indian forces on 19 December 1961. Daman and Diu,
union territory (2001 provisional pop. 158,059), 50 sq mi (130 sq
km), W India, on the Arabian Sea, composed of two former Portuguese
colonies seized by India in 1961. Daman and Diu were administered
jointly with Goa as the union territory of Goa–Daman and Diu
until 1987, when Goa became a separate state. It is administered
by the home minister of the central Indian government. The major
language is Gujarati.
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