Porbandar District, the birth place of
Mahatma Gandhi, was split from the large district
Junagadh of
Saurashtra region of
Gujarat. It is one of the smaller districts of Gujarat, and spans over an area of 2,286 sq km. Porbandar is bounded by
Jamnagar in the north, Junagadh in the east,
Rajkot District in the west, and the
Arabian Sea in the south. In the 10th century it was known as 'Pauravelakul' and then 'Sudamapuri'.
Porbandar has a very pleasant climate. The average rainfall is 800 mm. Cotton, groundnut, bajra, gram, wheat, and jowar are some of the major crops. The main rivers are the Ozat, Meghal and Bhadar. Cement industry and Soda-ash industry are the two major industries in Porbandar. Other industries are cement pipe making, coal making and quarries. The Kirti Mandir, Nehru Planetarium and
Bharat Mandir are the major tourist destinations.
