Lucknow /ˈlʌknaʊ/ is the capital city of the state of Uttar Pradesh. This metro city is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division. Lucknow has always been known as a multicultural city and flourished as a cultural and artistic capital of North India in the 18th and 19th centuries.. Today it continues as an important centre of commerce, aerospace, finance pharmaceuticals, technology, design, culture, tourism, music and poetry. Lucknow ranked 6th among all the cities in India for fastest job-creation. It is the largest city of Uttar Pradesh and second largest metro of North and Central India after Delhi.
Lucknow elevation is 123.45 m above sea level. It is situated on 26.30 and 27.10 North latitude and 80.30 and 81.13 East longitude. Lucknow covers an area of 310.1 km2. It is surrounded on the eastern side by District Barabanki, on the western side by district Unnao, on the southern side by Raebareli and on the northern side by Sitapur and Hardoi districts. The city is on the northwestern shore of Gomti river, which flows through it. Lucknow is accessible from every part of India through air, rail and road. It is directly connected with New Delhi, Patna, Calcutta, Mumbai, Varanasi, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and other major cities by Amausi airport. The Union Cabinet approved granting of international airport status to Lucknow. The Lucknow airport is suitable for all-weather operations and can provide parking facility up to 14 aircraft. At present, Air India, Jetlite, GoAir, IndiGo and SpiceJet are operating domestic flights from and to Lucknow.
As the seat of the government of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow is the site of Vidhan Sabha, the High Court and numerous government departments and agencies. Lucknow has several educational and research organizations like IIM Lucknow, Central Drug Research Institute, Industrial Technology Research Centre, Central Food Technological Research Institute, National Botanical Research Institute, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and King George Medical College. It is the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance, such as the Kathak, Khayal, Nawabs and Classical music. It is the birthplace of British pop star Sir Cliff Richard and resident city of Subrata Roy, the founder and chairman of the Sahara India Pariwar.
Hindi is the city's official language. However, the most prominent language spoken in Lucknow is the Hindi-Urdu language. The city's design was heavily influenced by the several emperors and incorporates significant areas of natural imperial that have earned Lucknow the title of the "city of nawabs". It is also known as the Golden City of India, Shiraz-i-Hind and the Constantinople of the East. Lucknow's society is very famous for its etiquette and traditions to attain a rare degree of sophistication. Be it the cultural charm or the monumental one, all are well conserved here to make Lucknow "The city of many splendours".
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