Kathiawar

Kathiawar, also known as Saurashtra, is a peninsula on the western coast of India that forms the major part of the Saurashtra region in Gujarat. It is also commonly referred to by the name Saurashtra.

Geographically, it extends into the Arabian Sea and is bounded by the Gulf of Khambhat to the north and by the Gujarat mainland along its eastern edge.

The region was composed of numerous princely states during the British Raj, collectively known as the Kathiawar Agency; after 1948 many joined the Indian Union and the area was incorporated into Bombay State, and later became part of the state of Gujarat in 1960.

The name Kathiawar is believed to derive from the Kathis, a historic tribe or clan that inhabited the area.

Major cities include Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Bhavnagar and Junagadh, while the Gir Forest National Park in Gir Somnath district preserves the Asiatic lion.

Porbandar, a coastal city in the region, is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.

The primary language is Gujarati; the economy combines agriculture, fishing and salt production, with growing importance from tourism to coastal towns and historic sites.