Bhavnagar is the fifth largest city of Gujarat, located on the eastern coast of Saurashtra at an altitude of 78 feet, serving as the administrative headquarter of the district.. The old town of Bhavnagar was a fortified town with gates leading to other important regional towns. It remained a major port for almost two centuries, trading commodities with Mozambique, Zanzibar, Singapore, and the Persian Gulf. Before independence, Bhavnagar was a princely state and during the late 19th century, the Bhavnagar State Railway was constructed, making Bhavnagar the first state that was able to construct its railway system without any aid from the central government. Total population of the city is 6,00,000, and majority of the population speaks Gujarati. The total population of the Bhavnagar district is 2.9 million. 40 percent of the population is of the working age, out of which 50 percent are engaged in the agricultural sector, one percent in the household industry and 49 percent in service sector. Main crops grown in the district include groundnut, onion, cotton, bajra, guavas and pomegranates. This is one of the important emerging hubs for gypsum, cement and food processing industries. To the southeast of Bhavnagar, at a distance of 50 km, lies Alang, the largest ship breaking yard of the world, recycling about 50% of the salvaged ships of the world. Diamond cutting and polishing, marine chemicals, ship building, plastic and trade of cotton products employ a large segment of the population. Bhavnagar is also one of the major producers of Salt in the country. One of the oldest libraries of Gujarat, the Barton Library built in 1895 is located in Bhavnagar.
