Located at an elevation of just about 6 feet, the Telugu speaking port town of Kakinada is the headquarters of the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. The population of the city is 3,12,000 and the literacy rate is 80 percent. According to the 2011 census, the total population of the district is 4 million out of which 45 percent belong to the working age. Majority of them i.e. 69 percent are involved in the agriculture sector, 2 percent in the household industry and 29 percent in services and industry. Fisheries employ a significant part of the population and Paddy and Coconut are the major agricultural crops. Edible oil refineries, fertilizers and natural gas are some of the prominent industries along with the relatively new entrant of Information Technology. Kakinadas principal exports include seafood, rice, corn, oilseeds, processed food products, chemicals, iron ore, bauxite powder and biofuel. Coconuts have historically been a significant item of export. The nearby village of Kakinandivada, was an important Dutch Settlement where Coconut and their derivative products were stored for export, popularizing the place as Co–Canada. The Hope Island located about 5 km from the coast, makes Kakinada Port a natural harbor and Kakinadas deep-water port built in 1996 is the second-largest port in Andhra Pradesh after Visakhapatnam. Kakinada houses the second largest mangrove forest after Sunderbans and is known for its beautiful beaches and The Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sir Arthur Cotton Museum built in the memory of British irrigation Engineer Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton is located in the city, which houses images and machine tools used during the construction of the barrage on the River Godavari.
