The slopes of these ghats are covered with heavy evergreen forests. The rivers flowing eastward from the western ghats and are entirely rain-fed. The capital city Madras was renamed Chennai in 1996. State of Economy Almost all the villages in the state are electrified. The 14,627 industrial units provide employment to 0.09 million people.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the states economy.
The state is the country's largest producer of rice. The state's production of 100 tonnes per hectare of sugar cane, has set a world record. In state there are various state government run corporations which provide financial assistance and technical know how to large, medium and small scale industries.