Nagpur pronunciation (help·info) ('Marathi: ) is the largest city in central India and the third largest city in the western state of Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune. With a population of 4.1 million, Nagpur was the nation's 13 and the headquarters of Nagpur District and Nagpur Division administrations. On a global scale, Nagpur is estimated to be the 114 and 143 Nagpur is also important geographically as it lies practically at the centre of India with the country's geographical centre (Zero Mile) being situated here. Nagpur is also famous throughout India as a trade centre for high-quality oranges grown in the region and hence the city is also known as Santra Nagari (Hindi and Marathi for 'Orange City').

Nagpur houses a number of people belonging to the different religious communities such as:

• Hinduism
• Islam
• Christianity
• Jainism
• Buddhism, etc.

Some of the important festivals celebrated by the aforesaid communities that form an integral part of Nagpur society and culture are as follows:

• Hindus:
• Ram-Navmi
• Gudhi-Padva
• Maha-Ekadasi
• Pola
• Hanuman Jayanti
• Gokulastami
• Ganesh Chaturthi
• Diwali
• Vratas
• Dusshera
• Holi
• Gauri-Pujan, etc.

• Muslims:
• Bakr Id
• Muharram
• Ramzan Id, etc.

• Christians:
• Christmas Day
• Easter
• Good Friday, etc.

Besides, the society and culture at Nagpur is known for its folk songs and folk dances. Some of the folk songs and folk dances that deserve special mention in this context are:

• Folk Songs:
• Lavani
• Povada songs
• Bhaleri
• Bhajan
• Bharud
• Lalita
• Tumbadi
• Gondhal, etc.

• Folk Dances:
• Karma Dance
• Hadga or Bhondla
• Tamasa, etc.

Talking about the society and culture in Nagpur, we can say that the Nagpur is known for its typical dress and ornaments. An estimate of the dress and ornaments worn by the people of Nagpur is as follows:

• Dress:
• Balut
• Bandi
• Angni
• Kunci
• Topare
• Jhabale
• Caddi
• Pairan
• Sadara
• Jhaga
• Parakar
• Polka, etc.

• Ornaments:
• Bhikbali
• Goph
• Salakadis
• Dandkade
• Kargote
• Nag-gonde
• Candra-surya
• Mud
• Birdi-bijora
• Caphe-kali
• Gulabace-phul, etc.

Nagpur gains its political importance from the fact that the entire political community of Maharashtra descends on the city for the two week duration of the Winter Session of the Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly during the month of December. In addition, a bench of the Bombay High Court is located in the city. Furthermore, Nagpur is known throughout India as the birthplace and headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization.

Nagpur is an important city for the scientific community as it is home to the headquarters of a number of national level scientific and governmental establishments like the National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute (NEERI), Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR), National Research Centre for Citrus, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Aluminium Research and Development Centre, the Indian Bureau of Mines, India's Intellectual Property Training Institute, the National Academy of Direct Taxes, the Chief Controller of Explosives of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation,

and the South Central Zone Cultural Centre in addition to a regional office of the Indian Meteorological Department. Nagpur is also an important city for the Indian armed forces as the headquarters of Maintenance Command of the Indian Air Force and an Ordinance factory and Staff College for the Indian Armed Forces are located in the city. In addition, the Nagpur suburb named Kamptee is home a neatly laid out cantonment of the Regimental Centre of Indian Army's Brigade that is made up of the National Cadet Corps' Officers' Training School, Institute of Military Law, and other establishments of Indian Army. Furthermore, Nagpur's National Civil Defence College provides civil defence and disaster management training to pupils from all over India and abroad. The city is also the home for Indian Air Force's giant IL-76 transport planes nicknamed "Gajraj." Due to Nagpur's geographical position, all distances within India are measured from Zero Mile located in the Civil Lines locality in the city.

Nagpur also known as the "Orange City" The second Capital of Maharashtra. Located in the centre of India, The Country’s Zero Mile Point, Now a city on the move, from a Tier II city to heading towards a Tier I status, because of its Prestigious MIHAN Project.

Due to its central location, Nagpur is a very important railway junction and a transit for almost all the trains that connect the country lengthwise and breadthwise, especially trains connecting India's four major metropolises (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkota) located in the four corners of the country. The main railway station in Nagpur city is the Nagpur Railway Station, while the much smaller Ajni, Itwari, Kalamna, Kamptee, and Khapri are the other railway stations in the city's vicinity. Roads

Nagpur is also a major junction for roadways as India's two major national highways (Kanyakumari-Varanasi (NH 7) and Hajira-Kolkota (NH-6)) pass through the city. One more highway number 69 connect Nagpur to Obaidullaganj near Bhopal. Nagpur is also at the junction of two Asian Highways namely AH47 Agra,India to Matara, Sri Lanka and AH46 connecting Kharagpur, India to Dhule,India Moreover, Nagpur city has come in the national spotlight recenty for its good roads, which were developed as part of the upgradation and renewal works under Integrated Road Development Project (IRDP), spearheaded by the erstwhile Commissioner of the Corporation

Dr. T Chandrashekhar. In another notable development, the Inland Container Depot at Nagpur run by Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) has been the fastest growing inland port in the country in recent years Air

Nagpur's Air Traffic Control (ATR) is the busiest in India, with more than 300 international flights flying over the city every day in 2004. Domestic airlines such as Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Indigo, [goAir] and Air Deccan connect Nagpur with major cities like Mumbai (5 flights daily), Delhi (2 flights daily), Hyderabad (1 flight daily and 1, 4 times a week), and Kolkata (1 flight thrice a week and another twice a week). In October 2005, Nagpur's erstwhile Sonegaon Airport was declared an international airport and was renamed Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport. Initial flights between Nagpur and Sharjah were launched by Air Arabia with the intention of tapping

the strong demand for international travel within Central India. In April 2006 Indian Airlines connected Nagpur and Bangkok with a non-stop twice weekly service. Likewise, Qatar Airways has announced that it will start a thrice-weekly service from Nagpur to Doha shortly.

Nagpur is set to be a prominent destination on India's aviation map as the country's first ever Multi-modal International Cargo Hub (MIHAN) was completed on the outskirts of the city in 2006. MIHAN is expected to contribute significantly to the development of the city as well as the economically backward Vidarbha region. Another major impetus to the budding aviation industry in Nagpur is Boeing's decision to set up a $ 185 million maintenance base in the city in 2006.

Airlines flying into the airport include

• Indian (Bangkok, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Raipur)
• Jet Airways (Delhi, Mumbai)
• Air Deccan (Hyderabad, Mumbai)
• Air Sahara (Delhi, Hyderabad)
• IndiGo Airlines (Kolkata, Mumbai)
• Kingfisher Airlines (Ahmedabad, Hyderabad)
• Air Arabia (Sharjah)
• Qatar Airways (Doha, starts Feb 2007)