During the British Raj, Madras was one of eight Provinces in India. It was one of three, along with Bombay and Bengal, that were known as Presidencies. Following independence in 1947, Madras Presidency was renamed Madras Province; then in 1950, the Indian government renamed it Madras State.
At this time it comprised, as well as the whole of present–day Tamil Nadu, parts of what are now Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Mysore. The northern parts were separated in 1953 to form Andhra State, which is now part of Andhra Pradesh. In 1956 India's state boundaries were redefined along linguistic lines, and some parts of Madras State joined Kerala and Mysore. Its remaining part was renamed Tamil Nadu (meaning simply "Tamil land") in 1967.
© Macclesfield Quiz League 2018