Goa Towns
Mapusa Town
Mapusa (pronounced as Mapsa by the locals) is Goa's third largest town and
the capital of the northern Bardez taluka. It is mainly a market town for
the surrounding beach areas of Calangute, Candolim, Anjuna and Baga among
others. Even its name is thought to be derived from the Konkani word for
a measure - "map" and the phrase fill up - "sa".
Margao Town
Margao, often called the commercial capital of Goa, is the capital of the
southern taluka of Salcette and also of the South Goa district. Because
of its location, it serves as a service and transport hub to the areas of
south Goa. It is a typically crowded Goan town, with chaotic, noisy traffic
and quite a few architectural reminders of its Portuguese past. Margao is
Goa's second largest town and a bustling commercial centre.
Panaji Town
This is the capital of Goa, and the North Goa district. It is situated on
the banks of the river "Mandovi". It is connected to the mainland
by bridges. History: The origin of the name Panaji or Panjim has many explanations.
Some of them include it being the corrupted version of "Ponjy"
said to mean "the land that never floods". The Portuguese called
the city "Panjim" and after liberation it has seen its name changed
to "Panaji".
Ponda can be described as the Hindu heart of Goa. It is famous for the five important temples that are situated around the town, and also has the largest mosque in Goa. Most of these temples look relatively new as they have been restored after being destroyed by the Portuguese. That explains why there are no temples around the coast, which was the prime territory of the Portuguese. Ponda is also an important transport link.
The industrial town of Vasco-da-Gama, named after the Portuguese voyager,
lies around 30 kms away from the capital city of Panaji and is spread around
the base of the peninsula which leads to the Mormugao harbour.
