Goa, a state on India's West coast, is a former Portuguese colony with a rich history. Spread over 3,700 km² with a population of approximately 1.4 million, Goa is small by Indian standards. It has a unique mix of Indian and Portuguese cultures and architecture that attracts an estimated 2.5 million visitors each year (including about 400,000 foreign tourists). Goa is blessed with waterfalls (Dudhsagar, Amboli, Mangeli, Dodamarg) and ghats. Since the 1960s, Goa has been attracting a steady flow of visitors: first the hippies and returning expatriate Goans, then the charter tourists (starting with the Germans in 1987), pilgrims visiting Catholic and Hindu shrines, those opting to settle in Goa as their home, people going for medical treatment, and a growing number who attend seminars and conferences in Goa. - Wikivoyage - Image by @foreverintheair