Hyderabad is the major city and capital of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in the northern region of Southern India, 650 kilometers from the banks of the Musi River on the Deccan Plateau. With 6.9 million people living inside its city borders and 9.7 million in the metropolitan area, Hyderabad is the fourth most populous city in India, according to the 2011 census. This makes it the sixth most populated metropolitan area in the country. Hyderabad has the sixth-largest urban economy in India, with an output of US$95 billion.

Hyderabad is the fifth or sixth most productive metro region in India, according to recent estimates of its economy, which range from US $40 to US $74 billion (PPP GDP). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) listed Hyderabad as the sixth-largest deposit center and the fourth-largest credit center in the country in June 2012. It contributes the most to Telangana’s GDP, taxes, and other income. In 2011, its yearly per capita income was ₹44,300, or US$530. The federal government (85,155) and the state government (113,098 personnel) were the city’s biggest employers as of 2006. A 2005 poll found that 19% of women and 77% of men in the city had jobs.

In November 2017, Hyderabad Metro, a light-rail rapid transit system, was launched. With 57 stations and a three-track network spanning 69.2 km, it is now India’s third-largest metro rail system, behind Delhi Metro and Namma Metro. 180,000 passengers are carried daily by Hyderabad’s Multi-Modal Transport System, a three-line suburban rail service with 121 services. Minibus routes run by Setwin (Society for Employment Promotion & Training in Twin Cities) supplement these government programs. Hyderabad is the starting point for intercity rail services. The largest and most important station is Secunderabad railway station, which is also the headquarters for Indian Railways’ South Central Railway zone and a hub for buses and MMTS light rail services that connect Secunderabad and Hyderabad. Hyderabad’s other main train stations include Hyderabad Deccan, Kacheguda, Begumpet, Malkajgiri, and Lingampalli.

Hyderabad is renowned as the “City of Pearls” due to its involvement in the pearl trade, and until the 18th century, it was the only international hub for the trade of Golconda diamonds. The Nizams’ late 19th-century industrialization was aided by the development of railroads that linked the city to important ports.

The expansion of the financial services industry has facilitated Hyderabad’s transformation from a typical manufacturing city to a global industrial service hub. Trade and commerce, transportation, storage, communication, real estate, and retail are ancillary sectors that have benefited from the expansion of the service sector since the 1990s due to the growth of information technology (IT), IT-enabled services (ITES), insurance, and financial institutions.