Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarters of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population. However, one industrial pocket -SIPCOT - has also secured it a place in the dubious club of global toxic hotspots owing to the area's high levels of pollution.The word Cuddalore literally means "Sea Town" in Tamil. Cuddalore is known for its picturesque beaches, particularly Silver Beach, and, until the problems associated with its industrial development became known, had some ambitions an emerging tourism hub.