Mangaluru, also called Mangalore, city in the southwestern state of Karnataka in southwestern India. It is a port on the coast of the Arabian Sea, lying in the backwaters formed by the Netravati and Gurpur rivers. Mangaluru city has long been a roadstead along the Malabar coast. It began trading with the Persian Gulf region in the 14th century and was occupied by the Portuguese in the mid-16th century. Under the Sultans of Mysore (Mysuru) (1763) became a strategic shipbuilding base, ceded to the British in 1799 after numerous sieges.
