Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a state of India. It was founded in 1724 by Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, which was a princely state before it was merged into the Indian Union in 1948. It is now the administrative headquarters of the Bhavnagar district.

Bhavnagar is situated 190 kilometres away from the state capital Gandhinagar and to the west of the Gulf of Khambhat. It has always been an important city for trade with many large and small scale industries along with the world’s largest ship breaking yard, Alang which is located 50 kilometres away. Bhavnagar is also famous for its version of the popular Gujarati snack ‘Ganthiya’ and ‘Jalebi’.

Industrial development in Bhavnagar district could be attributed to the presence of a large number of diamond cutting and polishing units, salt and marine chemicals, plastics, shipbuilding, and ship-breaking industries. Bhavnagar is an important center for the diamond cutting and polishing industry in Gujarat as well as India. 

Thousands of skilled diamond-polishing workers are employed in diamond-cutting and polishing firms, whose subsidiary offices are involved in cities like Surat, Mumbai, and Antwerp. Bhavnagar stands second in the diamond cutting and polishing industry after Surat in India, with 6,000 units operating from the district and employing more than 300,000 people. Bhavnagar’s commercial importance is enhanced by its proximity to the Gulf of Cambay and the Arabian Sea.

Bhavnagar is the largest producer of salt, with 34,500 tons of salt being produced annually in the district. The Alang ship breaking yard is the biggest in the world, recycling about 50% of the salvaged ships of the world. This has also helped develop supporting industries, such as oxygen bottling plants, re-rolling mills, and induction furnaces.

Bhavnagar is well-connected to other cities of Gujarat such as Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara by road, with bus services operated by the state-owned transport corporation. buses serves as a local transport in the city. Bhavnagar Terminus under the Bhavnagar railway division, serving the city, connect it to Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara, Mangalore, Kochi, Trivandrum, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Kanpur, Kakinada (Train No. 17203)and other major cities of India by rail road.

Bhavnagar airport is connected to Mumbai by air links. Daily flights are currently operated by Alliance Air (India). Private auto rickshaws are other modes of transport within the city and nearby villages.