Jamshedpur is a city located in the state of Jharkhand in India, founded by the late Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata. Because of this, the city is often referred to as "Tata." Located in the East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand on the Chota Nagpur plateau, Jamshedpur is surrounded by the beautiful Dalma Hills. The rivers Subarnrekha and Kharkai border the North & West of the city, respectively. Jamshedpur was a planned community at the site of the first modern iron and steel making plant in India (as well as Asia), by Tata Steel.

In 1919 Lord Chelmsford named the city Jamshedpur in honour of its founder, Jamshedji Nausherwanji Tata, whose birthday is celebrated on 3rd March as Founder's Day. J. N. Tata had written to his son Dorabji Tata about his vision of a great city in the area.

Jamshedpur is nicknamed as the Steel City. It is also referred to as Tatanagar after the name of its railway station, or simply as 'Tata', in deference to the significant presence of Tata companies in the city.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the Tatas wanted to build a steel plant in India. Jamshedji Tata went to Pittsburgh and asked geologist Charles Page Perin to help him find the site to build his dream -- India’s first steel plant. The search for a site rich in the resources needed for the plant, namely iron, coal, limestone and water began in April 1904 in today’s Madhya Pradesh.

The prospectors, C. M. Weld, Dorab Tata and Shapurji Saklatvala, took nearly three years in a painstaking search across vast stretches of inhospitable terrain to find a suitable location. One day, almost by accident they came across a village called Sakchi (now part of Tatanagar), on the densely forested stretches of the Chhota Nagpur plateau, near the confluence of the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers. It seemed to be the ideal choice and the place was selected.

Jamshedpur is located at 22.8° N 86.18° E. It has an average elevation of 135 metres (442 feet). Jamshedpur is located in a hilly region, and its terrain is quite uneven. It receives about 1200 mm of rainfall annually.

Jamshedpur, as home to the first private Iron and Steel company of India, Tata Steel, is commonly called "Tata" as a result of the company's significant presence. The areas surrounding Jamshedpur are rich in minerals, including iron ore, coal, manganese bauxite and lime. Some of these areas are Jamadoba, Noamundi and West Bokaro.