Geography of Arunachal Pradesh

Geography of Arunachal Pradesh
RegionNortheast India
Area
 • Total83,743[1] km2 (32,333 sq mi)
 • Land98.09%
 • Water1.91%
BordersBhutan, China, Burma, Assam, Nagaland
Highest pointKangto, 7,060 metres (23,160 ft)
Lowest point~50 metres (160 ft)[2]
Natural resourcesHydro-power

Forest cover: 79.63% (2019)[1]

  • Very Dense Forest = 25%
  • Mod. Dense Forest = 36%
  • Open Forest = 18%
Boleng, Siang district

Arunachal Pradesh is primarily a hilly tract nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas in northeast India. It is spread over an area of 83,743 km2 (32,333 sq mi).[3] 98% of the geographical area is land out of which 80% is forest cover;[1] 2% is water.[4] River systems in the region, including those from the higher Himalayas and Patkoi and Arakan Ranges, eventually drain into the Brahmaputra River.[5]

Elevation ranges from mountains that are above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft),[6] to the towns in the plains with an elevation of less than 300 metres (980 ft).[7] Arunachal shares international borders with Bhutan, Tibet (China) and Burma (Myanmar). Internally, Arunachal borders the states of Assam and Nagaland. Arunachal is called the "orchid state of India"[8][9] and "dawn-lit mountain/Land of Dawn/Land of Dawn-Lit Mountains".[10][11]

  1. ^ a b c ISFR Vol 1, Forest Survey of India (2019), pg. 24.
  2. ^ AP State Action Plan (2011), pp. 12.
  3. ^ "Arunachal Pradesh: Physiography, At a glance". gbpihedenvis.nic.in. Hosted by: G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development. Sponsored by: Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt of India. ENVIS Centre on Himalayan Ecology. Retrieved 23 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ Space Applications Centre, ISRO (2009), pg. 19.
  5. ^ Sharma & Shukla 1992, p. 6–7.
  6. ^ Singh 2005, p. 5.
  7. ^ State Profile of Arunachal Pradesh, Branch MSME Itanagar (2013), pg. 41.
  8. ^ "4 Reasons Why Arunachal Pradesh is a Natural Wonderland". Outlook India Traveller. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2021. We may as well call Arunachal a flowery paradise. Arunachal is also called Orchid State of India
  9. ^ "Launching IUCN Red-listing Process for Orchids in Arunachal Pradesh, India". IUCN. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2021. The biodiversity rich North-East States in India are endowed with over 870 species in 159 genera constituting over 73% of the total Orchid species reported from India. Arunachal Pradesh has the highest number of orchid species (around 622 species) reported from the state. Arunachal Pradesh has also been termed as 'Orchid Paradise of India' because of the maximum concentration of orchid species (about 40% of the country) in the State.
  10. ^ Bolingbroke-Kent, Antonia (15 June 2017). Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4711-5657-1.
  11. ^ Arunachal Pradesh: Human Development Report (2005), pg. 3.