Meghalaya

Meghalaya
Clockwise from top: Nohkalikai Falls, Tawny Breasted Wren, Umngot River, Khrangsuri waterfalls
Etymology: Abode of the clouds
Motto
Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs)
The map of India showing Meghalaya
Location of Meghalaya in India
Coordinates: 25°34′N 91°53′E / 25.57°N 91.88°E / 25.57; 91.88
Country India
RegionNortheast India
Before wasPart of Assam
Formation21 January 1972
Capital
and largest city
Shillong
Districts12
Government
 • BodyGovernment of Meghalaya
 • GovernorC. H. Vijayashankar[1]
 • Chief ministerConrad Sangma (NPP)
State LegislatureUnicameral
 • AssemblyMeghalaya Legislative Assembly (60 seats)
National ParliamentParliament of India
 • Rajya Sabha1 seat
 • Lok Sabha2 seats
High CourtMeghalaya High Court
Area
 • Total22,429 km2 (8,660 sq mi)
 • Rank24th
Dimensions
 • Length300 km (200 mi)
 • Width100 km (60 mi)
Elevation
900 m (3,000 ft)
Highest elevation
(Lushai Hills section)
1,965 m (6,447 ft)
Lowest elevation
150 m (490 ft)
Population
 (2011)[2][3]
 • TotalIncrease 2,966,889
 • Rank22nd
 • Density130/km2 (300/sq mi)
 • Urban
20.07%
 • Rural
79.93%
DemonymMeghalayans
Language
 • OfficialEnglish[4]
 • Official scriptLatin script
GDP
 • Total (2023-24)Increase0.466 lakh crore (US$5.6 billion)
 • Rank27th
 • Per capitaNeutral increase112,736 (US$1,400) (29th)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-ML
Vehicle registrationML
HDI (2022)Neutral increase0.704 High[5] (17th)
Literacy (2011)Increase 74.43% (24th)
Sex ratio (2011)989/1000 (3rd)
Websitemeghalaya.gov.in
Symbols of Meghalaya
BirdHill myna
FlowerLady's Slipper Orchid
MammalClouded leopard
TreeGamhar
State highway mark
State highway of Meghalaya
List of Indian state symbols

Meghalaya (/ˌmɡəˈlə, mˈɡɑːləjə/;[6][7] lit. "the abode of clouds"[8]) is a state in northeast India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills and (b) the Garo Hills.[9] The estimated population of Meghalaya in 2014 was 3,211,474.[10] Meghalaya covers an area of approximately 22,429 square kilometres, with a length-to-breadth ratio of about 3:1.[11]

The state is bound to the south by the Bangladeshi divisions of Mymensingh and Sylhet, to the west by the Bangladeshi division of Rangpur, and to the north and east by India's State of Assam. The capital of Meghalaya is Shillong. During the British rule of India, the British authorities nicknamed it the "Scotland of the East".[12] English is the official language of Meghalaya. Unlike many Indian states, Meghalaya has historically followed a matrilineal system where the lineage and inheritance are traced through women; the youngest daughter inherits all wealth and she also takes care of her parents.[12]

The state is the wettest region of India, with the wettest areas in the southern Khasi Hills recording an average of 12,000 mm (470 in) of rain a year.[11] About 70 per cent of the state is forested.[13] The Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion encompasses the state; its mountain forests are distinct from the lowland tropical forests to the north and south. The forests are notable for their biodiversity of mammals, birds, and plants.

Meghalaya has a predominantly agrarian economy with a significant commercial forestry industry. The important crops are potatoes, rice, maize, pineapples, bananas, papayas, and spices. The service sector is made up of real estate and insurance companies. Meghalaya's gross state domestic product for 2012 was estimated at 16,173 crore (US$1.9 billion) in current prices.[14] The state is geologically rich in minerals, but it has no significant industries.[12] The state has about 1,170 km (730 mi) of national highways. It is also a major logistical center for trade with Bangladesh.[11]

In July 2018, the International Commission on Stratigraphy divided the Holocene epoch into three,[15][16] with the late Holocene being called the Meghalayan stage/age,[17][18] since a speleothem in Mawmluh cave indicating a dramatic worldwide climate event around 2250 BCE had been chosen as the boundary stratotype.[19]

One of the biggest Central Institutes, the North Eastern Council Secretariat, is also situated in Shillong.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Governor_2024 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Primary Census Abstract Data Tables (India & States/UTs - District Level)". Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Population, Size and Decadal Change" (PDF). Primary Census Abstract Data Highlights, Census of India, 2011 (Report). Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities: 47th report (July 2008 to June 2010)" (PDF). Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. pp. 84–89. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database". Global Data Lab. Institute for Management Research, Radboud University. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Meghalaya". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  7. ^ "Definition of Meghalaya in English from the Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Etymology was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ History of Meghalaya State Archived 24 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Government of India
  10. ^ "Fact sheet on meghalaya" (PDF). 10 March 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  11. ^ a b c Meghalaya Archived 3 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine IBEF, India (2013)
  12. ^ a b c Arnold P. Kaminsky and Roger D. Long (2011), India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, ISBN 978-0313374623, pp. 455–459
  13. ^ Meghalaya and Its Forests Archived 22 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Government of Meghalaya (2012); Quote – total forest area is 69.5%
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference pcindia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Collapse of civilizations worldwide defines youngest unit of the Geologic Time Scale". Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Meghalaya ecstatic after being etched in geological history permanently". 19 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  17. ^ Amos, Jonathan (18 July 2018). "Welcome to the Meghalayan Age a new phase in history". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Newest phase in Earth's history named after Meghalaya rock". The Times of India. 19 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Formal subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.