Shillong | |
|---|---|
City | |
Clockwise from top left to right: Elephant Falls, Laitlum Canyon, Ward's Lake, Panorama of Police Bazar in Shillong, The Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, A view of Shillong | |
| Nickname: Scotland of the East | |
  Shillong Location of Shillong in Meghalaya  Shillong Shillong (India) | |
| Coordinates: 25°34′56″N 91°53′40″E / 25.58222°N 91.89444°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Meghalaya |
| District | East Khasi Hills |
| Named for | Lei Shyllong (Deity) |
| Government | |
| • Body | Shillong Municipal Board |
| • Director | B. S. Sohliya |
| • MP | Ricky AJ Syngkon (VPP) |
| Area | |
| • City | 64.36 km2 (24.85 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,495−1,965 m (4,908−6,449 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • City | 143,229 |
| • Density | 234/km2 (610/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 354,759 |
| Demonym(s) | Shillongite and Nongsor |
| Language | |
| • Official | English[2][3] |
| • Associate official | Khasi, Garo[4] |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 793 001 – 793 102 |
| Telephone code | 0364 |
| Vehicle registration | ML-05 |
| Climate | Cwb |
| Website | eastkhasihills |
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Shillong (English: /ʃɪˈlɒŋ/,[5][6] Khasi: [ʃɨlːɔːŋ]) is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India. It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a population of 143,229 according to the 2011 census.[7] It is said that the rolling hills around the town reminded the British of Scotland. Hence, they would refer to it as the "Scotland of the East".[8]
Shillong has steadily grown in size since it was made the civil station of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills in 1864 by the British. In 1874, on the formation of Assam as the Chief Commissioner's Province, Shillong was chosen as the headquarters of the new administration because of its convenient location between the Brahmaputra and Surma valleys and more so because the climate of Shillong was much cooler than tropical India.[9] Shillong remained the capital of undivided Assam until the creation of the new state of Meghalaya on 21 January 1972, when Shillong became the capital of Meghalaya, and Assam moved its capital to Dispur in Guwahati.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Census2011Govwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "About Us | Official Website of Meghalaya State Designated Agency, Government of Meghalaya, India". msda.nic.in. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ PTI (14 September 2018). "Meghalaya govt working for inclusion of Khasi, Garo languages". Business Standard India. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Define Shillong". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
- ^ "Definition of Shillong". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
- ^ "List of Most populated cities of India". www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- ^ Rao, Sachin. "Travel: Shillong, India – 'Scotland of the east'". The Scotsman. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ "Shillong | India". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 16 July 2019.