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Himachal Pradesh (/ h ɪ ˌ m ɑː tʃ əl p r ə ˈ d ɛ ʃ /; Hindi: [ɦɪˈmäːtʃəl pɾəˈd̪eːʃ] ⓘ; lit. "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. . Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterised by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks and extensive river syste
- Outline of Himachal Pradesh
Location of Himachal Pradesh. The following outline is...
- Chief Ministers
The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh is the chief...
- List of People From Himachal Pradesh
English ; Other regional languages; Religion. Hinduism ;...
- Western Himalayas
Nanga Parbat in Gilgit-Baltistan is the ninth-highest...
- Chamba District
According to the 2011 census Chamba district has a...
- Kinnaur District
Kinnaur district is one of the twelve administrative...
- Indian Himalayan Region
The parts of India in brown and white, lying above the...
- Outline of Himachal Pradesh
- Overview
- Relief and drainage
- Climate
- Population composition
- Settlement patterns
- Agriculture and manufacturing
- Resources and power
- Transportation
Himachal Pradesh, state of India, in the extreme northern part of the Asian subcontinent. It is bounded by Jammu and Kashmir union territory to the northwest and Ladakh union territory to the northeast, by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the east, and by the states of Uttarakhand to the southeast, Haryana to the south, and Punjab to the west. Himachal Pradesh occupies a region of scenic splendour in the western Himalayas, offering a multitextured display of lofty snow-clad mountains, deep gorges, thickly forested valleys, large lakes, terraced fields, and cascading streams. Indeed, the name of the state is a reference to its setting: Himachal means “snowy slopes” (Sanskrit: hima, “snow”; acal, “slopes”), and Pradesh means “state.”
The city of Shimla was the summer headquarters of preindependence British viceroys; it is now the state capital and, at an elevation of about 7,100 feet (2,200 metres), one of the largest and most popular mountain resorts in the country. Formerly a union territory, Himachal Pradesh became a state of India on January 25, 1971. Area 21,495 square miles (55,673 square km). Pop. (2011) 6,856,509.
Within the diverse terrain of Himachal Pradesh are several parallel physiographic regions corresponding to the northwest-southeast-trending ranges of the Himalayan mountain system. The region adjacent to the plains of Punjab and Haryana consists of two stretches of the Siwalik (Shiwalik) Range (the Outer Himalayas) separated by long, narrow valleys. Elevations in the southern tract of the region average about 1,600 feet (500 metres), while in the northern tract they range between 3,000 and 5,000 feet (900 and 1,500 metres). To the north of the Siwaliks are the Lesser (or Lower) Himalayas, which rise to about 15,000 feet (4,500 metres). Within this region are the spectacular snow-capped Dhaola Dhar and Pir Panjal ranges. To the north again is the Zaskar Range, which reaches elevations of more than 22,000 feet (6,700 metres), towering over the other ranges in the region. Many active mountain glaciers originate in this area.
Himachal Pradesh has many perennial snow-fed rivers and streams, in addition to four major watercourses. The eastern portion of the state is drained primarily by the Sutlej River, which rises in Tibet. Draining the western part of Himachal Pradesh are the Chenab (Chandra-Bhaga), Ravi, and Beas rivers, which have their source in the Great Himalayas.
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The Siwalik region has hot summers (March to June), with temperatures rising above 100 °F (38 °C), cool and dry winters (October to February), and a wet season (July to September), with rains brought by the southwestern monsoon. As elevations increase farther north, the climate becomes wetter and cooler. In the Great Himalayas, winters are bitterly...
The population of Himachal Pradesh is composed of a variety of distinct ethnolinguistic groups and social castes. Among the most prominent communities are the Gaddi (Gaddi), Gujari, Kinnauri, Lahuli, and Pangwali. Many Punjabi immigrants have settled in the major towns and cities since Indian independence in 1947.
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The vast majority of the population is Hindu, although Buddhists form the dominant group in the sparsely populated districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur, both of which share a border with Tibet. The state also has small minorities of Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians.
Himachal Pradesh is one of the least-urbanized states in India. In the early 21st century its urban population accounted for less than 10 percent of the total. There are more than 50 towns, and the capital, Shimla, constitutes a city of reasonable size. The capitals of the former princely states, including Bilaspur, Mandi, Chamba, and Kullu, are no...
Most people in Himachal Pradesh depend for their livelihood on agriculture, pastoralism, transhumance (seasonal herding), horticulture, and forestry. However, the government of Himachal Pradesh has encouraged the development and dispersal of manufacturing, with different towns—mostly in the southern part of the state—often specializing in the manuf...
The state has implemented a series of development plans based on the utilization of its abundant hydropower potential and mineral and forest resources. Himachal Pradesh produces a significant portion of India’s hydroelectric power. Existing hydropower plants include a station on the Ulh River at Jogindarnagar, the massive Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej R...
Despite its remote location, Himachal Pradesh has a reasonably well-developed infrastructure that not only has aided domestic mobility but also has helped in the promotion of tourism. Scenic narrow-gauge rail lines run from Kalka to Shimla and from Pathankot (in Punjab) to Jogindarnagar. There also is a railhead in Una. Roads, however, crisscrossin...
The state of Himachal Pradesh is spread over an area 55,673 km 2 (21,495 sq mi) and is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on the north, Punjab on the southwest, Haryana on the south, Uttarakhand on the southeast, a small border with Uttar Pradesh in the south (touching Sirmaur ), and Tibet on the east. Entire Himachal Pradesh lies in the ...
Himachal Pradesh. / 31.10333°N 77.17222°E / 31.10333; 77.17222. Himachal Pradesh ( Panjabi: ਹਿਮਾਚਲ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼) is a state in northern India. Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh. It covers an area of 55,673 square kilometres (21,495 square miles), although the border with China is still disputed. The land ...
Mar 31, 2020 · Mid-Hill Soil Zone: The Mid-Hill Soil Zone extends between 900 metre to 1500 metre.The soils are loam to clayey-loam in texture with grayish brown colour and are well drained. The carbon to nitrogen ratio varies between 10:12. These soils are neutral to slightly acidic in reaction.
These soils have been termed as dabar soils in some parts of Garhwal-Kumaon. Mountain and hill soils are very thin, fertile and may be less than a centimeter deep on steep slopes. These may occur at elevations above 2750 m in the western Himalayas, over 2500 m in Nepal and over 2400 m in the eastern Himalayas.
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The geology of Himachal Pradesh is dominated by Precambrian rocks that were assembled and deformed during the India-Asia collision and the subsequent Himalayan orogeny. The Northern Indian State Himachal Pradesh is located in the Western Himalaya (Fig. 1). It has a rugged terrain, with elevation ranging from 320m to 6975m. [2]
