Search results
Sikkim ( / ˈsɪkɪm / SIK-im; Nepali pronunciation: [ˈsikːim]) is a state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siliguri Corridor, which borders Bangladesh.
- Sikkim National Party
Sikkim National Party was a political party in the Kingdom...
- Language
It is spoken by the Bhutia in Sikkim, India, and in parts of...
- Sikkim (Disambiguation)
Sikkim is a state of India, encompassing a former kingdom.....
- Rumtek Monastery
Rumtek Monastery (Tibetan: རུམ་ཐེག་དགོན་པ་, Wylie: rum theg...
- Prem Singh Tamang
Prem Singh Tamang (born 5 February 1968), better known as P....
- Sikkimese People
Ethnic Communities. The People of India, Sikkim, Voi-XXXIX...
- Chogyal
The Chogyal ("Dharma Kings", Tibetan: ཆོས་རྒྱལ, Wylie: chos...
- History
The history of Sikkim begins with the indigenous Lepcha's...
- Kingdom
The Kingdom of Sikkim (Classical Tibetan and Sikkimese:...
- Government
The Government of Sikkim also known as the State Government...
- Sikkim National Party
- Overview
- Relief
- Drainage
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
- Population composition
- Settlement patterns
- Agriculture
Sikkim, state of India, located in the northeastern part of the country, in the eastern Himalayas. It is one of the smallest states in India. Sikkim is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and northeast, by Bhutan to the southeast, by the Indian state of West Bengal to the south, and by Nepal to the west. The capital is Gangtok, in the southeastern part of the state.
Long a sovereign political entity, Sikkim became a protectorate of India in 1950 and an Indian state in 1975. Its small size notwithstanding, Sikkim is of great political and strategic importance for India because of its location along several international boundaries. Area 2,740 square miles (7,096 square km). Pop. (2011) 607,688.
Britannica Quiz
Explore India Quiz
Sikkim is a basin surrounded on three sides by precipitous mountain walls. There is little lowland, and the variation in relief is extreme. Within a stretch of roughly 50 miles (80 km), the land rises from an elevation of about 750 feet (225 metres) in the Tista River valley to nearly 28,200 feet (8,600 metres) at Kanchenjunga, India’s highest peak and the world’s third highest mountain. The Singalila Range separates Sikkim from Nepal in the west, while the Dongkya Range forms the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the east. Several passes across this range afford easy access to the Chumbi valley in Tibet and, beyond the valley, to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.
Some two-thirds of Sikkim consists of perpetually snow-covered mountains, dominated by the Kanchenjunga massif. The residents of Sikkim have traditionally viewed the mountain as both a god and the abode of gods. The legendary Abominable Snowman, or yeti, called Nee-gued in Sikkim, is believed to roam its slopes. Other major peaks—all above 23,000 feet (7,000 metres)—include Tent, Kabru, and Pauhunri.
The Sikkim basin is drained by the Tista River and its tributaries, such as the Rangit, Lhonak, Talung, and Lachung, which have cut deep valleys into the mountains. Originating in the northeast from a glacier near the Tibetan border, the Tista River descends steeply, dropping about 15,700 feet (4,800 metres) to Rangpo (Rongphu), on the border with ...
Sikkim exhibits a variety of climatic types, from almost tropical conditions in the south to severe mountain climates in the north. In Gangtok, temperatures in January (the coldest month) drop into the low 30s F (about 0 °C); in August (the warmest month), temperatures may reach the low 80s F (about 28 °C). Depending on elevation and exposure, annual precipitation varies from 50 to 200 inches (1,270 to 5,080 mm), most occurring during the months of the southwest monsoon (May through October). The heavy rains and snows often trigger destructive landslides and avalanches.
Exclusive academic rate for students! Save 67% on Britannica Premium.
More than two-fifths of Sikkim is forested. Sal (a type of hardwood), pandanus, palms, bamboos, ferns, and orchids are common in the subtropical forests found below about 5,000 feet (1,500 metres). In the temperate forests (5,000 to 13,000 feet [1,500 to 4,000 metres]), oak, laurel, maple, chestnut, magnolia, alder, birch, rhododendron, fir, hemlock, and spruce predominate. Alpine tundra replaces forest at the higher elevations.
Sikkim has a rich and varied animal life, including black bears, brown bears, red pandas, numerous species of deer, blue sheep, gorals (small goatlike mammals), and Tibetan antelope. Tigers, leopards, and lesser cats are also found. Birdlife includes pheasants, partridges, quail, eagles, barbets, Himalayan cuckoos, Tibetan black crows, and minivets. Sikkim has several national parks and a number of wildlife sanctuaries, which provide a protected environment for the state’s diverse flora and fauna. The Kanchenjunga National Park (established in 1977), near the peak from which it draws its name, is among the largest of India’s high-elevation conservation areas.
Roughly three-fourths of Sikkim’s residents are Nepalese in origin; most speak a Nepali (Gorkhali) dialect and are Hindu in religion and culture. About one-fifth of the population consists of Scheduled Tribes (an official category embracing indigenous peoples who fall outside the predominant Indian social hierarchy). The most prominent of these tri...
The great majority of Sikkim’s population is rural, living in scattered hamlets and villages. Gangtok is Sikkim’s largest settlement. Other notable towns include Singtam, Rangpo, Jorethang, Naya Bazar, Mangan, Gyalshing, and Namchi.
Sikkim’s economy is based predominantly on agriculture, with the sector engaging more than half of the working population. Corn (maize), rice, buckwheat, wheat, and barley are produced in terraced fields along the valley flanks. Beans, ginger, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, and tea also are grown. Sikkim is one of the world’s principal producers of ...
The history of Sikkim begins with the indigenous Lepcha's contact with early Tibetan settlers. Historically, Sikkim was a sovereign Monarchical State in the eastern Himalayas. Later a protectorate of India followed by a merger with India and official recognition as a state of India.
Sikkim (Hindi: सिक्किम) has been a state in India since 1975. It has the smallest number of people and second smallest land size (7,110 square kilometres or 2,750 square miles) of any major divisions in the Republic of India.
The Kingdom of Sikkim (Classical Tibetan and Sikkimese: འབྲས་ལྗོངས།, Drenjong), officially Dremoshong (Classical Tibetan and Sikkimese: འབྲས་མོ་གཤོངས།) until the 1800s, was a hereditary monarchy in the Eastern Himalayas which existed from 1642 to 16 May 1975, when it was annexed by India.
Sikkim (Nepali: सिक्किम; Sikkimese: སུ་ཁྱིམ་) in East India, is a mountainous border state in the Himalayan foothills. It is bounded by China ( Tibet ), Nepal and Bhutan to its north, west and east respectively, with West Bengal forming its southern border. It is a place of great natural beauty.
People also ask
Where is Sikkim located?
What are the physical features of Sikkim?
What is the history of Sikkim?
Is Sikkim a sovereign state?
The Government of Sikkim also known as the State Government of Sikkim is the administrative executive authority of the Indian state of Sikkim and its 6 districts, created by the National Constitution as the legislative, executive and judicial authority to govern the state.
