Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh
Etymology: "Land of the snow-clad mountains"
Nickname: 
"Mountain State"
Motto(s)
Satyameva Jayate
(Truth alone triumphs)
The map of India showing Himachal Pradesh
Location of Himachal Pradesh in India
Coordinates: 31°6′12″N 77°10′20″E / 31.10333°N 77.17222°E / 31.10333; 77.17222
Country India
RegionNorth India
Before wasPunjab States Agency
As state25 January 1971
Formation1 November 1956
CapitalShimla
Dharamshala (winter)
Largest cityShimla
Districts12
Government
 • BodyGovernment of Himachal Pradesh
 • GovernorShiv Pratap Shukla[1]
 • Chief ministerSukhvinder Singh Sukhu (INC)
State LegislatureUnicameral
 • AssemblyHimachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly[2] (68 seats)
National ParliamentParliament of India
 • Rajya Sabha3 seats
 • Lok Sabha4 seats
High CourtHimachal Pradesh High Court
Area
 • Total55,673 km2 (21,495 sq mi)
 • Rank18th
Dimensions
 • Length300 km (200 mi)
 • Width200 km (100 mi)
Elevation350 m (1,150 ft)
Highest elevation6,813 m (22,352 ft)
Lowest elevation
232 m (761 ft)
Population
 (2011)[5]
 • TotalNeutral increase 6,864,602
 • Rank21st
 • Density123/km2 (320/sq mi)
 • Urban
10.03%
 • Rural
89.97%
DemonymHimachalis
Language
 • OfficialHindi
 • Additional officialSanskrit
 • Official scriptDevanagari script
GDP
 • Total (2024–2025)Increase2.27 lakh crore (US$28 billion)
 • Rank22nd
 • Per capitaIncrease286,401 (US$3,600) (14th)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-HP
Vehicle registrationHP
HDI (2021)Increase 0.703 High [6] (7th)
Literacy (2011)Neutral increase 86.06%[7] (10th)
Sex ratio (2011)972/1000 (32nd)
Websitehimachal.nic.in
Symbols of Himachal Pradesh
BirdWestern tragopan
FishGolden Mahseer[8]
FlowerPink rhododendron
MammalSnow leopard
TreeDeodar cedar
State highway mark
State highway of Himachal Pradesh
HP SH1 - HP SH43
List of Indian state symbols

Himachal Pradesh (/hɪˌmɑːəl prəˈdɛʃ/; Hindi: [ɦɪˈmäːtʃəl pɾəˈd̪eːʃ] ; lit. "Snow-laden Mountain Province"[9]) 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 systems. Himachal Pradesh is the northernmost state of India and shares borders with the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the north, and the states of Punjab to the west, Haryana to the southwest, Uttarakhand to the southeast and a very narrow border with Uttar Pradesh to the south. The state also shares an international border to the east with the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. Himachal Pradesh is also known as Dev Bhoomi or Dev Bhumi, meaning 'Land of Gods'[10] and Veer Bhoomi which means 'Land of the Brave'.[11]

The predominantly mountainous region comprising the present-day Himachal Pradesh has been inhabited since pre-historic times, having witnessed multiple waves of human migrations from other areas.[12] Through its history, the region was mostly ruled by local kingdoms, some of which accepted the suzerainty of larger empires. Prior to India's independence from the British, Himachal comprised the hilly regions of the Punjab Province of British India. After independence, many of the hilly territories were organised as the Chief Commissioner's province of Himachal Pradesh, which later became a Union Territory. In 1966, hilly areas of the neighbouring Punjab state were merged into Himachal and it was ultimately granted full statehood in 1971.

Himachal Pradesh is spread across valleys with many perennial rivers flowing through them. Agriculture, horticulture, hydropower, and tourism are important constituents of the state's economy. The hilly state is almost universally electrified, with 99.5% of households having electricity as of 2016. The state was declared India's second open-defecation-free state in 2016.[13] According to a survey of CMS-India Corruption Study in 2017, Himachal Pradesh is India's least corrupt state.[14][15]

Himachal Pradesh is divided into 12 districts.

  1. ^ "New Himachal governor Rajendra Arlekar is 1st Goan to occupy the post | Latest News India - Hindustan Times". 6 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha". Hpvidhansabha.nic.in. 18 April 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  3. ^ Statistical Facts about India, indianmirror.com, archived from the original on 26 October 2006, retrieved 26 October 2006
  4. ^ "Mountaineering & Rock Climbing - Himachal Tourism Official Website". Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference HPOP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, Ministry of Home Affairs, "6. State of Literacy" (PDF), 2011 Census of India - Results, Government of India, archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2015, retrieved 13 February 2022, [Statement 22(a)] Effective literacy rates – persons: 74.04%; males: 82.14%; females: 65.46%
  8. ^ ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR), State Fishes of India (PDF), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2021, retrieved 1 June 2021
  9. ^ "Story of Himachal Pradesh". indiatoday.in. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Himachal Pradesh known as 'Dev Bhoomi' or 'Land of Gods and Goddess'". Sankrit Magazine. 8 August 2014. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Anurag Thakur pays tribute at Shaheed Sthal in Bilaspur, says Himachal Pradesh also known as 'Veerbhoomi'". ANI. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Prehistory and Protohistory". Official Website of Panchayati Raj Department, Government of Himachal Pradesh. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  13. ^ Ashwani Sharma (28 October 2016). "Himachal becomes India's second 'Open Defecation Free' state, to get Rs 9,000 cr funding from World Bank". The Indian Express. Shimla. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  14. ^ "HP least corrupt state: CMS-India study". The Times of India. 30 April 2017. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  15. ^ "Corruption on decline in India; Karnataka ranked most corrupt, Himachal Pradesh least: Survey". Zee News. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.

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