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North-East India



 
 
North-East India refers to the easternmost region of India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States
Seven Sister States

The Seven Sister States are a region in North-East India, comprising the contiguous States of India of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura....
, Sikkim
Sikkim

Sikkim is a landlocked States and territories of India nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India, and the second-smallest in area after Goa....
, and parts of North Bengal
North Bengal

North Bengal is a term used for the northern parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal. The Bangladesh part denotes the Rajshahi Division. Generally it is the area lying west of Jamuna River and north of Padma River, and includes the Barind Tract....
 (districts of Darjeeling
Darjeeling

Darjeeling is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal.It is the headquarters of Darjeeling district, in the Siwalik Hills on the lower range of the Himalaya, at an average elevation of ....
, Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri is a town in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Jalpaiguri district, and the divisional headquarters of the North Bengal region....
, and Koch Bihar
Koch Bihar

Koch Bihar was a small India state located south of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, west of the upper Brahmaputra valley kingdom of Ahom, or Assam, and north-east of the Ganges plain and Bengal, that lasted from 1586 to 1949....
). North-East India is ethnically, linguistically and culturally very distinct from the other states of India. This region is officially recognized as a special category of states. The North East Council (NEC) was constituted in 1971 as the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the eight states, the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) was incorporated on August 9, 1995 and the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DONER) was set up in September 2001.

Of these, Sikkim became an Indian protectorate in 1947 and a full state in 1975.






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North-East India refers to the easternmost region of India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States
Seven Sister States

The Seven Sister States are a region in North-East India, comprising the contiguous States of India of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura....
, Sikkim
Sikkim

Sikkim is a landlocked States and territories of India nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India, and the second-smallest in area after Goa....
, and parts of North Bengal
North Bengal

North Bengal is a term used for the northern parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal. The Bangladesh part denotes the Rajshahi Division. Generally it is the area lying west of Jamuna River and north of Padma River, and includes the Barind Tract....
 (districts of Darjeeling
Darjeeling

Darjeeling is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal.It is the headquarters of Darjeeling district, in the Siwalik Hills on the lower range of the Himalaya, at an average elevation of ....
, Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri is a town in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Jalpaiguri district, and the divisional headquarters of the North Bengal region....
, and Koch Bihar
Koch Bihar

Koch Bihar was a small India state located south of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, west of the upper Brahmaputra valley kingdom of Ahom, or Assam, and north-east of the Ganges plain and Bengal, that lasted from 1586 to 1949....
). North-East India is ethnically, linguistically and culturally very distinct from the other states of India. This region is officially recognized as a special category of states. The North East Council (NEC) was constituted in 1971 as the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the eight states, the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) was incorporated on August 9, 1995 and the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DONER) was set up in September 2001.

Of these, Sikkim became an Indian protectorate in 1947 and a full state in 1975. The states border Nepal
Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
, Bhutan
Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by India and to the north by the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China....
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, Myanmar
Myanmar

Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia, or Indochina. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest with...
 and Bangladesh
Bangladesh

, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south....
. However they share only a 21 km common border with the rest of India via the Siliguri Corridor (Chicken's Neck).

History

For detailed history please see the articles on the individual states.


North-East India has been added to political India only in recent times,but was part of india politically under palas empire when most of india excluding some part were together. Assam
Assam

Assam ) is a North-East India state of India with its capital at Dispur, in the outskirts of the city Guwahati. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak River river valleys and the Karbi Anglong District and the North Cachar Hills with an area of 30,285 square miles ....
 (which included at the time of Indian independence, Nagaland
Nagaland

Nagaland is a hill States and territories of India located in the far North-East India part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south....
, Mizoram
Mizoram

Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North-East India India. It shares land borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur, Bangladesh and the Chin State state of Burma....
 and Meghalaya
Meghalaya

Meghalaya is a small States of India in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means "The Abode of Clouds" in Sanskrit and other Indic languages....
) was rarely part of political India for most of its history
History of Assam

The history of Assam is the history of a confluence of peoples from the east, west and the north; the confluence of the Indo-Aryans, Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman cultures....
; Manipur
Manipur

Manipur is a States and territories of India in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Myanmar to the east....
 and Tripura
Tripura

is a States and territories of India in North-East India, with an area of 4,036 square mile or 10,453 km?. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west....
 were princely states also rarely a part of political India; Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh

'Arunachal Pradesh' is the easternmost States and territories of India of India. Arunachal Pradesh borders with the state of Assam to the south and Nagaland to the southeast....
 was beyond the outer line of British India at the beginning of the 20th century; and Sikkim
Sikkim

Sikkim is a landlocked States and territories of India nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India, and the second-smallest in area after Goa....
 too was not part of political India. These areas were incorporated into mainstream India during the British Raj
British Raj

British Raj primarily refers to the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule....
 when British colonial authorities annexed traditionally separate border countries into Indian territory to form a buffer between their colony and external powers (ie: Assam
Assam

Assam ) is a North-East India state of India with its capital at Dispur, in the outskirts of the city Guwahati. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak River river valleys and the Karbi Anglong District and the North Cachar Hills with an area of 30,285 square miles ....
, Manipur
Manipur

Manipur is a States and territories of India in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Myanmar to the east....
 and Tripura
Tripura

is a States and territories of India in North-East India, with an area of 4,036 square mile or 10,453 km?. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west....
 in the Northeast, and Balochistan
Balochistan (region)

Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid region located in the Iranian Plateau in Southwest Asia and South Asia, between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan....
 and the North West Frontier Province in the northwest). After independence in 1947, extension of the Indian state and political apparatus has been a challenge.

Much of Arunachal Pradesh is claimed by China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. Sino-Indian relations
Sino-Indian relations

, also called 'China-India relations' refer to the ties and relations between China and Greater India. The economic and diplomatic importance of People's Republic of China and the India, which are the two most populous states in the world, as emerging economies, has in recent years increased the significance of their bilateral relations...
 degraded during the Sino-Indian War
Sino-Indian War

The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict, was a war between People's Republic of China and India. Although China had been preparing an offensive against India for several years for a variety of motives, the pretext given was a territorial dispute concerning a Himalayas region known in India as Arunachal Prades...
 of 1962. The cause of the escalation into war is still disputed by both Chinese and Indian sources. During the war in 1962, the PRC
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
 captured much of the NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) created by India in 1954. However, China soon declared victory and voluntarily withdrew back to the McMahon Line
McMahon Line

The McMahon Line is a demarcation line drawn on map referred to in the Simla Accord , a treaty between United Kingdom and Tibet signed in 1914 at the end of the Simla Convention....
 and returned Indian prisoners of war in 1963.

/satporgtp/countries/india/states/tripura/terrorist_outfits/NLFT.HTM National Liberation Front of Tripura] - South Asian Terrorism Portal, NDFB
National Democratic Front of Bodoland

The National Democratic Front of Bodoland, also known as NDFB or the Bodo Security Force, is a separatist movement that is predominantly christian which seeks to obtain a sovereign Bodoland for the Bodo people in Assam....
 and NSCN. Soon after the Sino-Indian War
Sino-Indian War

The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict, was a war between People's Republic of China and India. Although China had been preparing an offensive against India for several years for a variety of motives, the pretext given was a territorial dispute concerning a Himalayas region known in India as Arunachal Prades...
 of 1962 and especially after the rise of insurgency in the region, security influence on policies has increased.

The region is known for its unique culture, handicrafts, martial arts, and scenic beauty. Problems include insurgency, unemployment, drug addiction, and lack of infrastructure. Since the beginning of the economic liberalization in the 1990s, studies have shown that this region is lagging behind the others in terms of development.

Geography

Zemathangglacierview
North-East India has a predominantly humid sub-tropical climate with hot, humid summers, severe monsoons and mild winters. Along with the west coast of India, this region has some of the Indian sub-continent's last remaining rain forests. The states of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh

'Arunachal Pradesh' is the easternmost States and territories of India of India. Arunachal Pradesh borders with the state of Assam to the south and Nagaland to the southeast....
 and Sikkim
Sikkim

Sikkim is a landlocked States and territories of India nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India, and the second-smallest in area after Goa....
 have a montane climate with cold, snowy winters and mild summers.

Political issues

The isolation of the Northeastern states began earlier as a result of British imperialism, when the region was cut-off from its traditional trading partners (Bhutan
Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by India and to the north by the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China....
, Myanmar
Myanmar

Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia, or Indochina. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest with...
 and Indo-China). In 1947 Indian independence and partition made this a landlocked region, exacerbating the isolation that is being recognized lately, but not studied yet. Soon it became a captive market
Captive market

Captive markets are markets where the potential consumers face a severely limited amount of competitive suppliers; their only choices are to purchase what is available or to make no purchase at all....
 for mainstream India.

The northeastern states, having a comparitively small electorate (3.8% of India's total population) are alloted just 25 out of a total of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha is the direct election lower house of the Parliament of India. As of 2008 there have been fourteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India....
 (4.6% of the total number of seats).

The northeastern states are home to many ethnic groups, that are engaged in self-preservation. In recent times, some of these struggles have turned violent, leading to proliferation of armed insurgent groups, like the ULFA
United Liberation Front of Asom

The United Liberation Front of Asom is a militant group from Assam, among many other such groups in North-East India. It seeks to establish a sovereign Assam via an armed struggle in the Assam Conflict....
, NLFT
National Liberation Front of Tripura

The National Liberation Front of Tripura is a militant organization based in Tripura, India. Founded on , the group seeks to secede from India and establish an independent Tripura state....
.

See also

  • North India
    North India

    Northern India is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage. The dominant geographical features of northern India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from Tibet and Central Asia....
  • South India
    South India

    South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the Union territories of India of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of area....
  • East India
    East India

    East India, or more properly Eastern India, is a List_of_regions_in_India of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa....
  • West India
    West India

    West India or the Western region of India consists of the States and territories of India of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra, along with the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli....
  • Seven Sister States
    Seven Sister States

    The Seven Sister States are a region in North-East India, comprising the contiguous States of India of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura....


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