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Bihar (India)

Bihar
बिहार
بہار
State
80-foot Gautama Buddha, Bodh Gaya, Bihar
80-foot Gautama Buddha, Bodh Gaya, Bihar
Official seal of Bihar
Seal
Location of Bihar in India
Location of Bihar in India
Coordinates (Patna): 25°22′N 85°08′E / 25.37°N 85.13°E / 25.37; 85.13Coordinates: 25°22′N 85°08′E / 25.37°N 85.13°E / 25.37; 85.13
Country  India
Formation 22 March 1912
(Bihar Diwas)
Statehood 26 January 1950
Capital Patna
Largest city Patna
Districts 38
Government
 • Governor Ram Nath Kovind
 • Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
 • Legislature Bicameral
Legislative Council 75
Legislative Assembly 243
 • Parliamentary constituency 40
 • High Court Patna High Court
Area
 • Total 94,163 km2 (36,357 sq mi)
Area rank 13th
Population (2011)
 • Total 103,804,637
 • Rank 3rd
 • Density 1,102/km2 (2,850/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Bihari
Time zone IST (UTC+05:30)
UN/LOCODE INBR
ISO 3166 code IN-BR
Vehicle registration BR
HDI Increase 0.447 (low)
HDI rank 16th (2010)
Literacy 63.8% (total)
73.7% (male)
53.3% (female)
Official language Hindi
Additional official language Urdu,Maithili
Website gov.bih.nic.in
Symbols of Bihar
Animal Gaur (गौर)
Bird House sparrow
(घरेलू गौरैया)
Flower Kachnar (कचनार)
Tree Peepal (पीपल)
Climate
Classification ETh
Avg. temperature 27 °C (81 °F)
• Summer 34 °C (93 °F)
• Winter 10 °C (50 °F)
Precipitation 1,200 mm (47 in)

Bihar (/bˈhɑːr/; Hindustani pronunciation: [bɪˈɦaːr]) is a state in the eastern part of India. It is the 13th-largest state of India, with an area of 94,163 km2 (36,357 sq mi). The third-largest state of India by population, it is contiguous with Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Bengal to the east, with Jharkhand to the south. The Bihar plain is split by the river Ganges which flows from west to east.

On November 15, 2000, southern Bihar was ceded to form the new state of Jharkhand. Only 11.3% of the population of Bihar lives in urban areas, which is lowest in India after Himachal Pradesh. Additionally, almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, giving Bihar the highest proportion of young people of any Indian state. The official languages of the state are Hindi and Urdu. Other languages commonly used within the state include Bhojpuri, Maithili, Magahi, Bajjika, and Angika (Maithili is the only one of these to be officially accepted by the government).

In ancient and classical India, Bihar was considered a centre of power, learning, and culture. From Magadha arose India's first empire, the Maurya empire, as well as one of the world's most widely adhered-to religions, Buddhism. Magadha empires, notably under the Maurya and Gupta dynasties, unified large parts of South Asia under a central rule. Another region of Bihar is Mithila which was an early centre of Brahmanical learning and the centre of the Videha kingdom.


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