Northeast India
| Northeast India | |
|---|---|
Red-orange area shows location of Northeast India within India
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| Population | 45,587,982 (2011 census) |
| Area | 262,230 km2 (101,250 sq mi) |
| Population density | 148/km2 (380/sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| States and territories |
Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura |
| Largest cities (2012) | Guwahati, Agartala, Kohima, Shillong, Aizawl, Imphal, Silchar, Itanagar, Gangtok, Dibrugarh, Nowgong, Jorhat, Tezpur |
| Official languages | Bodo, English, Garo, Khasi, Kokborok, Meitei (Manipuri), Ahom |
| Religion | Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Animism (Sanamahism, Seng Khasi, Donyi-Polo etc.) |
Northeast India is the eastern-most region of India. It comprises of the contiguous Seven Sister States (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura), and the Himalayan state of Sikkim. The Siliguri Corridor in West Bengal, with a width of 21 to 40 kilometres (13 to 25 mi), connects the North Eastern region with East India. The region shares more than 4,500 kilometres (2,800 mi) of international border (about 90 per cent of its entire border area) with China (southern Tibet) in the north, Myanmar in the east, Bangladesh in the southwest, and Bhutan to the northwest.
The northeast India states are officially recognised under the North Eastern Council (NEC), constituted in 1971 as the acting agency for the development of the eight states. The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) was incorporated on 9 August 1995 and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) was set up in September 2001.
The earliest settlers were Austro-Asiatic speakers, followed by Tibeto-Burmese and lastly by Indo-Aryans. Due to the bio- and crop diversity of the region, archaeological researchers believe that early settlers of Northeast India had domesticated several important plants. Writers believe that the 100 BC writings of Chinese explorer, Zhang Qian indicate an early trade route via Northeast India. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mention a people called Sêsatai in the region, who produced malabathron, so prized in the old world.
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