Haryana

Haryana (härēän`ə), state (2001 provisional pop. 21,082,989), 17,120 sq mi (44,341 sq km), N central India. Chandigarh is the capital, and Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, and Bhiwani are other important cities. The terrain is mostly flat and dry but does support irrigated agriculture. Wheat, rice, and cotton are the major crops. Its proximity to Delhi state provides a huge market for agricultural and manufacturing products. Haryana was created in 1966 out of the Hindi-speaking portions of Punjab state. It is governed by a chief minister and cabinet responsible to an elected, unicameral legislature and by a governor appointed by the president of India. Haryana has suffered from spillover of the violence associated with Sikh separatism in Punjab state.

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Haryana

State (pop., 2001: 21,144,564), northwestern India. Bordered by the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttaranchal, and Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi national capital territory, it occupies an area of 17,070 sq mi (44,212 sq km). The city of Chandigarh is the joint administrative capital of Haryana and Punjab. The region is the legendary birthplace of Hinduism, and its festivals attract many pilgrims. Most of Haryana lies on the flat Indo-Gangetic Plain, an area that has experienced waves of migration from the time of Alexander the Great. It came under the control of the British East India Company in 1803, became a part of Punjab in 1858, and became a separate state in 1966. Its economy is mainly agricultural.