Meghalaya

Meghalaya (mā'gəlā`yə), state (2001 provisional pop. 2,306,069), c.8,700 sq mi (22,530 sq km), NE India, bordered on the south by Bangladesh. The capital is Shillong. Meghalaya is in the Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia hills, at an elevation of 4,000–6,000 ft (1,220–1,830 m). The inhabitants are Khasi, Synteng, and Pner tribespeople, who speak a Mon-Khmer language. Christian missionaries have had considerable influence among Meghalaya's inhabitants; c.70% are Christian. Meghalaya was formerly part of Assam state; it became a separate state in 1972. 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. Meghalaya suffers sporadic violence as indigenous hill peoples try to repel illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

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Meghalaya

State (pop., 2001: 2,318,822), northeastern India. Occupying an area of 8,660 sq mi (22,429 sq km), it is bordered by Bangladesh and Assam state. Its few urban centres include Shillong, its capital. The Khasi, the tribal hill people of Meghalaya, speak a Mon-Khmer language. The area came under nominal British rule in the 19th century; it was included in Assam and was made a separate state in 1972. Although it has vast mineral resources, its economy centres on agriculture.

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Meghalaya

a state of NE India, created in 1969 from part of Assam. Capital: Shillong. Pop.: 2 306 069 (2001). Area: 22 429 sq. km (7800 sq. miles)

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Meghalaya 

a state in northeastern India. It was formed in 1970 from part of the territory of the state of Assam. Area, 22,000 sq km; population, 980,000 (1971). Its administrative center is the city of Shillong. Hills and lowlands predominate (the maximum altitude of the Shillong massif is 1,961 m). The climate is tropical and monsoonal, with a very damp summer. In certain areas precipitation exceeds 10,000 mm per year. Natural vegetation consists of tropical forests and thickets of shrubs. The state, mainly agrarian, is economically backward. The population is mostly still in the stage of subsistence economy, based on the slash-and-burn system of farming. The chief food crop is rice, grown mostly in valleys. Corn and millet are sown in the highlands. Potatoes and oranges are the commodity crops. Other activities include silkworm cultivation and lumbering. Small quantities of coal are mined.