a state in northwestern India. Area, 342,000 sq km. Population, 25.7 million (1971). The capital is Jaipur. Most of the inhabitants are Rajasthani and Hindustani.
Northern Rajasthan lies on the Indo-Gangetic Plain, and the southern part of the state is on the Deccan Plateau. In the northwest lies the Thar Desert, large sections of which are sandy ridges and solonchaks. The central part of the state is bisected from southwest to northeast by the Aravalli Range, which rises to 1,722 m. The Malwa lava plateau is located in the southeast. The climate is tropical and monsoonal, dry in the northwest and with significant summer precipitation in the southeast. There is sparse, drought-resistant vegetation, with sparse monsoon forests in the southeast.
The state’s economy is dominated by agriculture, which occupies 72.7 percent of the economically active population (1971). The main branch of agriculture is the breeding of goats, sheep, cattle, and camels. Rajasthan is India’s most important wool supplier. The soil is cultivated in the less dry eastern regions; pearl millet, durra, wheat, Indian corn, cotton, oil crops, and fruit are grown. The land requires artificial irrigation and has the properties of an oasis. The USSR aided in establishing the state farm Suratgarh on the irrigated lands. Further development of the land requires an expansion in irrigation, and here new government projects play the most important role. The largest government projects are the hydraulic-engineering complex of Chambal on the Chambal River and the Rajasthan Canal, which is about 700 km long and leads from the Sutlej River.
Marble, gypsum, asbestos, limestone, mica, sodium chloride, lignites, manganese, lead-zinc ores, and gems are found in the state, and oil has been discovered with the aid of Soviet and Rumanian specialists; the mining and manufacturing industries are not, however, well developed. The most common industries are cottage industries, which produce cotton and wool fabrics, carpets, pottery, and stone, ivory, bronze, and lacquered goods. Since independence was achieved, a number of industries having nationwide significance have emerged. The USSR has helped to set up a plant that manufactures medical instruments. The Rana Pratap Sagar atomic power plant, built near Kota, has a capacity of 400 MW.
L. I. BONIFATEVA
Rajasthan, which literally means “land of rajas,” became established as a distinct historical region in the 13th and 14th centuries. Between the 13th and 19th centuries there were about 20 principalities in Rajasthan, mainly led by Rajput dynasties. At first these principalities were mostly vassals of the Sultanate of Delhi, later becoming vassals of the Mogul Empire and the Maratha Confederation. The name “Rajasthan” was first used in the early 18th century. During the British colonial rule (1818–1947), Rajasthan was called Rajputana. After independence was achieved, the Indian constitution (1950) united the principalities of Rajputana into the state of Rajasthan. In 1956 the state of Ajmer was added to Rajasthan.