Global InformationHimachal Pradesh information
Himachal Pradesh | |
|---|---|
State | |
HPCA Stadium Kinnaur Kailash Parvati Valley near Tosh Baijnath Temple Key Monastery at Spiti Bhimakali Temple in Sarahan Kalpa Shimla at Night | |
 Emblem of Himachal Pradesh | |
| Etymology: "Land of the snow-clad mountains" | |
| Nickname: "Mountain State" | |
| Motto(s): Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs) | |
 Location of Himachal Pradesh in India | |
| Coordinates: 31°6′12″N 77°10′20″E / 31.10333°N 77.17222°E | |
| Country |  India |
| Region | North India |
| Before was | Punjab States Agency |
| As state | 25 January 1971 |
| Formation | 1 November 1956 |
| Capital | Shimla Dharamshala (winter) |
| Largest city | Shimla |
| Districts | 12 |
| Government | |
| • Body | Government of Himachal Pradesh |
| • Governor | Shiv Pratap Shukla[1] |
| • Chief minister | Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (INC) |
| State Legislature | Unicameral |
| • Assembly | Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly[2] (68 seats) |
| National Parliament | Parliament of India |
| • Rajya Sabha | 3 seats |
| • Lok Sabha | 4 seats |
| High Court | Himachal Pradesh High Court |
| Area [3] | |
| • Total | 55,673 km2 (21,495 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 18th |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 300 km (200 mi) |
| • Width | 200 km (100 mi) |
| Elevation [4] | 350 m (1,150 ft) |
| Highest elevation (Reo Purgyil) | 6,813 m (22,352 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 232 m (761 ft) |
| Population (2011)[5] | |
| • Total |  6,864,602 |
| • Rank | 21st |
| • Density | 123/km2 (320/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 10.03% |
| • Rural | 89.97% |
| Demonym | Himachalis |
| Language | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| • Additional official | Sanskrit |
| • Official script | Devanagari script |
| GDP | |
| • Total (2024–2025) |  ₹2.27 lakh crore (US$28 billion) |
| • Rank | 22nd |
| • Per capita | ₹286,401 (US$3,600) (14th) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-HP |
| Vehicle registration | HP |
| HDI (2021) | 0.703 High [6] (7th) |
| Literacy (2011) | 86.06%[7] (10th) |
| Sex ratio (2011) | 972♀/1000 ♂ (32nd) |
| Website | himachal |
| Symbols of Himachal Pradesh | |
 Emblem of Himachal Pradesh | |
| Bird | Western tragopan |
| Fish | Golden Mahseer[8] |
| Flower | Pink rhododendron |
| Mammal | Snow leopard |
| Tree | Deodar cedar |
| State highway mark | |
 | |
| State highway of Himachal Pradesh HP SH1 - HP SH43 | |
| List of Indian state symbols | |
Himachal Pradesh (/hɪˌmɑːtʃəl prəˈdɛʃ/; Hindi: [ɦɪˈmäːtʃəl pɾəˈd̪eːʃ] ⓘ; lit. "Snow-laden Mountain Province"[9]) is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterised by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks and extensive river systems. Himachal Pradesh is the northernmost state of India and shares borders with the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the north, and the states of Punjab to the west, Haryana to the southwest, Uttarakhand to the southeast and a very narrow border with Uttar Pradesh to the south. The state also shares an international border to the east with the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. Himachal Pradesh is also known as Dev Bhoomi or Dev Bhumi, meaning 'Land of Gods'[10] and Veer Bhoomi which means 'Land of the Brave'.[11]
The predominantly mountainous region comprising the present-day Himachal Pradesh has been inhabited since pre-historic times, having witnessed multiple waves of human migrations from other areas.[12] Through its history, the region was mostly ruled by local kingdoms, some of which accepted the suzerainty of larger empires. Prior to India's independence from the British, Himachal comprised the hilly regions of the Punjab Province of British India. After independence, many of the hilly territories were organised as the Chief Commissioner's province of Himachal Pradesh, which later became a Union Territory. In 1966, hilly areas of the neighbouring Punjab state were merged into Himachal and it was ultimately granted full statehood in 1971.
Himachal Pradesh is spread across valleys with many perennial rivers flowing through them. Agriculture, horticulture, hydropower, and tourism are important constituents of the state's economy. The hilly state is almost universally electrified, with 99.5% of households having electricity as of 2016. The state was declared India's second open-defecation-free state in 2016.[13] According to a survey of CMS-India Corruption Study in 2017, Himachal Pradesh is India's least corrupt state.[14][15]
Himachal Pradesh is divided into 12 districts.
- ^ "New Himachal governor Rajendra Arlekar is 1st Goan to occupy the post | Latest News India - Hindustan Times". 6 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha". Hpvidhansabha.nic.in. 18 April 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ Statistical Facts about India, indianmirror.com, archived from the original on 26 October 2006, retrieved 26 October 2006
- ^ "Mountaineering & Rock Climbing - Himachal Tourism Official Website". Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
HPOPwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database". Global Data Lab. Institute for Management Research, Radboud University. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, Ministry of Home Affairs, "6. State of Literacy" (PDF), 2011 Census of India - Results, Government of India, archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2015, retrieved 13 February 2022,
[Statement 22(a)] Effective literacy rates – persons: 74.04%; males: 82.14%; females: 65.46%
- ^ ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR), State Fishes of India (PDF), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2021, retrieved 1 June 2021
- ^ "Story of Himachal Pradesh". indiatoday.in. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "Himachal Pradesh known as 'Dev Bhoomi' or 'Land of Gods and Goddess'". Sankrit Magazine. 8 August 2014. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Anurag Thakur pays tribute at Shaheed Sthal in Bilaspur, says Himachal Pradesh also known as 'Veerbhoomi'". ANI. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Prehistory and Protohistory". Official Website of Panchayati Raj Department, Government of Himachal Pradesh. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ Ashwani Sharma (28 October 2016). "Himachal becomes India's second 'Open Defecation Free' state, to get Rs 9,000 cr funding from World Bank". The Indian Express. Shimla. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
- ^ "HP least corrupt state: CMS-India study". The Times of India. 30 April 2017. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
- ^ "Corruption on decline in India; Karnataka ranked most corrupt, Himachal Pradesh least: Survey". Zee News. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.