About Himachal Pradesh

One of states blessed with abundant natural beauty, Himachal Pradesh, lies nestled amongst the Himalayas. The name of the state which literally means ‘In the Lap of the Himalayas’ was given to it by Acharya Diwakar Datt Sharma. Himachal Pradesh is watered by perennial rives and this enables it to sell hydroelectricity to other states of Northern India. Apart from hydroelectricity, agriculture and tourism constitutes other major contributors to the state’s economy.

Geography & Climate

Himachal Pradesh sits nestled between the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttrakhand. It also shares its border with the Tibet Autonomous Region.  The state is highly mountainous with regions as low as 350 meters to 7000 meters above sea level. It is crisscrossed by the meltdown of glaciers that ultimately feed the river Ganges and Indus. The seasons in Himachal Pradesh can be divided as hot summers, mild winters and rains brought by the monsoon season. Though in the alpine regions of the state the summers are pleasant, but winter and monsoon sees a lot of rain and snowfall. The alpine region, located above the 2200 meters height, is also known as Higher and Tran-Himalayan Region.

Population & Religious demography

Himachal Pradesh is a multicultural, multiregional, and also multilingual states of India that was spared from the external customs primarily due to its mountainous terrain. Hindi is the official language of the state and it is largely spoken in all the major cities and towns. In the hilly regions and in some towns, people prefer the Pahari language with its different dialects.

Economy

Tourism, Agriculture and Hydroelectricity are the major contributors of the state’s GDP. Agriculture still contributes more than 45% to the GDP of the state, while the hydro-projects have the potential to contribute up to 25% to the economy. Handicraft is another contributor to the economy. Relying mostly on the tourism industry, the handicraft and handloom sector are highly developed. The Pashmina shawls of the state are the most sought after handicraft product, besides carpets, Kangra style paintings, and other items. 

Administration

Himachal Pradesh became the Union Territory in 1948, by integrating thirty princely states. Its legislature is unicameral having 68 members in its Legislative Assembly. Panchayats, or the auxillary governing bodies function at the village level and they look after the local affairs of the village. 

Article Posted By : savi  On January 17, 2013lView All Articles

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http://www.veethi.com/articles/about-himachal-pradesh-article-1452.htm

Keywords :
himachal pradesh , shimla