Meghalaya, one of the smallest states in India, occupies the plateau and rolling hills between Assam and Bangladesh.It is the home of Tribals who were influenced by the Hindu culture. They established the tribal district council and the tradition they followed were the kingship. The Tribals who inhabited here were the Khasis, Jaintias, Garo, Mikirs and the Cacharis. They inhabited the region before the start of the Christian era. These tribes is said to have evolved from the migrants who belonged to the Indo-Chinese linguistic family, the Tibeto-Burman and the Mon-Khmer. The sub- families of the Tibeto-Burman`s were the Naga, Kukichin and Bodo. The Bodos were divided into small groups as Garo, Kachari, Mechs, Dimasa, Tippea, Lalung, Rabha, Chutiyas. The Garo Hills were occupied by the British in 1872. These tribes had their own kingdoms, until they came under the British administration. Presently people of Meghalaya are predominantly Christians. The state has a high literacy rate along with mostly English medium teaching.

The British authority in Meghalaya was a blessing in disguise as it led to the improvement of the landscape and the development of roads. The British included Meghalaya into Assam in 1835. Thus the region enjoyed a semi-independent status by virtue of the Treaty relationship with the British crown. Before attaining full state hood, Meghalaya was given a semi-autonomous status. When Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal on 16 October 1905, Megahlaya became a part of the province of ` Assam and East Bengal`. When the partition was reversed in 1912, Meghalaya became a part of Assam. At the time of Independence of the country in 1947, Meghalaya consisted of two districts of Assam and enjoyed limited independence.

In pursuance of Section 52A of the Government of India Act of 1919, the Governor declared the areas in Meghalaya, other than the Khasi States as backward areas. However the Government of India regrouped the backward areas into two categories as `excluded` and `partially excluded`. The Assam Reorganization( Meghalaya) Act accorded an independent status to Meghalaya. The Act came into effect on April 2nd1970 and thus an autonomous state of Meghalaya was created. The autonomous state had a Legislature in agreement with the Sixth schedule of the Constitution. In 1971, the Parliament passed the North-Eastern Areas Act, 1971, which offered full statehood to Meghalaya. Meghalaya attained statehood on 21 January 1972. Meghalaya was evolved in 21 January 1972 by the carving of two districts of the state of Assam evolved Meghalaya.

Geography of Meghalaya
The word `Meghalaya` means the abode of clouds. Meghalaya is about 300 km long in the east west and 100km wide with a total area of about 22,429 km square. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of the country.It is most covered with lush forest area and rich orchids plantations.The forests are notable for their biodiversity of animals, birds and plants. These Blue hill catch the main force of the monsoon-laden winds of the Bay of Bengal and are among the wettest places on earth. Among the Blue hills are the intriguing traditional Sacred forests that are steeped in spiritual belief and held in great veneration. These forest represents the ancient eco-system.The state is bounded by Assam on the North and Bangladesh on the South.

Economy of Meghalaya
Ten percent of the total area of Megahlaya is under cultivation. Meghalaya is important for fruit cultivation. Fruits include pineapples, oranges, bananas etc. The mandarin orange grown in Meghalaya is considered to be of very high quality. In addition to this, a large variety of vegetables are grown in the state including cauliflower, cabbage and radish. The important yields of the state are potato, rice, maize, pineapple, banana etc. Other crops include jute, ginger, mustard, sugarcane and chilly. Food grains are the most important crop in Meghalaya. They occupy nearly 60% of the state`s cultivated area. The climatic conditions of Meghalaya allow the growth of a large variety of horticulture crops as fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices and medicinal plants. Meghalaya is rich in minerals as coal, limestone, silimanite, kaolin and granite. The low level of industrialization and the poor infrastructure base acts as a barrier to the interest of the state`s economy.

Government and Politics in Meghalaya
Meghalaya has a unicameral legislature. In the State Legislative Assembly there are 60 members. Meghalaya has two representatives in the Lok Sabha; one each from Shillong and Tura. It also has one representative in the Rajya Sabha. The head of the State is the Governor who is appointed by the Government of India. The real executive powers are held by the Chief Minister.

Transport in Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a land locked state with a large number of small settlements in remote areas. Road is the only means of transport within the state. Major portion of the roads are un-metalled. Shillong, the capital of the state is relatively well connected while the road connectivity in other parts of the state is relatively poor . It has a small airport at Umroi, about 40 km from Shillong on the Guwahati-Shillong highway. The small size of the airport does not allow the operations of large aircraft and only small aircraft operate from Kolkata and Agartala.

For tourists visiting Meghalaya , the nearest airport is at Borjhar in Assam which is about 124 km from Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya. The flights that touch down in Guwahati originates from Delhi and Calcutta and besides the Indian Airlines, several private airlines are also operating on a daily basis. From Borjhar Airport to Shillong, tourists can benefit the services of private tourist bus and taxi operators. So far as rail transportation is concerned, there are several trains, which are connected with Guwahati from major cities of India. From there, rail passengers can travel to Shillong by Meghalaya Transport Corporation Buses and private tourists buses and taxis.

Districts of Meghalaya
Meghalaya has seven districts. They are: East Garo Hills, East Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi, South Garo Hills, West Garo Hills and the West Khasi Hills. The East Garo Hills district was formed in 1976 and covers an area of 2603 square metres. Its district headquaters are located at Williamnagar. As per the 2001 census, the district has a population of 247,555 . The East Khasi Hills district was carved out of the Khasi Hills. The district covers an area of 2,748 square kilometres. As per the 2001 census the district has a population of 660,923. The headquarters of this district are located in Shillong.The Jaintia Hills district has a total geographical area of 3819 square kilometres. As per the 2001 census, the district has a population of 295,692. The district headquarters are located at Jowai. This district is the largest producer of coal and coal mines can be seen all over the district. The Ri-Bhoi district was formed by the division of East Khasi Hills district . It has an area of 2448 square kilometres. As per the 2001 census, the district has a population of 192,795. The district headquarters are located at Nongpoh. Large part of the area is covered with forests. The Ri-Bhoi district is the largest producer of pinapples in the state. The South Garo Hills district has a geographical area of 1850 square kilometres. As per the 2001 census the district has a population of 99,100. The district headquarters are located at Baghmara. The West Garo Hills district lies in the western part of the state and covers a geographical area of 3714 square kilometres. As per the 2001 census, the population of the district is 515,813. The district headquarters are located at Tura. The West Khasi Hills district is the largest district in the state with a geographical area of 5247 square kilometres. The district was carved out of Khasi Hills District The district headquarters are located at Nongstoin.

Demographics of Meghalaya
The total population of Meghalaya on 1st March 2001 is 2,306,069 as per the provisional results of the Census. The population of the State has grown by 29.94% over the period 1991-2001. The sex ratio of Meghalaya is at the rate of 975 females to 1000 males. The sex ratio in the rural areas has been higher than that in the urban areas. Unlike the other parts of India, there is no special preference for a male child in Meghalaya Total literacy of the State increased to 63.31% from 49.10% in 1991. About 85 percent of Meghalaya`s population constitutes the tribal people. In interior reaches of the Garo Hills, the percentage of tribal population is as high as 97%. The Khasis are the largest group, followed by the Garos. Other groups include the Jaintias, Koch, Hajong, Dimasa, Hmar, Kuki, Lakhar, Mikir, Rabha.

Only fifteen percent of the population are non-tribal which include about 54,000 Bengalis and 49,000 Shaikhs. Meghalaya is one of three states in India to have a Christian majority. The 16% of the minority population follow the ancient Animist philosophy. The official languages of Megahlaya are Garo, Khasi and English.

Culture of Meghalaya
The tribes who belong to Meghalaya are the Jaintias, the Khasis and the Garos. An important feature of the State is that it follows a matrilineal system. A matrlineal society is one where lineage and inheritence are traced through women. The tribal people of Meghalaya is the worlds largest surviving matrilineal culture. The Khasi and Jaintia tribesmen follow the traditional matrilineal norm, wherein the youngest daughter or "Ka Khadduh" inherits all the property and she acts as the caretaker of her aged parents and siblings who are unmarried. Meghalaya is the only state where parentshave the least interest to have a male child. The male line, particularly the mother`s brother indirectly controls the ancestral property since it is he who has to make important deccissions regarding the proprty including its sale and disposal.The most important festivals celebrated by the people of Meghalaya are Wangala or the Hundred Drum Festival, ,Doregata Dance Festival, Chambil Mesara or Pomelo Dance etc.
Flora and Fauna in Meghalaya
Meghalaya has a forest cover of 9,496 km square, which is 42.34 percent of the total geographical area of the state. These forests are the richest botanical locale of Asia. These forests receive heavy rainfall and support a large variety of floral and faunal biodiversity.The most rich biodiversity site of Megahlaya is the Balaphakram National Park. There are three Wildlife Sanctuaries. They are the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, the Siju Sanctuary and the Bhagmara Sanctuary.

More on Meghalaya
Cities of Meghalaya
Costumes of Meghalaya
Festivals of Meghalaya
Folk Dances of Meghalaya
Museums Of Meghalaya
Tribes of Meghalaya