Nagaland is a state in northeast India. Most of its terrain is mountainous. The Naga Hills rise to the south of the Brahmaputra Plain, merging with the Patkai Range along the border with Myanmar. The hills reach their highest point at Mount Saramati, 3841 metres (12,602 feet) above sea level. Between 1880 and 1922, the British Indian forces ​​​​​​​established their authority in the Naga Hills to ward off raids by local tribes on their territories in Assam. After Indian independence, Nagaland became a district of Assam State. An uprising led by the Naga National Council resulted in Nagaland becoming a separate union territory in 1957 and its own state in 1963.

People

Today, Nagaland is home to 15 main Naga ethnic groups, which make up more than 90% of the population. Their languages belong to the Tibeto-Burman family. As a result of the work of Christian missionaries from the United States and Europe in the mid-19th century, around 88% of the population are Christians, the vast majority of whom are Baptists, a branch of Protestantism.

Economy

More than two-thirds of Nagaland's inhabitants live in the countryside. Most people cultivate rice, which forms their main staple diet. Jhum, the local term for shifting cultivation, still accounts for the majority of the farmed area, with the rest terraced paddies. The state has significant mineral and petroleum resources, along with hydropower.

Facts about Nagaland

Area 16,579 sq km 16,579 sq km (6401 sq miles) Rank: 25th

Highest point Mount Saramati 3841 m (12,602 ft)

Population 2,279,000 Rank 24th

Capital Kohima (pop. 115,283)

Largest city Dimapur (pop. 122,834)

Main languages Konyak (12%), Ao (12%), Lotha (9%), Angami (8%), Chokri (5%)

Main religions Christianity (88%), Hinduism (9%), Islam (2%)

State bird Blyth's tragopan

State flower Rhododendron

State mammal Mithun (or gayal, a domestic cattle)

State tree Alder