Capital Shillong
Area ('000 sq.km ) 22
Population('000 in 1991) 1,775
Principal Languages Khasi, Garo and English
Females per 1000 males (1991) 955
Literacy rate (1991) 49.1
Ratio of urban population (1991) 18.6
Net Domestic Product (Rs. million at current prices in 1992-93) 10,710
Per Capita Income (Rs. at current prices in 1992-93) 5,769

One of the North Eastern states of India, Meghalaya is a sylvan beauty of breathtaking beauty. It is bounded on the south and southwest by Bangladesh and on all other sides by the state of Assam. The area is 22,429 square kilometres. The capital is the hill town of Shillong.

Meghalaya--literally "Abode (alaya) of the Clouds (megha)"--occupies a mountainous plateau of great scenic beauty where the average elevation is just under 2000 m (6500 ft). One of the wettest regions on earth, Cherrapunji lies 56 km from Shillong; it has mind-boggling annual rainfall average of 450 inches (11,430 mm) over a 74-year period, the highest ever recorded in Asia and the second highest in the world. The climate of Meghalaya is generally mild. In August the mean temperature at Shillong (in the Khasi Hills) is 70º F (21º C); it falls to 49º F (9.5º C) in January. Annual rainfall in Shillong, only 50 miles from Cherrapunji, is 92 inches.

Meghalaya has a single-chamber Legislative Assembly of 60 seats. The state sends three members to the Indian national parliament: one to the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and two to the Lok Sabha (lower house). The state has seven administrative districts--the East and West Garo Hills, the East and West Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi and the South Garo Hills.

History
The Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia tribes each had their own kingdoms until the British annexed them in the 19th century to build a road through the region. Eventually, the British incorporated Meghalaya into Assam in 1835. After the Independence in 1947, Meghalaya was accorded autonomous status within Assam. However the Meghalayans were not complacent with the arrangement and launched a peaceful and constitutional struggle for greater independence. The turning point in their struggle came when Assam introduced Assamese as the state language, a language alien to the tribes of Meghalaya. The Centre recognized their plight and their right for a state of their own. Meghalaya became a full-fledged state in 1972.