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Area : 16,579 sq km
Population : 1,988,636
Capital : Kohima
Principal Languages : Angami, Ao, Chang,
Konyak, Lotha, Sangtam, Sema and Chakhesang.
Nagaland, the 16th state of the Indian Union,
was established on 1 December 1963. It is
bounded by Myanmar on the East, Arunachal
Pradesh on the North, Assam on the West, and
Manipur on the South. It lies between the
parallels of 98 degree and 96 degree East
longitude, and 26.6 degree and 27.4 degree
latitude North of the Equator.
The state of Nagaland has an area of 16.579 sq
km with a population of 19,88,636 as per the
2001 census. The state is mostly mountainous
except those areas bordering Assam valley. Mount
Saramati is the highest peak in Nagaland with a
height of 3,840 metres, and its range forms a
natural barrier between Nagaland and Myanmar.
The Naga people belong to the Indo-Mongoloid group of
people living in the contiguous areas of the
North Eastern hills of India and the upper
portion of Western Myanmar. The major-recognised
tribes of Nagaland are Angami, Ao, Chakhesang,
Chang, Khiamniungan, Kuki, Konyak, Lotha, Phom,
Pochury, Rengma, Sangtam, Sumi, Yimchungru and
Zeliang. The Naga languages differ from tribe to
tribe, and sometimes even from one village to
another. They are, however, under the Tibeto-Burma
family.
In the 12th and 13th Centuries, gradual contacts
with the Ahoms of present day Assam was
established, but this did not have any
significant impact on the traditional Naga way
of life. However, in the 19th Century, the
British appeared on the scene and ultimately the
area was brought under British administration.
After independence, this territory was made a
centrally administered area in 1957 administered
by the Governor of Assam. It was known as the
Naga Hills Tuensang Area. This failed to quell
popular aspirations and unrest began. Hence, in
1961, this was renamed as Nagaland and given the
status of State of the Indian Union, which was
formally inaugurated on 1 December 1963.
Nagaland is basically a land of agriculture.
About 70 per cent of the population depends on
agriculture. The contribution of agricultural
sector in the state is very significant. Rice is
the staple food. It occupies about 70 per cent
of the total area under cultivation and
constitutes about 75 per cent of the total food
production in the state.
The major land use pattern is slash and burn
cultivation locally known as Jhum. Area under
jhum cultivation is about 1,01,400 hectare and
under terraced cultivation. The total food
production during the year was 3,86,300 MT.
Out of the total land area of 16,57,587
hectares, forest area occupy approximately
8,35,436. There are wild life sanctuaries and
national park, namely, Intanki and Puliebadze in
Kohima District, Fakim in Tuensang and
Rangapahar in Dimapur.
According to the 1981 census, Nagaland achieved
cent per cent electrification in the rural
areas. Nagaland has so far achieved 100 per cent
village electrification reaching even the
remotest village of the state.
There is no major or medium irrigation project
so far constructed in the State. The irrigation
works are mostly meant to divert small hill
streamlets to irrigate valleys used for rice
cultivation. The total area under irrigation
covers 93,231.43 hectares.
Roads: The total length of roads in
Nagaland is 9,860 km, which includes national
highways, state highways, district and village
roads. More than 900 villages in the State are
linked by roads.
Railways & Aviation: Dimapur is the only
place in the State from where air and train
services are available. There is a tri-weekly
Indian Airlines service connecting Dimapur with
Kolkata.
Music and dances are an intrinsic part of Naga
life. Folk songs and ballads eulogising bravery,
beauty, love, generosity, etc., are transmitted
from generation to generation. Likewise, dancing
is an integral part of every festive occasion.
Feasting, singing, dancing and merrymaking
invariably accompany festivals. Some of the
important festivals are Sekrenyi, Moatsu, Tokhu
Emong and Tuluni.
The process of industrialisation in the state is
in its infancy, but the need to have more
industries has been well recognised. Nagaland
Mechanised Bricks Co. Ltd., in Dimapur with one
lakh capacity of bricks per day has been
commissioned. Handloom and handicrafts are
important cottage capacity industries, which are
mainly being managed by cooperative societies.
The Nagaland Handloom and Handicrafts
Development Cooperation Ltd., in Dimapur is the
state owned Corporation, which is responsible
for promotion and marketing of handloom and
handicraft products in the state.
The Nagaland Industrial Development Corporation
is the premier promotional organisation in
providing guidance and capital assistance to
entrepreneurs. The 50 TPD Mini Cement Plant at
Wazeho in Phek district has commenced
production. The fruits and vegetables processing
and cold storage plant at Dimapur has an
installed capacity of processing 5 MT of fruits
and vegetables per day and 300 MT cold storage
facility.
With the opening of the state to the
international tourist by relaxation of
Restricted Area Permit (RAP), a good number of
foreign tourists, as well as domestic tourists
visit Nagaland every year.
The HORNBILL festival conceived by the Tourism
Department and held in the first week of
December, is an annual event where all tribes of
Nagaland come together to celebrate, exhibit and
sell their traditional wares, foodstuffs and
crafts. Three traditional festivals, namely,
Sekrenyi at Touphema in Kohima district
(Feb. 26-27), Monyu at Pongo in
Longleng Sub-division (April 1-3) and
Moatsu at Chuchuyimlang in Mokokchung
district (May 1-3) have been identified as
festival destinations.
There are wild
life sanctuaries and national parks, namely,
Intanki and Puliebadze in Kohima District, Fakim
in Tuensang and Rangapahar in Dimapur.
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