Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh (अरुणाचल प्रदेश   ) is the easternmost  of. Arunachal Pradesh shares a border with the states of to the south and  to the southeast. lies towards the east, towards the west, and  to the north. is the capital of the state. Though Arunachal Pradesh is administered by India, the holds a territorial claim over portions of the state.

Arunachal Pradesh means "land of the rising sun" ("" means "state" or "region") in reference to its position as the easternmost state of India. Most of the people living in Arunachal Pradesh are either of or - origin. Another 16% of the population are immigrants, including 30,000 and  expatriates, and immigrants from other parts of India, notably  and. Part of the famous, which was a lifeline to China during World War II passes through the state.

History
The first ancestors of the tribal groups migrated from during the prehistoric period, and were joined by Thai-Burmese counterparts later. Except for the northwestern parts of the state, little is known about the history of Arunachal Pradesh, although the tribe had legendary knowledge of the history. Recorded history was only available in the chronicles during the 16th century. The tribal and  do keep historical records of the existence of local chiefdoms in the northwest as well. Northwestern parts of this area came under the control of the kingdom of Monyul, which flourished between 500 B.C. and 600 A.D. This region then came under the loose control of  and, especially in the Northern areas. The remaining parts of the state, especially those bordering, came under the control of the and the ese until the annexation of  by the British in 1858.

Recent excavations of ruins of Hindu temples such as the 14th Malinithan at the foot of the Siang hills in shed new light on the ancient history of Arunachal Pradesh. Paintings of the Hindu gods and altars remained untouched for many years. They attracted many local pilgrims. Another notable heritage site, Bhismaknagar, suggested that the  had a local civilisation. The third heritage site, the 400-year-old Tawang monastery in the district, also provides historical evidence of the Buddhist tribal peoples. Historically, the area had a close relationship with and, for example the sixth   was born in.

In 1913-14 British administrator,, drew up the 550 mile (890 km) as the border between British India and Tibet during the Simla Conference, as Britain sought to advance its line of control and establish buffer zones around its colony in South Asia. The Tibetan and British representatives at the conference agreed to the line, which ceded and other Tibetan areas to British India; however the Chinese representative refused to accept the line owing to domestic pressures. The Chinese position since then has been that since China was sovereign over Tibet, the line was invalid without Chinese agreement. Furthermore, by refusing to sign the Simla documents, the Chinese Government had escaped according any recognition to the validity of the McMahon Line.

For the first two decades after the Simla Conference, the Survey of India did not show the as the border between British India and Tibet either; only in  did they publish a map showing it as the official boundary; in  the Survey of India published a map showing Tawang as a part of Tibet. In, Britain established administrations in the area, from Dirang Dzong in the west to in the east. Tibet, however, altered its position on the McMahon Line in late 1947 when the Tibetan government wrote a note presented to the newly independent Indian Ministry of External Affairs laying claims to Tibetan districts south of the McMahon Line. The situation developed further as India became independent and the was established in the late 1940s: with the PRC poised to take over Tibet, India unilaterally declared the McMahon Line to be the boundary in November, and forced the Tibetan administration out of the Tawang area in , despite protests by the PRC and Tibet. The PRC has not recognized the McMahon Line since. (In, a suppressed Tibetan uprising resulted in PRC's abolition of Tibet's self-ruling government headed by the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama fled to , India, where he continues to lead the . Maps published by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile now show the McMahon Line as the southern border of Tibet.)

The NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) was created in. The issue was quiet during the next decade or so of cordial Sino-Indian relations, but erupted again during the of. The cause of the escalation into war is still disputed by both Chinese and Indian sources. During the war in 1962, the PRC captured most of the NEFA. However, China soon declared victory and voluntarily withdrew back to the and returned Indian prisoners of war in 1963. The war has resulted in the termination of barter trade with Tibet, although in 2007 the state government has shown signs to resume barter trade with Tibet.

Of late, Arunachal Pradesh faces threat from resistance groups, notably the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), who were believed to have base camps in the districts of and. There were occasional reports of these groups harassing the local people.

Geography
Much of Arunachal Pradesh is covered by the. However. parts of, and ,which are covered by the. Kangto, Nyegi Kangsang, the main Gorichen peak and the Eastern Gorichen peak are some of the highest peaks in this region of the Himalayas.

Recently at 2006, Bumla pass in Bomdila, was opened after 44 years for the first time for the traders. The traders from both the sides were permitted to enter each other territories. The Himalayan ranges that extends up to the eastern Arunachal separates it from China. The ranges extend towards the Nagaland, and form a boundary between India and Burma in Changlang and Tirap district, it acts as a natural barrier it is called Patkai Bum Hills. It is low level ranges as compared to Greater Himalayas.

Climate
The climate of Arunachal Pradesh differs with the elevation. Areas that are at a very high elevation in the Upper Himalayas close to the an border enjoy an alpine or climate. While below the Upper Himalayas are the Middle Himalayas, where people experience a climate which is temperate. Fruits like s,, etc are grown here in this region. Areas at the sub-Himalayan and sea-level elevation generally experience a humid sub-tropical climate, along with the hot summers and mild winters.

Arunchal Pradesh receives heavy rainfall of 80 to 160 inches (2,000 to 4,000 mm) annually, most of it pours down between May and September. The mountain slopes and hills are covered with alpine, temperate, and subtropical forests of dwarf, , , , , and ; (Shorea) and  are the main economic species.

Sub-divisions
Arunachal Pradesh is divided into Sixteen districts, each administered by a, who sees to the needs of the local people. Especially along the Tibetan border, the has considerable presence due to the concern about Chinese intentions. called Inner Line Permits (ILP) are required to enter Arunachal Pradesh through any of it checkgates on its border with Assam.

Districts of Arunachal Pradesh:



Economy
This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Arunachal Pradesh at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Arunachal Pradesh's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $706 million in current prices. is the primary driver of the economy. Jhum, the local word for shifting cultivation, which was widely practised among the tribal groups has come to be less practiced. Arunachal Pradesh has close to 61,000 square kilometers of forests, and the forest-products are the next most significant sector of the economy. Among the crops grown here are rice, maize, millet, wheat, pulses, sugarcane, ginger and oilseeds. Arunachal is also ideal for horticulture and fruit orchards. Its major industries are sawmills, plywood (these two trades however have been stopped by law), rice mills, fruit preservation units and handloom handicrafts.

Demographics


63% of the Arunachalis belong to 19 major tribes and 85 tribes, who had a tradition which is diverse and of rich culture, language and beliefs. Most of them are either of or - origin. Another 35% of the population are made up of the immigrants, including 31,000 i,, Hajong and expartriates, and immigrants from neighbouring ,  and other notable parts of. The most major tribes include the, , and.

The literacy of the State rose to 54.74% from 41.59% in 1991. As of today, the number of literates is 487,796. Recent statistics shows that 20% of Arunachal's population are, who follow Animistic religions such as  and Rangfrah. 25% are s. Tribes who follow Hinduism include the and. Another 40% are practicing s. predominates in the districts of, and isolated regions adjacent to , and  is practiced by tribal groups living near the Burmese border.

Transport
The state's airports are located at, Daparjio, , Along, and Pasighat. However, owing to the rough terrain, these airports are mostly small and cannot handle many flights, they were actually used for transportation of food, when these parts were not connected by the roads. Arunachal Pradesh has two highways; the 336km (205 miles) National Highway 52, completed in 1998, connects Jonai with Dirak. There is another highway which connects in  with. Now in 2007, every village is connected by road. It's due to the funding that central government has provided. Every small town has got its own bus station and daily bus services are available. All places are connected to, which has increased the trading capacity. A National Highway is being constructed on the famous, which connects Ledo in Assam to Jairampur in Arunachal.

Education
The current education system in Arunachal Pradesh is relatively underdeveloped. The state government is expanding the education system in concert with various NGOs like Vivekananda Kendra. is the state's premier educational institution. The state also has several reputed schools, colleges and institutions.

Tourism
Arunachal Pradesh attracts tourists from many parts of the world. Tourist attractions include the Namdapha tiger project in district, Sela lake near to Bomdila, the bamboo bridges hanging over the river. Historical attractions include Malinithan in Lekhabali and Rukhmininagar near Roing, place where Rukhmini, lord Krishna's wife, used to live. Parshuram kund in, is believed to the lake where Pashuram washed away all his sins. Rafting and trekking are also available. A visitor's permit from the tourism department is required.