Assam lies in the north-eastern corner of India. It is the land of hills and valleys, of the mighty river
Brahmaputra and of Mother
Goddess Kamakhya.
The name Assam is derived from the
Sanskrit word 'asoma,' meaning 'peerless.' The state has a rich inheritance of culture and civilization.
Assam is bounded by Bhutan in the north,
Arunachal Pradesh in the east, and
Nagaland and
Manipur in the south. It covers an area of about 78,438 sq km, and is home to 26 million people. The climate is sub-tropical with annual rainfall varying from 1,500 to 3,750 mm. The temperature varies between 5°C and 32°C.
Assam has an illustrious recorded history dating back to the 4th century BC. It had been an independent kingdom till the end of the first quarter of the 19th century when the British annexed it to their colony. The British assisted the Assamese several times in expelling Burmese invaders. Bihu is the national festival of Assam.
Dispur is the capital of Assam and the principal language is Assamese. The state contributes about 55% of the tea produced in the country. It is also an important oil-producing region with refineries at
Digboi and Nunmati.
Assam is home to many races of people including Austrics, Mongolians, Dravidians and Aryans. Well known tourist destinations are Janardhan Temple, Navagraha Temple, Umananda Temple, Bhuvaneswari Temple,
Kaziranga National Park,
Dibrugarh,
Jorhat and Majuli Island.
