The Seven Sister States of India

The Seven Sister States are a region in northeastern India, comprising the contiguous states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. The region had a population of 38.6 million in 2000, about 3.8 percent of India's total. The ethnic and religious diversity that characterizes the seven states distinguishes them from the rest of India. For most of their history, they were independent, and their complete integration with India came about only during the British Raj. Image File history File links 7sisterstates. ... The Himalayas in Sikkim North-East India is the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States and the state of Sikkim. ... India is subdivided into 28 states, 6 union territories and a national capital territory. ... Arunachal Pradesh   (Hindi: Aruṇācal PradeÅ›, Chinese: 藏南 Zangnan) is a state of India. ... Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur - now a part of Guwahati. ... Meghalaya   (Devanagari: मेघालय) is a small state in north-eastern India. ... Manipur (Hindi: मणिपुर) is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal. ... Mizoram (Hindi: मिज़ोरम)   is one of the Seven Sister States in northeastern India on the border with Myanmar. ... Nagaland (Hindi: नागालैंड)   Nagaland is a vibrant hill state located in the extreme North Eastern part of India in northeast India. ... Tripura   (Bengali: ত্রিপুরা, Hindi: त्रिपुरा) is a state in North East India. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... The British Empire at its zenith in 1919. ...

The reference Seven Sisters is symbolic of their relative isolation from mainstream Indian culture and consciousness.

The Number Seven

When India became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947, only three states covered the area. Manipur and Tripura were princely states, while a much larger Assam Province was under direct British rule. Its capital was Shillong. Four new states were carved out of the original territory of Assam in the decades following independence, in line with the policy of the Indian government of reorganizing the states along ethnic and linguistic lines. Accordingly, Nagaland became a separate state in 1963, followed by Meghalaya in 1972. Mizoram became a Union Territory in 1972, and achieved statehood - along with Arunachal Pradesh - in 1987. Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Manipur (Hindi: मणिपुर) is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal. ... Tripura   (Bengali: ত্রিপুরা, Hindi: त्रिपुरा) is a state in North East India. ... A princely state or native state was a feudal monarchy in British India ruled by a hereditary ruler, who was nominally sovereign. ... Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur - now a part of Guwahati. ... For a historical list of territories that constituted the British Empire, see Evolution of the British Empire. ... Shillong (Hindi: शिलांग, Bengali: শিলং) is the capital of Meghalaya, one of the smaller states in India. ... Nagaland (Hindi: नागालैंड)   Nagaland is a vibrant hill state located in the extreme North Eastern part of India in northeast India. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Meghalaya   (Devanagari: मेघालय) is a small state in north-eastern India. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Mizoram (Hindi: मिज़ोरम)   is one of the Seven Sister States in northeastern India on the border with Myanmar. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Arunachal Pradesh   (Hindi: Aruṇācal PradeÅ›, Chinese: 藏南 Zangnan) is a state of India. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Ethnic and Religious Composition

Except for Assam, where the major language, Assamese, is the easternmost of the Indo-European languages, the region has a predominantly tribal population that speak numerous Tibeto-Burman and Austro-Asiatic languages. The proliferation of Christianity among the Seven Sister States is a distinguishing feature of the region, which sets it apart from the rest of India. The work of Christian missionaries in the area has led to large scale conversion of the tribal population. Christians now comprise the majority of the population in Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya and a large minority in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Assam and Tripura, however, have remained predominantly Hindu, with a large Muslim minority in Assam. Assamese ( ) (IPA: ) is a language spoken in the state of Assam in northeast India. ... The Indo-European languages comprise a family of several hundred related languages and dialects [1], including most of the major languages of Europe, as well as many spoken in the Indian subcontinent (South Asia), the Iranian plateau (Southwest Asia), and Central Asia. ... The Tibeto-Burman linguistic subfamily of the proposed Sino-Tibetan language family is spoken in various central and south Asian countries: Myanmar (Burmese language), Tibet (Tibetan language), northern Thailand (Mong language), Nepal, Bhutan, India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the Ladakh region of... The Austroasiatic languages are a large language family of Southeast Asia and India. ... A Christian mission has been widely defined, since the Lausanne Congress of 1974, as that which is designed to form a viable indigenous church-planting movement. ... Nagaland (Hindi: नागालैंड)   Nagaland is a vibrant hill state located in the extreme North Eastern part of India in northeast India. ... Mizoram (Hindi: मिज़ोरम)   is one of the Seven Sister States in northeastern India on the border with Myanmar. ... Meghalaya   (Devanagari: मेघालय) is a small state in north-eastern India. ... Manipur (Hindi: मणिपुर) is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal. ... Arunachal Pradesh   (Hindi: Aruṇācal PradeÅ›, Chinese: 藏南 Zangnan) is a state of India. ... Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur - now a part of Guwahati. ... Tripura   (Bengali: ত্রিপুরা, Hindi: त्रिपुरा) is a state in North East India. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (مسلم), believe God (Arabic: الله ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ...

Natural Resources

Main industries in the region are tea-based, crude oil and natural gas, silk, bamboo and handicrafts. The states are heavily forested and have plentiful rainfall. There are beautiful wildlife sanctuaries, tea-estates and mighty rivers like Brahmaputra. The region is home to one-horned rhinoceros, elephants and other endangered wildlife. For security reasons, including inter-tribal tensions, widespread insurgencies, and disputed borders with neighbouring China, there are restrictions on foreigners visiting the area, hampering the development of the potentially profitable tourism industry. Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ) or crude oil is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ... Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane. ... For other senses of this word, see silk (disambiguation). ... This article is about the plant. ... Handicraft, also known as craftwork or simply craft, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or using only simple tools. ... Various species of deer are commonly seen wildlife across the Americas and Eurasia. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... The Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers of Asia. ... Binomial name Rhinoceros unicornis Linnaeus, 1758 The Indian Rhinoceros or the great one-horned rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis, is found in Nepal and in Assam, India. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Proboscidea is an order including only one extant family, Elephantidae or the elephants, with three species: the Savannah Elephant and Forest Elephant (which were collectively known as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant (formerly known as the Indian... An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. ...

Interdependence

The landlocked Northeastern region of the country comprises seven separate states whose geographical and practical needs of development underscore their need to thrive and work together. A compact geographical unit, the Northeast is isolated from the rest of India except through a slender and vulnerable corridor, flanked by alien territories. Assam is the gateway through which the sister states are connected to the mainland. Tripura, a virtual enclave almost surrounded by Bangladesh, wholly depends on Assam even for bare existence. Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal depend on Assam for their internal communications. Manipur and Mizoram's contacts with the main body of India are through Assam's Barak Valley. Raw material requirements also make the states mutually dependent. All rivers in Assam's plains originate in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and western Meghalaya. Manipur's rivers have their sources in Nagaland and Mizoram; the hills also have rich mineral and forest resources. Petroleum is found in the plains. Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur - now a part of Guwahati. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur - now a part of Guwahati. ... Nagaland (Hindi: नागालैंड)   Nagaland is a vibrant hill state located in the extreme North Eastern part of India in northeast India. ... Meghalaya   (Devanagari: मेघालय) is a small state in north-eastern India. ... Arunachal Pradesh   (Hindi: Aruṇācal PradeÅ›; Chinese: 藏南 Zangnan or South Tibet) is a region currently administered by India but also claimed by China. ... Manipur (Hindi: मणिपुर) is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal. ... Mizoram (Hindi: मिज़ोरम)   is one of the Seven Sister States in northeastern India on the border with Myanmar. ... Nagaland (Hindi: नागालैंड)   Nagaland is a vibrant hill state located in the extreme North Eastern part of India in northeast India. ... Mizoram (Hindi: मिज़ोरम)   is one of the Seven Sister States in northeastern India on the border with Myanmar. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ...

The plains depend on the hills also on vital questions like flood control. A correct strategy to control floods in the plains calls for soil conservation and afforestation in the hills. The hills depend on the plains for markets for their produce. They depend on the plains even for food grains because of limited cultivable land in the hills. Afforestation is the process of converting open land into a forest by planting trees or their seeds. ...

To provide a forum for collaboration towards common objectives, the Indian government established the North Eastern Council in 1971. Each state is represented by its Governor and Chief Minister. The Council has enabled the Seven Sister States to work together on numerous matters, including the provision of educational facilities and electric supplies to the region. In 1971, the Indian Central government set up the North Eastern Council by an act of parliament. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

Origin of the Sobriquet

The sobriquet, the Land of Seven Sisters, had been originally coined, coinciding with the inauguration of the new states in January, 1972, by Jyoti Prasad Saikia, a journalist in Tripura in course of a radio talk. Saikia later compiled a book on the interdependence and commonness of the Seven Sister States, and named it the Land of Seven Sisters. It has been primarily because of this publication that the sobriquet has caught on. A sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Jyoti Prasad Saikia started his career as a journalist in Tripura writing on Bangladesh events in 1970-72. ... Tripura   (Bengali: ত্রিপুরা, Hindi: त्रिपुरा) is a state in North East India. ... Jyoti Prasad Saikia started his career as a journalist in Tripura writing on Bangladesh events in 1970-72. ... A sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation. ...

See also

• North-East India