Google Map Of Uttarakhand

• Official Website: http://ua.nic.in/
• Established: 9 November 2000
• Capital: Dehradun
• Largest City: Dehradun
• Districts: 17
• Government Body: Governor-Margaret Alva, Chief Minister-Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal
• Legislature: Unicameral (71‡ seats)
• Parliamentary Constituency: 5
• High Court: Uttarakhand High Court
• Area Total: 53,566 km2 (20,681.9 sq mi)
• Area Rank: 18th
• Population 2011: 10,116,752
• Population Density: 188.9/km2 (489.2/sq mi)
• Time Zone: IST (UTC+05:30)
• UN/LOCODE: NA
• ISO 3166 Code: IN-UL
• Vehicle Registration: NA
• HDI: 0.628 (medium)
• HDI Rank: 12th (2005)
• Literacy: 72% (10th)
• Official Languages: Hindi, Sanskrit

History behind the state name :

The term Uttarakhand means the northern section. The term Uttarakhand can be found in early Hindu scriptures which depicted the central stretch of the Indian Himalayas. After independence the region came under the state of Uttar Pradesh till in 1998 it was divided from the state and named as Uttaranchal. But the then name spurred huge protests in the region and in December 2006 the state was renamed as Uttarakhand.

Population:

The total population is 10116752 with a growth rate of 19.17% in the last ten years. The population mainly comprises of the native people of Kumaoni, Garhwali and Gujjar.

Geographical situation:

The state’s 93% geographical area is covered by mountains. The northern part of the state is made up of the high Himalayan peaks and glaciers. Forests cover up to 64% of the state’s area. The state borders Tibet to the north Nepal to the north-east and the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh borders it in the west and south respectively.

Weather conditions:

Uttarakhand has two types of climates one is hilly and the other is plain region subtropical climate in the southern foot hills. Certain areas of the hills experience heavy snow fall during the winter. The average summer temperature can be measured up to 30 degree Celsius and winter temperature up to 18 degree Celsius in plains. The cool temperate conditions are found at the higher areas of the Middle Himalayas, where the summer temperatures are usually around 15 to 18 degree celsius and winters drop below the freezing point.

History of the State:

The history of Uttarakhand takes its dates back to the puranas and Vedic ages. The name is mentioned in the Hindu puranas as the abode of gods or dev bhoomi.

Demographics:

The total population of the state has 963 females per 1000 males. The literacy rate is also emerging with the new age and the Upper caste of the Brahmins among the majority Hindus now comprise 20% of the total Hindu population. The main cities like Dehradoon, Haridwar, Haldwani, Roorkie and Rudrapur hold the major portion of the 72% literacy rate. Of late some foreign national settlements are found in Haridwar which make up for a varied demographical data of religion in the state.

Economical Information:

The economy of the state is mainly agricultural and forest timber based. The other important economical activity of the state is the tourism and hospitality industry. In the current period a number of medicine factories are being set up in the state which makes up a lot of revenue for it. Dehradoon is famous for the ONGC and a number of Good educational institutions. Education is slowly emerging as a revenue generator for the state. The new industrial policy taken up in 2003 has seen a great upsurge of capital investment in the state.

Culture:

The culture of the state is basically Hindu traditional culture. It boasts of the rich past of the Vedas and the puranas symbolized by religious festivities and penance and Yagnas. Though in recent past after the globalization effects and the coming up of technology the orthodox culture is giving way to newer reforms and open minded activities are found in the region.

Cuisine:

The cuisine of the state revolves round the vegan types of food. The region is termed as dev bhoomi, so the people coming from outside for pilgrimage strict to vegan dishes of Rice, Roti Vegetable curries and Sweet meats. The main non vegan dishes comprise of all types of Mughlai and north Indian Cuisine.

Festivals:

The festivals of the state are generally Hindu festivals of Holi, Dewali, Dussera, Janmastami, Ramnavami, Mahashivratri and Navratri. The Muslims of the region also celebrate their own festivals of Id Bakree Id. Christians celebrate the Christmas and Easter which is now very famous among the population of the state.

Religion:

The dominant religion of the region is Hinduism; with a total of 85% it forms the majority of the population of the state. The Muslims form 10.5% and the Sikhs form 2.5% of the whole. Christians, Buddhists, Jains and others form 0.5% of the populace.