Indian States Codexery

Meghalaya

The abode of clouds

The capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeast India, is Shillong, and the name Meghalaya translates to "the abode of clouds."[1][2]

Quick Facts

Official name
State of Meghalaya
Etymology
"Abode of Clouds"
Motto
Satyameva Jayate (Sanskrit); "Truth alone triumphs"
Anthem
  • Ri Khasi
  • Ri Pnar
  • Ri Garo (Khasi, Pnar and Garo); "Meghalaya
  • My Land"
Region
Northeast India
Capital
Shillong
Largest city
capital
Districts
12

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

Unlike many Indian states, Meghalaya has historically followed a matrilineal system where the youngest daughter inherits all wealth.[3] Neolithic-era human habitation has been documented in Meghalaya.[4] Assam's territory was expanded in 1835 when the British added the area now known as Meghalaya.[5] The year 1960 saw the start of a campaign advocating for a distinct hill state.[6]

S.P. Chatterjee, a geographer, created the term 'Meghalaya' in 1936.[6] On 21 January 1972, Meghalaya became a full state and gained its own Legislative Assembly.[7] To its south, Meghalaya shares borders with the Bangladeshi divisions of Mymensingh and Sylhet.[8] The three languages recognized officially in Meghalaya are English, Khasi, and Garo.[3]

Forests cover roughly 70 percent of Meghalaya's land area.[9]

What the cited sources add

A 2020 Mongabay-India article by Sekar states that India’s only pitcher plant species Nepenthes khasiana is endemic to Meghalaya and endangered.[10] The same source notes that the Baghmara pitcher plant sanctuary in the South Garo Hills was established to protect the plants.[10] The Meghalaya Biodiversity Board's website reports that the Indian elephant population in Meghalaya was 1181 in 2007.[11] A 2024 blog post by rawan239 describes the Simsang River as the longest river in Meghalaya, originating from the Nokrek Range.[12]

According to the 2011 Census, Meghalaya's decennial population growth rate of 27.82% was the highest among all seven states in northeast India.[13][14]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Definition of Meghalaya in English from the Oxford Dictionaries", Oxford Dictionaries; Sharma, "Discovery of North-East India", Mittal Publications, 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sharma, "Discovery of North-East India", Mittal Publications, 2015; "BHARAT DARSHAN - Embassy of India, Luanda", 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Arnold P. Kaminsky and Roger D. Long (2011), India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, , pp. 455–459; "Meghalaya declares Khasi and Garo as official languages alongside English", newsonair.gov.in, 29 April 2026; Arnold P. Kaminsky and Roger D. Long (2011), India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, , pp. 455–459 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hazarika, "Neolithic Culture of Northeast India: A Recent Perspective on the Origins of Pottery and Agriculture", Ancient Asia, 2006, p. 25–44 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Arnold P. Kaminsky and Roger D. Long (2011), India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, , pp. 455–459 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: History of Meghalaya State Government of India; "High Court of Meghalaya: History"; "The Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act, 1969"; History of Meghalaya State Government of India; Bareh, "Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Vol IV", Mittal Publications, 2001; "Press Releases: Lecture on Emerging Challenges in Mapping" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: History of Meghalaya State Government of India (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: History of Meghalaya State Government of India; "Fact sheet on meghalaya", 10 March 2014; Meghalaya IBEF, India (2013) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Meghalaya IBEF, India (2013); Meghalaya and Its Forests Government of Meghalaya (2012); Quote – total forest area is 69.5% (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Sekar, "Captivating carnivores: Saving India's only pitcher plant", Mongabay-India, 7 August 2020. facts only, no text reused. india.mongabay.com
  11. "Protected Areas Official website of Meghalaya Biodiversity Board,Government of Meghalaya, India", megbiodiversity.nic.in. facts only, no text reused. megbiodiversity.nic.in
  12. rawan239, "Rivers of Meghalaya", Meghalaya PCS Free Notes, 24 December 2024. facts only, no text reused. meghalaya.pscnotes.com
  13. Wikipedia, "Meghalaya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "List of states with Population, Sex Ratio and Literacy Census 2011", Census2011.co.in (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  14. "List of states with Population, Sex Ratio and Literacy Census 2011", Census2011.co.in. facts only, no text reused. census2011.co.in

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Meghalaya (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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