Meghalaya

The capital of Meghalaya is Shillong. The languages spoken by the people of Meghalaya are Garo, Khasi and English. The literacy rate is about 48.26%.

The geographical name of Meghalaya in India is Shillong Plateau or Meghalaya Plateau. Meghalaya has the oldest rock formations. The Jaintia hills, Khasi, Garo and the Assam ranges constitute Meghalaya. The state is actually the detached extension of Peninsular India in the north-east. The height of the dissected Meghalaya Plateau varies between 150 meters and 1961 meters above sea level.

The major groups of people in Meghalaya of India are the Garo in the east and west Garo hills, the Khasi-Pnar in the Jaintia hills and the east and west Khasi hills.

Meghalaya was declared an autonomous state in the year 1970. It became an Indian state on January 21, 1972. Meghalaya is located between Bangladesh in the south and the Brahmaputra valley in the north and north-eastern part of India.10% of Meghalaya area is used up in cultivation. The major crops are rice, potato, pineapple, maize, banana, etc.

The main festivals of Meghalaya state are the Wangala, a Khasi dance festival, the Shad Nongkrem festival which is a harvest festival of the Garos, the Beh-dien-Khlam, the most famous Pnar religious festival, and the Shad Suk Mynsiem, the Khasi harvest festival. Dance is an important part of Meghalayan culture. The Do Dru-su'a, a Garo traditional dance form, the Shad Nongkrem and the Shad Sukmynsiem, a Khasi dance form, and the Laho dance of the Pnars are the major dance forms of the state. The other major sources of entertainment are hunting and fishing, which are the main seasonal sports of the state.