Nagaland

From Open Encyclopedia

Nagaland
Image:IndiaNagaland.png
Capital • Coordinates	Kohima • 25.4° N 94.08° E
Largest city	Dimapur
Population (2001) • Density	1,988,636 (24th) • 120/km²
Area • Districts	16,579 km² (25th) • 11
Time zone	IST (UTC +5:30)
Establishment • Governor • Chief Minister • Legislature (seats)	1963-12-01.16th state of India • Shyamal Datta (list) • Neiphiu Rio (list) • Unicameral (60)
Official language(s)	English
Website	nagaland.nic.in
Abbreviation (ISO)	IN-NL
Image:Nagalandseal.png Seal of Nagaland

Nagaland is a state in northeast India.

1 Geography
2 Society and Culture
3 Facts and Figures
4 References
5 External links

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Geography

Image:Mkg.jpg

Nagaland borders the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur and the country Myanmar. The capital is Kohima. Nagaland is divided into 8 administrative districts. About 84% of the population belongs to 16 Naga tribes, an Indo-Mongoloid ethnic group; minority tribes include the 40,000 Chin. There are some 22,000 Assamese and 14,000 Bengali Muslims. Over 90% of the population is Christian, mostly Baptist. This Christian heritage is shared with a majority in the nearby states of Mizoram and Meghalaya and by a large minority in neighbouring Manipur. The rest of India is overwhelmingly Hindu.

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Society and Culture

The Nagas in Nagaland belong to the indo-mongoloid and comprise of 16 major tribes, as well as numerous subtribes, each having a specific geographic distribution.Nagas speak languages belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family. Though sharing many cultural traits, these tribes have maintained a high degree of isolation and lack cohesion as a single people.The Aos,Konyaks, Semas, and Angamis are the largest tribe. Other tribes include the Lothas, Sangtams, Phoms, Changs, Khiamnungams, Yimchungres, Zeliangs, Chakhesangs (Chokri/Kheza), and Rengmas.The principal languages are Angami, Ao, Chang, Konyak, Lotha, Sangtam, and Sema.

The Nagas have high cheek bones, almond eyes, sparkling teeth and bronzed skin set the Nagas apart. They wear colourful tribal outfits, with bamboo shields sheathed in bear skin and decorated spears. Tribe and Clan plays an important part in the life of a Naga.

Weaving is a traditional art handed down through generations in Nagaland. Each of the major tribes has its own unique designs and colours, producing shawls, hand-woven shoulder bags, decorative spears, table mats, wood carvings and bamboo works. Tribal dances of the Nagas give an insight into the inborn reticence of the people. War dances and dances belonging to distinctive tribes are a major art form in Nagaland. Some of the important festivals are Moatsu, Sekrenyi, Tuluni and Tokhu Emong.

Nagaland is a rural state. More than four-fifths of the population live in villages, built on the most prominent points along the ridges of the hills. These villages were once stockaded with massive wooden gates. Dimapur-Chumukedima, Kohima and Mokokchung-Yimyu-Alichen are the major urban centres.

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Facts and Figures

Area: 16,578 km²
Population: 1.98 million (2001)
- Ethnic groups:
  - Naga (16 tribes): 87%
  - Other: 12%
- Religion:
  - Christian: 90% (75%+ Baptist)
  - Hindu: 4%
  - Muslim: 4%
Capital: Kohima (pop. 78,000)

Nagaland has 12 Districts:

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References

http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/nagaland/nagaland.htm

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External links

Indian states and territories	Image:Flag of India.svg
Andhra Pradesh \| Arunachal Pradesh \| Assam \| Bihar \| Chhattisgarh \| Goa \| Gujarat \| Haryana \| Himachal Pradesh \| Jammu and Kashmir \| Jharkhand \| Karnataka \| Kerala \| Madhya Pradesh \| Maharashtra \| Manipur \| Meghalaya \| Mizoram \| Nagaland \| Orissa \| Punjab \| Rajasthan \| Sikkim \| Tamil Nadu \| Tripura \| Uttaranchal \| Uttar Pradesh \| West Bengal
Union territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands \| Chandigarh \| Dadra and Nagar Haveli \| Daman and Diu \| Lakshadweep \| Pondicherry
National Capital Territory: Delhi