Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh runs across the western Himalaya from the Shivalik foothills to the high ranges on the Tibetan border. The capital is Shimla. The state was formed in 1971 from a set of hill districts assembled from Punjab and neighbouring areas.

The terrain is steep and the valleys narrow, so cultivation is terraced and horticulture matters more than field crops: apples from the Shimla and Kinnaur hills are the state’s best-known product, along with stone fruit, potatoes and off-season vegetables. Hydroelectricity is a major revenue source — the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi have been heavily dammed, and the state sells power to the national grid. Tourism and, increasingly, education and government service employ much of the rest.

Himachal has among the highest literacy rates and per-capita incomes in India, and among the lowest population densities. The same steep terrain makes the state exposed to landslides and flash floods, which have become more frequent and more damaging as rainfall patterns have shifted, and the state’s hydel projects have drawn sustained objection over displacement and environmental damage in the upper valleys.