Rajasthan

Rajasthan is the largest Indian state by area, occupying the north-west of the country between the Aravalli range and the border with Pakistan. The capital is Jaipur. Most of the state is arid: the Thar desert covers the west, and the Aravallis — among the oldest fold mountains in the world — run diagonally across the south-west, separating the sand from the more watered east.

The desert districts depend on livestock, bajra, pulses and mustard, and on groundwater that is being drawn down faster than it is recharged. The eastern districts, watered by the Chambal and its tributaries, grow wheat, maize, soybean and cotton. The state holds substantial mineral wealth — zinc and lead at Zawar, marble, sandstone and gypsum — and has become one of India’s largest producers of solar power, with very large installations in the desert districts around Bhadla and Jodhpur.

Rajasthan has historically recorded among the lowest child sex ratios of any Indian state, and a persistent gap between male and female literacy, particularly in the north-western districts. Tourism is a major industry, built on the fort and palace complexes at Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Chittorgarh. The state’s dryland agriculture and its dependence on a weakening monsoon make it among the most exposed to climate shifts.