ABSTRACT
The Mizo (formerly Lushai) hills from which the state takes its name probably have the most variegated topography of any highlands in the region. A simplified description would
be of some a half-dozen parallel ranges of hills, running from the north to the south and tending to taper at the ends. The eastern ridges, as they rise towards the Rongklang range in Myanmar, tend to be higher, with the highest point in the state being near the southeastern border at Blue Mountain (Phawngpui), which reaches 2,164 m (7,102 feet). An average height for Mizoram is some 900 m, with the capital, Aizawl, itself situated at over 1,000 m above sea level. The steep hills are densely forested with bamboo and wild banana, and flank deep gorges hiding rapid rivers like the Dhaleswari or Katakhal (locally known as the Tlawang), the Sonai (Tuirial) and the Tuivawl, draining north, and, in the south, the Kaladan or Kolodine (Chhimtuipui), and the Karnaphuli (Khawthlang tuipui) and its tributaries, such as the Tuilianpui. Mizoram is bisected by the Tropic of Cancer, giving the hill state a mild climate, with an average maximum temperature of 29°C (84° F) in August and an average minimum temperature of 11°C (52°F) in January. The rainy season is in May-September, with Aizawl receiving average annual rainfall of 2,080 mm (8 inches).
