ABSTRACT
The State of Uttarakhand (known as Uttaranchal until the end of 2006 and, until 9 November 2000, the mountainous part of Uttar Pradesh) lies in northern India, in the Himalayan Mountains. The ‘north country’ has international frontiers with Nepal to the south-east and, with the border lying beyond the crest of the Great Himalaya, Tibet (Xizang—as it is known in the People’s Republic of China, of which it forms a part) to the north-east. Another Indian hill state, Himachal Pradesh, is to the north-west, rising above the Punjab plains as Uttarakhand rises above the plains of Uttar Pradesh, the latter being to the west and south. The new state acquired 18% of the territory of the undivided Uttar Pradesh and, therefore, has an area of 53,483 sq km (20,658 sq miles), making it only slightly smaller than Himachal Pradesh, with which it shares many similarities. Uttarakhand lies along the Himalayas and its subsidiary ranges that lower them-
