A state of far northeastern India, Nagaland lies amid hills and mountains. It is bounded by Myanmar (Burma) on the east and the Indian states of Manipur on the south, Assam on the west and north, and Arunachal Pradesh on the northeast. With an area of 6,401 square miles (16,579 square kilometers), Nagaland is one of India’s smaller states. Most of the people live in rural areas. The only large towns are Dimapur and Kohima, the state capital.
Nearly all of the state is mountainous. The Naga Hills rise abruptly in the north and increase in elevation to the southeast. The highest peak in Nagaland is Mount Saramati, which reaches 12,552 feet (3,826 meters). The principal rivers—the Doyang, Dikhu, and Barak (Surma) rivers and tributaries of Myanmar’s Chindwin River—cut deep valleys through the mountains.
Nagaland has a humid wet-dry climate, with most of the rainfall coming during the monsoon season. The rainfall averages between 70 and 100 inches (180 and 250 centimeters) per year. The average temperatures vary by elevation, being colder in the high mountains. Temperatures range from the low 70s F (about 21–23° C) to the low 100s F (about 38–40° C) in the summer and rarely drop below 40° F (4° C) in the winter.
The vast majority of the state’s population consists of what are officially known in India as Scheduled Tribes, indigenous minority peoples who fall outside the Indian caste system. Nagaland is home to more than 20 different tribes and subtribes of the Nagas, an Indo-Asiatic people. Although the Nagas share many cultural traits, the various tribes have different customs and lack a common language. There are more than 60 different Naga dialects, all of which belong to the Sino-Tibetan language family. Many Nagas also speak some Assamese, Hindi, or English, which is the official state language. About two thirds of the people are Christian, and most others are Hindu or Muslim.
Most of the state’s workers are engaged in agriculture. The chief crops include rice, corn (maize), millet, pulses (legumes), oilseeds, sugarcane, potato, and fruits. Manufacturing forms a smaller sector of the economy. Industries produce handicrafts such as weaving, woodwork, and basketry; process sugar and other foods; and make bricks, cement, and paper and wood products. Low-grade coal deposits are mined. Services such as trade, transportation, and communications are also important contributors to the state’s income.
Nagaland is governed by the Council of Ministers, which is headed by the chief minister and is responsible to the one-house legislature. The constitutional head of state is the governor, who is appointed by the president of India. Unlike other Indian states, Nagaland has granted a large degree of self-rule to its various tribal communities.
No early written history of Nagaland exists. Burmans from what is now Myanmar invaded the region in the early 19th century. They ruled oppressively from 1819 to 1826, when the British began taking control of the region’s hill areas. The British administered what is now Nagaland as part of Assam. After India became independent, the region initially remained part of Assam. However, a strong nationalist movement sought a separate state for the Nagas, and some extremists demanded to secede from India. This movement led to outbreaks of violence. In 1957 the region was separated from Assam and placed directly under the administration of the Indian government. Nagaland became an Indian state in 1963.
Some separatists continued to fight for Nagaland to become independent from India. Their activity increasingly assumed the form of banditry, however, and was often motivated by tribal rivalry. In 1997 the dominant faction of the rebels agreed to a cease-fire. Nevertheless, violent incidents continued into the 21st century. Population (2011 census), 1,978,502.