Back to: MBOSE Social Science Class 10

Before attainment of its statehood, Meghalaya was part of Assam.  Meghalaya was created as an autonomous state within Assam in 1970 and achieved full statehood on January 21, 1972.Meghalaya currently has 11 districts.

• Jaintia Hills Division:
  • •West Jaintia Hills (Jowai)
  • •East Jaintia Hills (Khliehriat)
• Khasi Hills Division:
  • •East Khasi Hills (Shillong)
  • •West Khasi Hills (Nongstoin)
  • •South West Khasi Hills (Mawkyrwat)
  • •Ri-Bhoi (Nongpoh)
• Garo Hills Division:
  • •North Garo Hills (Resubelpara)
  • •East Garo Hills (Williamnagar)
  • •South Garo Hills (Baghmara)
  • •West Garo Hills (Tura)
  • •South West Garo Hills (Ampati)

The population of Meghalaya as of 2011 has been estimated at 2,964,007 of which females comprise 1,492,668 and males 1,471,339. As per the census of India 2011, the sex ratio in the state was 986 females per 1,000 males which were far higher than the national average of 940.

Hindus are the largest religious minority in Meghalaya with 11.52% of the total state’s population as of 2011 census Hindus are concentrated mainly in West Garo Hills, East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi with 19.11 per cent, 17.55 per cent and 11.96 per cent respectively. Tribal people make up the majority of Meghalaya’s population. The Khasis are the largest group, followed by the Garos then the Jaintias. These were among those known to the British as “hill tribes.” Christianity being the largest religion being practiced in Meghalaya

English is the official language of Meghalaya. The principal languages in Meghalaya are Khasi, Pnar and Garo with English as the official language of the State. It was at the initiative of the Christian missionaries that the Khasi, Pnar and Garo languages and literature have developed and emerged in the list of Modern Indian Languages.

The literacy rate at the State level, it has risen to 75.48 per cent in 2011 from 62.56 per cent in 2001. The male literacy rate has jumped to 77.17 percent in 2011 from 65.43 per cent in 2001 and that of the female has climbed to 73.78 per cent from 59.61 per cent in 2001.

The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly is a unicameral legislature in the government of the state of Meghalaya in India. Constituted as a directly elected body in 1972, it has 60 members, filled through direct elections held every five years. Meghalaya has got 2 Member of Parliament into the Lok Sabha and one member of Parliament into the Rajya Sabha.

The High Court of Meghalaya was formed on 23 March 2013.There are 3 Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in Meghalaya namely the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council.

Meghalaya is basically an agricultural state with about 80% of its population depending entirely on agriculture for their livelihood. Nearly 10% of the geographical area of Meghalaya is under cultivation. Rice is the dominant food grain crop accounting for over 80% of the food grain production in the state. Other important food grain crops are maize, wheat, and a few other cereals and pulses.

Meghalaya, state of India, located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bounded by the Indian state of Assam to the north and northeast and by Bangladesh to the south and southwest. The state capital is the hill town of Shillong, located in east-central Meghalaya

Meghalaya is an upland area formed by a detached block of the Deccan plateau. Its summits vary in elevation from 4,000 to 6,000 feet (1,220 to 1,830 metres). The Garo Hills in the west rise abruptly from the Brahmaputra River valley to about 1,000 feet (300 metres) and then merge with the Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, adjacent highland systems that form a single massif of tablelands separated by a series of eastward-trending ridges. The southern faces of the plateau, overlooking the Bangladesh lowlands, is particularly steep. Many rivers and streams flow out of the plateau, creating deep, narrow, steep-sided valleys; the most important is the Umiam-Barapani, which is the major source of hydroelectric power for Assam and Meghalaya states.

One of the world’s wettest regions is found in Meghalaya—Cherrapunji, which has an average annual precipitation of about 450 inches (11,430 mm) during monsoon season (from May to September). (Rainfall at Cherrapunji may be exceeded, however, by that at Mawsynram, a village directly west of Cherrapunji, where rainfall totals of some 700 inches [17,800 mm] per year have been recorded.) Annual rainfall in Shillong, only about 50 miles (80 km) from Cherrapunji, is about 90 inches (2,290 mm). During the winter months (December to February), the climate is relatively dry.

Meghalaya is blanketed in lush forests, and pines, sals, and bamboo are plentiful. Other species include oak, birch, beech, and magnolia. Elephants, tigers, leopards, deer, wild pigs, gaurs (wild bison), mithan (or gayals, the domesticated form of the gaur), wolves, anteaters, monkeys, apes, squirrels, snakes, hares, and sambar deer are all found in the state. Birds in Meghalaya include peacocks, partridges, pigeons, hornbills, jungle fowls, mynas, and parrots.

Resources and power: Meghalaya has abundant but untapped natural resources, including coal, limestone, kaolin, feldspar, quartz, mica, gypsum, bauxite, and other minerals. Its sillimanite deposits (a source of high-grade ceramic clay) are reputedly the best in the world and account for almost all of India’s sillimanite output. Electricity is produced through several hydroelectric power plants in the state; however, during times when rainfall is scarce, power must be imported.

Manufacturing : Meghalaya has no heavy industries; small-scale industries include the manufacture of cement, plywood, and foodstuffs. Transportation: Internal communications are poor, and many areas remain isolated. There are no railways in Meghalaya. A national highway runs through the state from Guwahati (Assam) in the north to Karimganj (Assam) in the south. Shillong is served by a domestic airline handling short-haul, low-capacity routes at Umroi, about 18 miles (30 km) from Shillong; and in 2008 an airport opened at Tura, in the western part of the state.