The easternmost region of India called Northeast India is officially referred to as Northeast region (NER) commonly known for its geography and political administrative division. This region consists of eight states widely known as the “Seven Sisters” namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura and Sikkim referred to as the “brother” of the seven sisters.
The Northeast region shares international border of 5,182 kilometers with several neighboring countries like 1,395 kilometers with China in the north, 1,640 kilometers with Myanmar in the east, 1,596 kilometers with Bangladesh in the south-west, 455 kilometers with Bhutan in the north-west, and 97 kilometers with Nepal in the west.
| States | Population(as per Census 2011) | Area(sqkm) | Percentage All India | Density of Population(per sqkm) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | Area | ||||
| Arunachal Pradesh | 13,83,727 | 83,743 | 0.11% | 2.55% | 17 |
| Assam | 3,12,05,576 | 78,438 | 2.58% | 2.39% | 398 |
| Manipur | 28,55,794 | 22,327 | 0.24% | 0.68% | 115 |
| Meghalaya | 29,66,889 | 22,429 | 0.25% | 0.68% | 132 |
| Mizoram | 10,97,206 | 21,081 | 0.09% | 0.64% | 52 |
| Nagaland | 19,78,502 | 16,579 | 0.16% | 0.50% | 119 |
| Sikkim | 6,10,577 | 7,096 | 0.05% | 0.22% | 86 |
| Tripura | 36,73,917 | 10,486 | 0.30% | 0.32% | 350 |
| Total NE | 4,57,72,188 | 2,62,179 | 3.78% | 7.97% | 173 |
| All India | 1,21,08,54,977 | 32,87,263 | - | - | 382 |
Northeast India is almost 8% of India comprising an area of 262,184 square kilometers. The Northeast region is as diverse as India in terms of race, ethnicity, culture and also religion. This part of India is very vaguely constructed by policy makers, social scientists and considered as a homogenous entity of misty mountains inhabited by tribes who professed Christianity.
The Siliguri corridor connects mainland India with the rest of the Northeastern states, and is regarded as the “Mongoloid Fringe”, from where the land of the mongoloid races starts. Siliguri is located at the foothills of eastern Himalayas conveniently accessing the four international borders named China, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. It has a remarkable strategic importance in West Bengal due to its significant trade and transportation hub.
North Eastern Council (NEC), constituted in 1971 provides official recognition to the states of Northeast region and acts as an agency for the development of north-eastern states. After a long time, Sikkim became a state of Northeastern region in 2002. Northeast India connects East Asia and ASEAN through India’s Look-East Connectivity projects. Guwahati, the city of Assam is famous as the largest metropolis of Northeast India and is popularly known as “Gateway to the Northeast”.