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Uttarakhand
उत्तराखंड
— State —
Uttarakhand Rajya
Location of Uttarakhand in India
Map of Uttarakhand
Coordinates (Dehradun): 30.33°N 78.06°ECoordinates:
30.33°N 78.06°E
Country
India
Established
9 November 2000
Capital
Dehradun†
Largest city
Dehradun
Districts
13
Government
• Governor
Aziz Qureshi
• Chief Minister
Vijay Bahuguna (INC)
• Legislature
Unicameral (70 seats)
• Parliamentary constituency
5
• High Court
Uttarakhand High Court
Area
• Total
53,566 km2 (20,682 sq mi)
Area rank
18th
Population (2011)
• Total
10,116,752
• Rank
19th
• Density
189/km2 (490/sq mi)
Time zone
IST (UTC+05:30)
ISO 3166 code
IN-UT
HDI
0.515[1]
HDI rank
7th (2011)
Literacy
79.63%
Sex ratio
963
Languages spoken
Garhwali, Kumaoni, Hindi, Urdu
Official languages
Hindi, Sanskrit
Website
uk.gov.in
^† Dehradun is the provisional capital of the state. The new capital has not yet been chosen.
Uttarakhand/ˌʉtərɑː khənd/, formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Land of the Gods" due to the many holy Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found throughout the state. Known for its natural beauty of the Himalayas, the Bhabhar and the Terai, the state was carved out of the Himalayan and adjoining northwestern districts of Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000, becoming the 27th state of the Republic of India.[2] It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region on the north; the Mahakali Zone of the Far-Western Region, Nepal on the east; and the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the south and Himachal Pradesh to the northwest. The state is divided into two divisions, Garhwal and Kumaon, with a total of 13 districts. The provisional capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun, which is also a railhead and the largest city in the region. The high court of the state is in Nainital.
The natives of the state are generally called either Garhwali or Kumaoni depending on their place of origin. According to the 2011 census of India Uttarakhand has a population of 10,116,752, making it the 19th most populous state in India. A large portion of the population is Rajput and Brahmin. More than 88% of the population is Hindu. Muslims are the largest minority in the state with Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, and Jains being the other major religions. Garhwali and Kumaoni are the two main regional languages with Hindi being the most widely spoken language.
Two of the most important rivers in Hinduism originate in the region, the Ganga at Gangotri and the Yamuna at Yamunotri. These two along with Badrinath and Kedarnath form the Chota Char Dham, a holy pilgrimage for the Hindus. The state also hosts the Bengal tiger in Jim Corbett National Park, the oldest on the Indian subcontinent. There is also the Valley of Flowers, a Unesco World Heritage Site known for the variety and rarity of the flowers and plants found there.
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