Nagaland

Nagaland Nagaland
state
• Rank	25th
Population
• Total	1,988,636
• Rank	24th
Website	nagaland.nic.in

Nagaland (Template:Lang-hi) is a hill state located in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur. With a population of nearly two million people, it has a total area of 6,401 sq mi (16,579 km²)—making it one of the smallest states of India.

History

The early history of Nagaland is the the story of the customs and economic activities of the Naga tribes. The people were originally referred to as Naka in Burmese languages, which means 'people with pierced ears'. The Naga tribes had socio-economic and political links with tribes in Assam and Burma (Myanmar); even today a large population of Naga inhabits Assam. Following an invasion in 1816, the area, along with Assam, came under direct rule of Burma. This period was noted for oppressive rule and turmoil in Assam and Nagaland. When the British East India Company took control of Assam in 1826, the Britain steadily expanded its domain over modern Nagaland. By 1892, all of modern Nagaland except the Tuensang area in the northeast was governed by the British. It was politically amalgamated into Assam. Missionaries played an important part in converting Nagaland's Naga tribes in Christianity. Research must be done to find out the origin, religion, and lifestyle of these people before the Burmese invasion or before the Naga people were converted to Christianity.

Road to statehood

During World War I, the British recruited several hundred Nagas and sent them to France to work as laborers at the front. While in Europe, the Naga, who had always been fractured by tribal differences, began to think that they should work towards becoming unified in order to protect their common interests. On their return to their homeland in 1918, they organized, and thus began the Naga nationalist movement.

After the independence of India in 1947, the area remained a part of the province of Assam. Nationalist activities arose amongst a section of the Nagas, whose Naga National Council demanded a political union of their ancestral and native groups, damaged government and civil infrastructure and attacked government officials and civilians from other states of India. The Union government sent the Indian Army in 1955, to restore order. In 1957, the Government began diplomatic talks with representatives of Naga tribes, and the Naga Hills district of Assam and the Tuensang frontier were united in a single political entity that became a Union territory, directly administered by the Central government with a large degree of autonomy. This was not satisfactory to the tribes, however, and soon agitation and violence increased across the state—included attacks on Army and government institutions, as well as civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes. In July 1960, a further political accord was reached at the Naga People's Convention to wit: that Nagaland should become a constituent and self-governing state in the Indian union. Statehood was officially granted in 1963 and the first state-level democratic elections were held in 1964.

Latter day unrest

Insurgencies were quelled in the early 1980s. Violence had re-erupted and there was conflict between rebel group factions till the late 1990s. On 25 July, 1997, Prime Minister Atal Bihari vajpayee announced that the Government after talks with Isaac group of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) declared a cease-fire or cessation of operations with effect from 1 August, 1997 for a period of three months. The cease-fire has since been extended.

Geography and climate

Nagaland is largely a mountainous state. The Naga Hills rise from the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam to about 2,000 feet (610 m) and rise further to the southeast, as high as 6,000 feet (1,800 m). Mount Saramati at an elevation of 12,552 feet (3,826 m) is the state's highest peak; this is where the Naga Hills merge with the Patkai Range in Burma. Rivers such as the Doyang and Diphu to the north, the Barak river in the southwest and the Chindwin river of Burma in the southeast, dissect the entire state.

Great indian Hornbill

Nagaland is rich in flora and fauna. About one-sixth of Nagaland is under the cover of tropical and sub-tropical evergreen forests—including palms, bamboo, and rattan as well as timber and mahogany forests. While some forest areas have been cleared for jhum (cultivation), many scrub forests, high grass, reeds, and secondary dogs, pangolins, porcupines, elephants, leopards, bears, many species of monkeys, sambar, harts, oxen, and buffaloes thrive across the state's forests. The Great Indian Hornbill is one of the most famous birds found in the state.

Nagaland has a largely monsoon climate with high humidity levels. Annual rainfall averages around 70–100 inches (1,800–2,500 mm), concentrated in the months of May to September. Temperatures range from 70 °F (21 °C) to 104 °F (40 °C). In winter, temperatures don't generally drop below 39 °F (4 °C), but frost is common at high elevations.

Culture and religion

Naga girl

The (14) tribes of Nagaland are Angami, Ao, Chakhesang, Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Lotha, Phom, Pochury, Rengma, Sangtam, Sumi, Yimchungru, and Zeliang, of which the Konyaks, Angamis, Aos, Lothas, and Sumis are the largest Naga tribes. Tribe and clan traditions and loyalties play an important part in the life of Nagas. Weaving is a traditional art handed down through generations in Nagaland. Each of the major tribes has its own unique designs and colors, producing shawls, shoulder bags, decorative spears, table mats, wood carvings, and bamboo works. Naga Tribal dances of the Nagas give an insight into the inborn Naga reticence of the Naga people. War dances and other dances belonging to distinctive Naga tribes are a major art form in Nagaland. Some of these are Moatsu, Sekrenyi, Tuluni, Tokhu Emong, and Gan-Ngai.

Christianity is the predominant religion of Nagaland. The state's population is 1.988 million, out of which 90.02% are Christians. The census of 2001 recorded the state's Christian population at 1,790,349, making it, with Meghalaya and Mizoram, one of the three Christian-majority states in India and the only state where Christians form 90 percent of the population. The state has a very high church attendance rate in both urban and rural areas. The largest of Asia's churches dominate the skylines of Kohima, Dimapur, and Mokokchung.

Nagaland is known as "the most populated Baptist state in the world". Among Christians, Baptists are the predominant group constituting more than 75 percent of the state's population, thus making it more Baptist (on a percentage basis) than Mississippi in the southern United States, where 52 percent of its population is Baptist.

Catholics, Revivalists, and Pentecostals are the other Christian denomination numbers. Catholics are found in significant numbers in parts of Wokha district as also in the urban areas of Kohima and Dimapur.

Hinduism and Islam are minority religions in state, at 7.7% and 1.8% of the population respectively. A small minority, less than 0.3%, still practise the traditional religions and are mainly concentrated in Peren and the Eastern districts.

Languages

Almost all the tribes of Nagaland have their own language. Nagas speak 60 different dialects belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. The traditional languages do not have any script of their own. The Christian Missionaries used Roman script for these languages.

In 1967 the Nagaland Assembly proclaimed English as the official language of Nagaland and is the medium for education in Nagaland.

Nagamese, a creole language form of Indo-Aryan Assamese and local dialects is the most widely spoken market language. Every tribe has its own mother tongue but communicates with other tribes in Nagamese. As such Nagamese is not a mother tongue of any of the tribes; nor is it written.

Demography

The population of Nagaland is nearly two million people. Template:IndiaCensusPop

Administration

District map of Nagaland

The Governor of Nagaland is the constitutional head of state, representative of the President of India. He possesses largely ceremonial responsibilities. A 60-member Vidhan Sabha is the state of ministers, led by a Chief minister—all elected members of legislature—forms the government executive. Unlike most Indian states, Nagaland has been granted a great degree of state autonomy, as well as special powers and autonomy for Naga tribes to conduct their own affairs. Each tribe has a hierarchy of councils at the village, range, and tribal levels dealing with local disputes. There is a special regional council for the Tuensang district, elected by the tribes of the area. The state is divided into eleven districts:

Districts Dimapur District Kiphire District Kohima District Longleng District Mokokchung District

Mon District Peren District Phek District Tuensang District Wokha District Zunheboto District

District Headquarters Dimapur-Chumukedima Kiphire Greater Kohima Longleng Mokokchung

Mon Peren Phek Tuensang Greater Wokha Zunheboto

Urban centres

Greater cities and towns

Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchung, Tuensang, Wokha, Mon, Zunheboto

Urban agglomerations

There are four urban agglomeration areas with population of more than 40,000 in the state:

Rank	Metropolitan/Agglomeration Area	District	2001 Census
1	Dimapur-Chumukedima	Dimapur District	230,106
2	Greater Kohima	Kohima District	99,795
3	Mokokchung Metropolitan Area	Mokokchung District	60,161
4	Greater Wokha	Wokha District	43,089

Greater (non-district headquarter) towns

Tuli town, Naganimora, Changtongya, Tizit, Tseminyu, Bhandari, Akuluto, Pfutsero

Economy

Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Nagaland at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian rupees.

Year	MRs
1980	1,027
1985	2,730
1990	6,550
1995	18,140
2000	36,790

Nagaland's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $1.4 billion in current prices.

Agriculture is the most important economic activity in Nagaland, with more than 90% of the population employed crops include rice, corn, millets, pulses, tobacco, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes, and threads. However, Nagaland still depends on the import of food supplies from other states. The widespread practice of jhum, tilling, has led to soil erosion and loss of fertility, particularly in the eastern districts. Only the Angami and Chakesang tribes in the Kohima and Phek districts use terracing techniques. And most of the Aos, Lothas, and Zeliangs in Mokokchung, Wokha, and Peren districts respectively till in the many valleys of the district. Forestry is also an important source of income. Cottage industries such as weaving, woodwork, and pottery are also an important source of revenue. Tourism is important, but largely limited due to insurgency since the last five decades.

Transportation

The railway network in the state is minimal. Broad gauge lines run 7.98 miles (12.84 km), National Highway roads 227.0 miles (365.3 km), and state roads 680.1 miles (1,094.5 km). There is one airport in Dimapur and another is being planned for Kohima, the state capital.

Railways

Railway: North East Frontier Railway

• Broad gauge: 7.98 miles (12.84 km)
• Total: 7.98 miles (12.84 km)

[Data Source: N. F. Railway, CME Office, Guwahati-781011]

Highways and towns served

National highways: 227.0 miles (365.3 km)

• NH-61: Kohima, Wokha, Tseminyu, Wokha, Mokokchung, Changtongya, Tuli
• NH-39: Dimapur-Kohima-Mao-Imphal (134.2 mi (216.0 km))
• NH-36: Dimapur-Doboka-Nagonan (105.6 mi (169.9 km))
• NH-150: Kohima-Jessami via Chakhabama-Pfutsero (74.6 mi (120.1 km))
• NH-153: Mokukchung-Jessami via Tuesang-Kiphire (206.9 mi (333.0 km))

State highways: 680.1 miles (1,094.5 km)

• Chakabama-Mokokchung Via Chazuba and Zunheboto
• Kohima-Meluri
• Mokokchung-Mariani
• Mokokchung-Tuensang
• Namtola-Mon
• Tuensang-Mon-Naginimora
• Tuensang-Kiphiri-Meluri
• Wokha-Merapani Road

[Source: Office of The Chief Engineer, P.W.D., Kohima, Nagaland]

Airways

• Dimapur: 43.5 miles (70.0 km) from capital

Newspapers

• Nagaland Post
• Morung Express
• Nagaland Page
• Eastern Mirror

See also

• Northeast Indian Railways during World War II
• Battle of the Tennis Court
• Edwin W. Clark
• Indian XXXIII Corps
• Battle of Kohima
• Mukti Bahini
• Rani Gaidinliu
• Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order 1958 (India)

External links

• Government of Nagaland official website
• Department of IT & Technical Education
• Department of Forest, Ecology, Environment and Wildlife
• Horticulture Department
• The Worlds hottest Chili originating from Nagaland