Arunachal Pradesh

First Online: October 07, 2007
Page Last Updated: August 20, 2024

Arunachal Pradesh is a state on the northeastern part of India, bordering on Tibet to the north, Burma to the east, Bhutan to the west, and Assam and Nagaland to the south. This  mountainous Himalayan region has the lowest population density among all of the Indian states.

Locally, Arunachal Pradesh is thought to descend from the ancient land of Vidarbha. The area came under British administration after the empire annexed Assam in 1838. The newly independent republic of India designated the region the North-East Frontier Agency. It became a union territory in 1972 and a state, with an elected legislative assembly, in 1987. As a result of an invasion in 1962, parts of northern Arunachal Pradesh came under Chinese control.

Nissi and Adi are the most prominent tribal languages of the dozens spoken in Arunachal Pradesh. Dihang (see Brahmaputra river) is the most prominent river.