About Himachal Pradesh
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Himachal Pradesh, formally the Punjab Hill States, is a state in northwest India. Neighbouring regions are Tibet (China) to the east, Jammu and Kashmir to the north and northwest, Punjab to the southwest, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the south and Uttaranchal to the southeast. It is 55,658 sq km (21,490 sq mi) and the population in 1991 was 5,111,079. It was established as an administrative unit in 1948 by combining some 30 hill states and it was made the 18th state of India on January 25, 1971. The state capital is Shimla, and it also contains the towns of Dharamsala, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Chamba, Dalhousie and Manali.
Much of the state is mountainous with the Himalaya in the north and east and the smaller Shiwalik (or Shivalik) range in the south. The Ghaggar River originates in the Shivalik range. The main rivers are the Sutlej (home of the Bhakra Nangal Dam Project) and the Beas. The bridge on the Sutlej River at Kandraur, Bilaspur is one of the highest bridges in Asia.
Himachal Pradesh is almost wholly mountainous with altitudes ranging from 350 meters to 6,975 meters above the mean sea level. It is located between Latitude 30O 22 40 N to 33O 12 20 N and Longitude 75O 45 55 E to 79O 04 20 E. It has a deeply dissected topography, complex geological structure and a rich temperate flora in the sub tropical latitudes.
Physiographically, the State can be divided into five zones viz.
(i) Wet Sub temperate zone,
(ii) Humid Sub temperate zone,
(iii) Dry temperate alpine High lands,
(iv) Humid Sb tropical zone, and
(v) Sub Humid Sub tropical zone. Wet Sub temperate sone comprises Palampur and Dharamsala of Kangra District, Jogindernagar area of Mandi district and Dalhousie area of Chamba district, Humid Sub temperate zone comprises the districts of Kullu, Shimla, parts of Mandi, Solan, chamba, Kangra and Sirmour, Dry temperate Alpine High lands include major parts of Lahaul Spiti, Pangi and Minnaur, Humid Sub tropical zone consists district Sirmaur, Bhattiyat valley of district cham,ba, Nalagarh area of district Solan, Dehragopipur and Nurpur areas of district Kangra and; Sub humid tropical zone sirmaur and Indora area of district Kangra.
Climatically Himachal Pradesh can be divided into three zones
(I) The outer Himalayas,
(ii) The Inner Himalayas and
(iii) Alpine zone. The first zone gets annual rainfall between 150 cms and 175 cms. In second it varies between 75 cms to 100 cms and the Alpine zone remains under snow for about five to six months. The average annual rainfall in the State is about 160 cms. The climate varies between hot and ahumid in the valley areas to freezing cold in the home of perpetual snow.
The soils of Himachal Pradesh can be divided into nine groups on the basis of their development and physio chemical properties. These groups are alluvial soils, Brown hill soils, Brown earths, Brown porests soils, Grey wooded or Podozolic soils, Grey brown podzolic soils, Plansolic soils, Humus and iron Podzols and Alpine hunus mountain skeletal soils. Five perennial rivers Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Yamuna flow through its territory. The utility of these rivers though restricted considerably by the rugged and undulating terrain of the State, nevertheless, these rivers posses immense potential for the generation of hydro electricity.
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