Assam is the sentinel of north-east India and gateway to the North-Eastern States. The State is close to India’s international borders with Bangladesh and Bhutan. Assam is surrounded by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh on the north, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh on the east and Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram on the south.

Assam is known for her rich forest wealth which constituted 26.22 per cent of the total forest area.

The earliest mention of the Andhras is said to be in Aitereya Brahmana (2000 BC). It indicates that the Andhras, originally an Aryan race living in north India migrated to south of the Vindhyas and later mixed with non-Aryans. Regular history of Andhra Desa, according to historians, begins with 236 BC, the year of Ashoka’s death. From the 17th century onwards, the British annexed territories of the Nizam and constituted the single province of Madras. After Independence, Telugu-speaking areas were separated from the composite Madras Presidency and a new Andhra State came into being on 1 October 1953. With the passing of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, there was a merger of Hyderabad State and Andhra State, and consequently Andhra Pradesh came into being on 1 November 1956.

Andhra Pradesh is historically called the Rice Bowl of India. The State has a large river system which supplements the rainfall in the State. It is one of the few States in the country blessed with riverine geography.

Andhra Pradesh is bound on the north by Odisha and Chhattisgarh, on the west by Maharashtra and Karnataka, on the south by Tamil Nadu and on the east by the Bay of Bengal with a coastline of 974 km.

Agriculture is the main occupation of about 62 per cent of the people in Andhra Pradesh. Rice is a major food crop and staple food of the State contributing about 77 per cent of the food grain production.

There was a mighty Revival in Andhra Pradesh from the year 1905 to 1912. It was felt in Kurnool, Nellore, Ongole and other places. One report said “The Spirit came like a flood we had three glorious weeks, which to experience is worth a lifetime” – (From the Book “Revival Fire” by Wesley Duewel)

One of the major states of the Indian Union, Bihar is bounded on the north by Nepal, on the east by West Bengal, on west by Uttar Pradesh and on the south by Jharkhand. Bihar has a number of rivers, the most important of which is the Ganga. Bihar has a total geographical area of about 93.60 lakh hectare, out of which only 55.54 lakh hectare is the net cultivated area with a gross cultivated area of 76.71 lakh hectare during 2008-09. The principal food crops are paddy, wheat, maize and pulses. Main cash crops are sugarcane, potato, tobacco, oilseeds, onion, chillies, jute and mesta. Bihar has notified forest area of 6.22 lakh hectare, which is 6.65 per cent of its geographical area.

Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh came into being on 1 November 2000 as the 26th State of the Union. It fulfills the long-cherished demand of the people. With the advent of the British in 1845, Raipur gained prominence instead of capital Ratanpur

Chhattisgarh is bounded by southern Jharkhand and Odisha in the east, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in the west, Uttar Pradesh and western Jharkhand in the north and Andhra Pradesh in the south. Areawise Chhattisgarh is the ninth largest State and population-wise it is seventeenth State of the nation.

Agriculture and allied activities account for nearly 80 per cent of the work force in the State.

Goa, known in the bygone days as Gomanchala, Gopakapattam, Gopakapuri, Govapuri, Gomantak, etc., abounds in a rich historical heritage. After the discovery of the sea route to India by Vasco-da-Gama in 1498, many Portuguese expeditions came to India. In 1510, Alfonso de Albuquerque with the help of the emperor of Vijayanagar attacked and captured Goa. With the arrival of the Jesuit priest Francis Xavier in 1542 proselytisation began in Goa. However, the Portuguese continued to rule over the territory except for an interlude during the latter half of the 17th century Even after India’s independence, Goa continued to be in the hands of the Portuguese. However, they could not fulfil the aspirations of the Goan people and ultimately on 19 December 1961, Goa was liberated and made a composite union territory with Daman and Diu. On 30 May 1987 Goa was conferred statehood and Daman and Diu was made a separate union territory.

Goa is situated on the western coast of the Indian Peninsula. On its north runs the Terekhol River which separates Goa from Maharashtra and on the south lies North Canara district of Karnataka. On the east lie the Western Ghats and on the west the Arabian Sea. Panaji, Margao, Vasco, Mapusa and Ponda are the main towns of Goa.

Christianity was introduced in the State in 1342. The Portuguese mission converted a large number of people towards Christianity and about 40% of the population was converted to Christianity. The entire Christian community is Catholic. The protestants are few in number. They belong to the Church of Christ, Brethern, Pentecostal mission, New Life Fellowship and Methodists. The protestants comprise just 0.04% of the Christians. The Methodists also have churches. The New Life Fellowship does missionary work.

The history of Gujarat goes back to 2000 B.C. Before Independence, the present territories of Gujarat used to be in two parts, the British and the Princely territories. With the re-organisation of the States, the Union of the States of Saurashtra and the Union Territory of Kachchh along with the former British, Gujarat became a part of the biggest bilingual State of Bombay. The present State of Gujarat came into being on May, 1960. It is situated on the west coast of India. The state is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, Pakistan and Rajasthan in the north and north-east respectively, Madhya Pradesh in the south-east and Maharashtra in the south.

Haryana is the 20^th state of India that came into being on 1^st November 1966 and presently has 21 districts. Previously it was under Punjab. It is situated in the North Western region surrounded by Himachal Pradesh from North, Uttrakhand from North East, Rajasthan from the South, U.P, and Delhi from East and Punjab from North West. The largest district of Haryana is Bhiwani while Panchkula is the smallest district. Panchkula, along with Mohali and Chandigarh is called Tricity. The capital of Haryana is shared by its neighboring state Punjab and is Chandigarh, designed by Swiss-born French architect, Le Corbusier.

Himachal situated in the heart of the western Himalaya, The entire State is punctuated with stone as well as wood temples. The rich culture and traditions have made Himachal unique in itself. The shadowy valleys, rugged crags, glaciers and gigantic pines and roaring rivers and exquisite flora and fauna compose the symphony that is for ever Himachal.

Himachal Pradesh came into being as a Union Territory in April 1948 as a result of the integration of 30 princely States spread over 27,000 sq.km. In 1954, when another C” class state of Bilaspur merged in Himachal Pradesh, its area increased to 28,241 sq.km. The position remained unchanged till 1966. On re-organisation of the State, the hilly areas of Punjab were merged with the State, increasing its size to 55,673 sq.km. Himachal Pradesh today is quoted as a successful model of not only hill area development but also for having realized development in education, health and social services.

Agriculture being the main occupation of the people of Himachal Pradesh has an important role in the economy of the State. It provides direct employment to about 69 per cent of the main working population.