Geographics of Punjab

Climate, Demographics, Political, Trade and Commerce

Punjab state in north-western India, is bordered on the north by Jammu and Kashměr state and Himachal Pradesh state, on the east and south by Haryana state, on the south and south-west by Rajasthan state, and on the west by Pakistan. Punjab covers an area of 50,362 sq. km.

Punjab state lies between the great systems of the Indus and Ganges rivers. Most of the state is an alluvial plain, irrigated by canals; Punjab's arid southern border edges on the Thar, or Great Indian Desert. The Shivalik Range rises sharply in the north of the state.

Climate

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The climate of the plains is excessively hot and dry between April and August, with temperatures as high as 49° C (120° F). The rains of the monsoon season begin at the end of June. Winters are cool and frosts occur. Annual rainfall ranges from about 915 mm (about 36 in) in the north to 102 mm (4 in) in the south. The average temperature in January is 13° C (55° F), although at night the temperature sometimes lowers to freezing. In June the average temperature is 34° C (93° F), occasionally climbing as high as 45° C (113° F). Annual average rainfall ranges from 1250 mm (49 in) in the north to 350 mm (14 in) in the south-west. More than 70 percent of the annual rainfall occurs during the monsoon season from July to September.

Demographics

At the 1991 census, Punjab had a population of 20,281,969, with an average density of 403 persons per sq. km. Chanděgarh is the state capital. The population of Punjab consists mainly of Punjabis, Jats and Rajputs. The official language is Punjabi, which is spoken by about two-thirds of the population; the rest speaks Hindi. The majority of the population is Sikh, the largest minority is Hindu, and a very small percentage is Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, or Jain. In 1991, 59 percent of Punjab's population was literate. Universities located in the state include Guru Nanak Dev University (founded in 1969) in Amritsar, Punjab Agricultural University (1962) in Ludhiana, Punjabi University (1962) in Patiala and Panjab University in Chandigarh.

Political

Punjab has a single-chamber legislative assembly with 117 seats. The state sends 19 members to the Indian national parliament: 7 to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and 12 to the Lok Sabha (Lower House). Local government is based on 12 administrative districts.

Trade and Commerce

More than 80 percent of Punjab has cultivated land and farming is the leading occupation. The major crops are wheat, maize (corn), rice, pulses (legumes), sugarcane, and cotton. Among the livestock raised are buffalo and other cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry. The principal industries include the manufacture of textiles, sewing machines, sporting goods, starch, fertilisers, bicycles, scientific instruments, electrical goods, and machine tools, and the processing of sugar and pine oil.

                Privileged by nature and the dynamism of its people, Punjab is a land of rivers, fertile soils and steady achievement. With its inimitable style of transforming every potential opportunity into a success story, the state was the first to translate agricultural technology into the "green revolution", recording highest growth rate in food production. From a minor producer it emerged a major rice surplus state. Providing the impetus for the "White revolution", during Operation Flood, it was Punjab that recorded the highest per capita availability of milk.

                        Punjab now has over 1.97 lakhs of small and medium industries and about 653 large-scale industries. It leads in the manufacture of machine and hand tools; printing and paper cutting machinery, auto parts and electrical switchgear. The state also provides more than 75% of the country's requirement for bicycles, sewing machines, hosiery and sports goods. At par with the highest quality standards in the world, these products have carved a niche for themselves in markets across the globe.

Other Related Topics of Interest !

Framework of Punjab I Modern Punjab I Geographics of Punjab I
Festivals of Punjab I Arts & Crafts of Punjab I The Art of Feasting in Punjab I Folk Music of Punjab I

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