Meghalaya in northeastern India rests on the northeastern shoulder of Bangladesh, south of the state of Assam. A part of Assam at the time of Indian Independence, Meghalaya became a separate state in 1972.

The inhabitants of Meghalaya are mainly tribal—hailing from the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo tribes. A common cultural tradition of all these tribes is the matriarchal law of inheritance. Property and succession of family position passes from the mother to the youngest daughter.

Agriculture is the main economic activity. For long, the tribes practised shifting cultivation but are gradually moving to more settled ways of life. The more important crops are rice and maize. Oranges, pineapples, and potatoes are also grown, as are arecanut, ginger, turmeric, betel leaf and black pepper.

Khasi and Garo are the principal languages and, together with Jaintia and English, are the official languages.

Though Shillong is connected by air to Calcutta and Guwahati, it has only 1000 kilometres of surfaced roads and the nearest railway station lies in Assam.

Meghalaya Fact File:
Area : 22,429 sq. km
Population : 23,06,069.
Languages : Khasi and Garo are the principal languages and, together with Jaintia and English, are the official languages.
Capital : Shillong