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| Home > | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UP Home > | Geography > | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Uttar Pradesh is located in the heart of the country, bordered in the North by Uttaranchal and Nepal, on the East by Bihar, on the South by Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, on the West by Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana. The location of the state has been instrumental in its development through the ages. Its part of one of the largest river systems in the world, the Indo-Gangetic plain. The fertile river basin has cradled one of the most ancient civilizations. The Indo-Aryans, who entered the Indian plains through Punjab, settled in huge numbers in the land that is now U.P. Several ancient and medieval kingdoms flourished in this land (See History). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Uttar Pradesh can basically be divided into five different ethno-social regions - Rohilkhand, Braj, Avadh(Oudh), Bundelkhand and Purab(Bhojpur). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rohilkhand is the extreme North-West of the state, bordering Haryana. This region boasts of the courageous Rohillas, who challenged and humbled bigger powers and even ruled the seat at Delhi for some time. The principal dialect of this region is Khari-Boli (a version of Hindi or Hindustani). The region is famous for its cereal crops, sugarcane and industries. The principal cities of the region are Saharanpur, Bareilly, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Moradabad and Ghaziabad. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Braj, the land of Krishna, nestles in the South West of the state, bordering Rajasthan. It also has exchanged significant influences with the colorful Rajasthan. The Brajwasis speak a very sweet-sounding Brajbhasha. The main cities in this region are Agra and Mathura. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Avadh, the region made famous by the Nawabs, houses the regal city of Lucknow, also the capital of Uttar Pradesh. The dialect of this region, Avadhi has found its way into incountable Bollywood movies and millions of hearts. The other important cities of this central region are Kanpur, Rae Bareli, Farukkhabad and Ayodhya. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bundelkhand!, the name brings to millions of people images of courage, stately rulers and stories of gallantry. This region on the South of the state borders M.P.(which shares the region). The primary language is Bundeli and cities are Banda, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Jhansi. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purab is the east bastion of the state, seat of its cultural ethos and art and literature. The primary language of the region is Bhojpuri (also spoken in neighbouring Bihar) and the cities include Varanasi, Allahabad, Mirzapur and Gorakhpur. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rivers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The people of Uttar Pradesh consider themselves extremely fortunate to have been endowed several major rivers and hundreds of tributaries and streams. As mentioned above, these rivers have played a major role in the development of the state. Since the state still has a primarily agrarian economy, water resources have been like Amrit (Divine Nectar) for the state. Rivers like Ganga (the Ganges), Yamuna, Gomti, Ghaghra(Saryu), Chambal and Betwa bless the land. Alongwith their tributaries these rivers have formed possibly the most fertile region in the world. Historically and Hydrologically speaking, a region between two large rivers (Doab) is supposed to be extremely fertile. What more could U.P. ask for than a Doab of Ganga and Yamuna! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resources | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water is not the only resource that the state prides itself about. It is also amply endowed with Mineral, Forest and Human resources. A significant part of Bundelkhand and Purab has rich reserves of minerlas like coal, bauxite, mica and it is believed the flood plain hides in its depths one of the richest reserves of oil! About 10% of the state is covered with dense sub-tropical forests. These are not just sources of high quality timber but also house hundreds of species of wildlife (See Tourism-Wildlife). Uttar Pradesh has not only the most number of people in the Indian Union (about 160 m), but also possibly the highest number of skilled workers, professionals, businessmen and people in all occupations. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Agriculture | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The healthy combination of abundant water resources, fertile land, number of people and their industry as well as enterprising attitude has made U.P. the Annapurna (Food-giver) of the nation and beyond. It is today by far the largest producer of cereals (including wheat), sugarcane and sugar, tobacco, groundnuts, pulses and milk. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||