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Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh, state (2001 provisional pop. 20,795,956), 52,200 sq mi (135,194 sq km), central India; created from SE Madhya Pradesh in 2000. Most of Chhattisgarh lies in the valley of the Mahanadi and Sheonath rivers; its eastern section occupies the Deccan plateau, with hills in the west and the Maikal Mts. in the north. The capital is Raipur; other cities include Bastar and Bhilainagar, which houses the state's largest steel plant. The population is more than two thirds rural and consists of various ethnic groups, almost 45% of whom are non-Hindu tribes. Agriculture employs some 80% of the workforce in the relatively undeveloped state, with rice by far the largest crop; others include various cereal grains and legumes. Covering almost a half of Chhattisgarh's area, dense forests yield timber and other wood products, although present development is not substantial. The state is rich in natural resources, with abundant deposits of gold, diamonds, coal, uranium, bauxite, corundum, dolomite, iron, copper, limestone, tin, and other minerals. Long a part of Madhya Pradesh state, but historically (traced back to the 4th cent. A.D.) and culturally distinct from it, the region had been a hotbed of separatist activity since the early 1920s. In recent years, Chhattisgarh has been the site of activity by the Maoist Naxalite movement.

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Wikipedia search results for: Chhattisgarh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chhattisgarh, a state in central India, formed when the sixteen Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on November 1, 2000. Raipur serves as its capital. It is the 10th largest state of India by area of 52,199 sq mi. Chhattisgarh takes its name from 36 princely states in this region from very old times, though the listing of these 36 forts has always remained a point of dispute. It borders Madhya Pradesh on the northwest, Maharashtra on the west, Andhra Pradesh on the south, Orissa on the east, Jharkhand on the northeast and Uttar Pradesh on the north. The Chhattisgarhi language, a dialect of eastern Hindi, is...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Chhattisgarh
Results 1 - 7  of 7
  • Raipur

    Raipur, city (1991 pop. 462,694), capital of Chhattisgarh state, E central India, on the Kharun River. It is a district administrative center and an agricultural-processing and sawmilling town...

  • Bhilainagar

    Bhilainagar or Bhilai, city (1991 pop. 398,799), Chhattisgarh state, central India. It is the site of a large state-owned steel industry, built with Soviet assistance in the 1950s. Other manuf...

  • Mahanadi

    Mahanadi, river, c.550 mi (885 km) long, rising in S Chhattisgarh state, central India, and flowing north then east through a gorge in the Eastern Ghats, across Orissa state, forming a delta b...

  • Jharkhand

    Jharkhand, state (2001 provisional pop. 26,909,428), 30,775 sq mi (79,714 sq km), E central India; created in 2000 from S Bihar, which now forms its northern border. Other bordering states are...

  • Bilaspur

    Bilaspur. 1 Former principality, Himachal Pradesh state, NW India, in the W Himalayas. It is the site of the Bhakra dam, a massive project on the Sutlej River. The town of Bilaspur (1991 pop. ...

  • Madhya Pradesh

    Madhya Pradesh, state (2001 provisional pop. 60,385,118), 119,010 sq mi (308,240 sq km), central India, between the Deccan and the Ganges plain. The capital is Bhopal. One of the largest state...

  • India

    India, officially Republic of India, republic (2005 est pop. 1,080,264,000), 1,261,810 sq mi (3,268,090 sq km), S Asia. The second most populous country in the world, it is also sometimes call...

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