Assam is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur. Located just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, it is surrounded by the other northeastern states: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. Assam and its commercial capital Guwahati form the gateway to the northeastern states, together called the seven sisters. These states are connected to the rest of India via Assam’s border with West Bengal and a narrow strip called the “Chicken’s Neck.” Assam shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh.

The largest and most easily accessible of the north-east states, Assam is a major tea producing area (60% of India’s tea comes from here) and also produces a large proportion of India’s oil. The main attractions for the visitor are the Manas and Kaziranga wildlife reserves which are home for India’s rare one-horned rhinoceros. More About Assam GuwahatiTezpurKazirangaSibsagarMajuli. Assam , state (2001 provisional pop. 26,638,407), c.30,000 sq mi (77,700 sq km), extreme NE India. Dispur is the capital.

Almost completely separated from India by Bangladesh, Assam is bordered by Nagaland and Manipur on the east, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya on the south, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan in the north and west and West Bengal in the west. The terrain consists largely of hill plains and some hilly ranges in the south. The river valleys, particularly those of the Brahmaputra and Surma, contain the richest soil and support most of the people. The rainfall is often excessive.

Tea, grown on large plantations in the piedmont sections, is the principal crop. Rice, citrus fruit, sugarcane, sesame, cotton, and jute are also grown. Industry consists of the processing of agricultural products. Assam is an important oil-producing region with refineries at Digboi and Nunmati.

A pipeline delivers oil to Barauni (Bihar state), and Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh). Locally, the Brahmaputra is important for river transportation. Railways supplement the waterway and are linked with other Indian lines by a route through West Bengal. Rail and road transportation are limited. Calcutta, in West Bengal state, is the nearest large Indian city. Assam has a highly heterogeneous population. Assamese, a dialect related to Bengali, is the predominant language.