Top 10 Things You May Not Know About Northeast India

The North Eastern region of India (Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, and Sikkim) remains somewhat an obscure destination for many Indians. Even if the region manages to get a space in media, it is mostly for wrong reasons. There are many of us who do not even know the existence of certain states in the Northeast. Why should we not be known to the rest of the country?

Let’s Know the North East

Presenting below some interesting facts about Northeast India, which are lesser known to the rest of the Indians:

1.    Which state in India is considered as the Land of the Rising Sun? Arunachal Pradesh. It is the eastern most state of the country, which witnesses the first sunrise. This state also has three international borders: Bhutan, China and Myanmar.

2.    Do you know where in the world you find the world’s largest river island? It is Majuli in Assam.It is also known for its Vaishnavite religious centres, solar power generation and the most attractive sunset over the River Brahmaputra.

3.    Where do you find the world’s smallest inhabited river island in the world? This is in Guwahati, Assam. The Umananda Island in the River Brahmaputra has a famous temple by the same name.

4.    Which is the cleanest village in Asia? Mawlynnong in Shillong, Meghalaya. This small village can be the source of inspiration for the urban destinations, in matters of cleanliness.

5.    Which is the wettest place on earth? Mawsynram in Meghalaya is reportedly the wettest place on Earth because it receives highest average rainfall (around 12,000 millimetres) on the planet.

6.    Where do you find the first oil well and oil refinery of the country? Digboi, in Assam, has the oldest oil well in operation. The Digboi Refinery is the country’s first modern refinery. It was established way back in 1901. It is said that Digboi, even today, has the reputation of being the world’s oldest continuously producing oilfield, though the production is low.

7.    Which is the largest tea-growing region in the world? Assam. Strange, isn’t it? A small state in India is the largest tea growing region for the entire world.

8.    Which state produces three different types of silks? While we are all aware of Kanjeevaram silk, Benarasi silk, there are many among us who are not aware that Assam is the only state in India that produces three important types of indigenous silks – white Pat, golden Muga and warm Eri silk, with each having its distinct beauty not to be found in other silks.

9.    Which are the most literate states in India? Tripura and Mizoram, two states in northeast India, have the distinction of being among the most literate states of the country. It is a pleasant surprise, considering that people in this region are dubbed as “backward”. In fact, in 2013, Tripura was declared the most literate state of the country with 94.65% literacy rate, though for official records as taken in 2011 census, Kerala is still considered the most literate state of the country.

10. Which place in India is known as the Scotland of the East? While we are aware that Kashmir is known as the “Paradise on Earth” and Kerala is “God’s Own Country”, not many of us know that we have Shillong (Meghalaya) as the “Scotland of the East”. Its beautiful natural surroundings and divine landscape are sylvan, to say the least.