Regional Profiles - North & Western India

Chhatisgarh is a state in Central India. It is the 10th largest state in India, with an area of 13. 5 million hectare. It is the 16th most-populated state of the nation having a total population of 25. 5 million. Chhattisgarh is one of the emerging states with relatively high growth rates of Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) (8. 2% vs. 7. 1% All India over 2002-2008) and per capita NSDP (6. 2% vs. 5. 4% All India over 2002-2008).

Goa is the smallest Indian state by area (0. 37 million hectare) and the fourth smallest by population (1. 4 million). Located in West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast. Goa lies between the latitudes 14°53′54″ N and 15°40′00″ N and longitudes 73°40′33″ E and 74°20′13″ E.

Gujarat is a state in western India. It has an area of 19. 6 million hectare with a coastline of 1,600 km, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula, and a population in excess of 60 million. The state registered 12. 8% agricultural growth in the last five years against the national average of 2%. Gujarat recorded highest decadal agricultural growth rate of 10. 97% among all the Indian states.

The state of Haryana has a total geographical area of 4. 421 million hectare and a population of 25. 3 million. It is located between 27°39' to 30°35' N latitude and between 74°28' and 77°36' E longitude. Haryana is also one of the most economically developed regions in South Asia and its agricultural and manufacturing industry has experienced sustained growth since 1970s. Despite recent industrial development, Haryana is primarily an agricultural state.

Himachal Pradesh extends between 30° 22' 40" N to 33° 12' 40" N latitudes to 75° 45' 55" E to 79° 04' 20" E longitudes. It covers a geographical area of 5. 56 thousand hectare. Himachal Pradesh has a total population of 6. 8 million as per the 2011 census. Agriculture contributes over 45% to the net state domestic product. It is the main source of income and employment in Himachal.

The total geographical area of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is nearly 22. 2 million hectare and it has a total population of 12. 5 million which is approximately 1. 04% of the national total. Jammu and Kashmir's economy is predominantly dependent on agriculture and allied activities.

Nicknamed the "heart of India" due to its geographical location in India, Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state in the country having an area of 30. 8 million hectare. With over 72. 5 million inhabitants, it is the sixth largest state in India by population. The state is located in the geographic heart of India, between latitude 21°04'N-26. 87°N and longitude 74°02'-82°49' E. Table 1 illustrates the current area, productivity and production statistics of major crops in Madhya Pradesh.

Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India. It is the second most populous state after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. Maharashtra is the wealthiest state in India, contributing 15% of the country's industrial output and 13. 3% of its GDP. Maharashtra encompasses an area of 30. 77 million hectare and as per the 2001 census, it has a population of 112. 3 million. More than 60% of the people of Maharashtra are employed in agriculture and allied activities.

Nepal, officially the Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres and a population of approximately 27 million (and nearly 2 million absentee workers living abroad), Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India.

With a population exceeding 180 million people, Pakistan is the sixth most populous country and with an area covering 796,095 sq. km. It is the 36th largest country in the world in terms of area. Agriculture is central to economic growth and development in Pakistan. Being the dominant sector it contributes 21. 4 per cent to GDP, employs 45 per cent of the country’s labour force and contributes in the growth of other sectors of the economy.

Punjab is an Indo-Iranian word meaning "the land of five rivers". The total geographical area of this state is nearly 5. 03 million hectare and it has a total population of 27. 7 million. It extends from the latitudes 29. 30° north to 32. 32° north and longitudes 73. 55° east to 76. 50° east. This region, with its fertile alluvial soils, slopes gently from an elevation of about 900 feet (275 metres) in the northeast to about 550 feet (170 metres) in the southwest.

Rajasthan, known as "the land of kings", is the largest state of the Republic of India. It is located in the northwest of India. Rajasthan covers 10. 4% of India, an area of 34. 2 million hectare and has a population of 68. 6 million people. Rajasthan's economy is primarily agricultural and pastoral. Wheat and barley are cultivated over large areas, as are pulses, sugarcane, and oilseeds. Cotton and tobacco are the state's cash crops.

Uttar Pradesh with a total area of 24. 09 million hectare, is India’s fifth largest state in terms of land area. The state has both a large population and a high population growth rate. It is the most populous state in India, with a population of 199. 5 million as of 1 March 2011. The population density is 828 people per square kilometer, making it one of the most densely populated states in the country. During the decade from 1991 to 2001 its population increased by over 25. 8%.

Uttarakhand is mainly known for lying in the laps of the Himalayas, the Bhabhar and the Terai. Uttarakhand has a total area of 5. 3 million hectare, of which 93% is mountainous and 64% is covered by forest. According to the 2011 census of India, Uttarakhand has a population of 10. 1 million. The population density of the state is 189 people per square kilometer having a 2001–2011 decadal growth rate of 19. 17%.