Himachal Pradesh is a wholly mountainous state in the Himalaya in the far north of India.  Its name means Province in the lap of snow.  The territory was formed in 1948 by bringing together 31 small princely states.  Himachal Pradesh is a popular trekking region and has a flourishing orchard industry.

The population comprises a mixture of hill tribes which includes the Gaddis, Gujars, and Lahaulis.  More than 95 per cent of the population is Hindu.  Pahari, a Hindi dialect, is the local language.  Hindi is widely spoken and is used for instruction in schools.  The state is the least urbanized in India, with less than 9 per cent of the population living in towns.  Only the state capital, Shimla (also spelled Simla), has more than 50,000 inhabitants.  

The governor appointed by the president is head of state.  The chief minister and his council of ministers are elected from the state's legislature which has 68 members.  Himachal Pradesh has four elected members in the Lok Sabha (lower house) and three nominated representatives in the Rajya Sabha (upper house) in the Indian national parliament.  The state has twelve districts. 

The economy depends almost entirely on agriculture.  Farmers grow crops on terraces wherever possible, and at higher altitudes they also raise livestock.  Only 20 per cent of the sown area is irrigated.  

Barley, maize, potatoes, rice, and wheat are the main food crops.  Apples are an important cash crop.  Other fruit includes peaches, plums, and pomegranates.  Ginger and mushrooms are also grown.  Sheep and goat rearing is common.  The high quality goats wool produced in the region is known as pashmina or cashmere wool. 

Forests cover one-third of the state.  Timber, fuel wood, gum, and resin are important sources of state revenue.  Mines in the state produce small amounts of baryte, dolomite, gypsum, limestone, pyrite, salt, and slate.  Himachal Pradesh has little industry.  There are resin and turpentine factories, and an iron foundry.  Fertilizer production is of growing importance.  There are cement plants and an electronics complex near Shimla.  Village industries include bamboo crafts, leather tanning, pottery, woodcarving, and wool spinning. 

Himachal Pradesh is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir in the north, by Punjab in the west, by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the south, and by Tibet (part of China) in the east.  

The average daily minimum temperature is 2 °C in January and 16 °C in June.  The maximum is 9 °C in January and 24 °C in June.  Shimla receives 150 centimetres of rain a year, of which nearly 80 per cent falls between June and September.  The monsoon arrives in the middle of June and lasts until the middle of September.  Snow is common in winter.  

The major rivers are the Chenab, the Ravi, and the Beas in the west and the Sutlej and the Jumna (Yamuna) in the east.  The Bhakra Dam across the Sutlej created the largest lake in the state in 1971.