Meghalaya is a small state in northern India.  Meghalaya means abode of the clouds.  The south-facing slopes overlooking Bangladesh have had more rainfall in one year than any other place on earth. 

People: The people of Meghalaya come mainly from three tribes: the Khasis, the Jaintias, and the Garos, who are also found in Bangladesh.  Each group has its own tribal language.  Shillong, the capital, is the only important town.  About 80 per cent of the people live in villages.  

The Garos came originally from Tibet.  They were animists and once practiced human sacrifice.  But since the mid-1800's, they have stopped displaying human skulls in their houses.  

The Khasis are probably Austro-Asiatic.  This group of people live in certain areas of India and Southeast Asia.  They speak a language belonging to the Mon-Khmer family. 

Jaintias are Mongolian and similar to the Shans of Burma.  They believe in the universal presence of God, and so they have built no temples.  They commemorate the dead by erecting monoliths (large blocks of stone).  Groups of these large stones can be seen in villages in central Meghalaya.  All three tribes are matrilineal (they pass down wealth and property through the female line).  In the 1800's, missionaries converted many Jaintias to Christianity, but many old traditions still exist.  

Government: Meghalaya has two elected members in the Lok Sabha (lower house) and one nominated representative in the Rajya Sabha (upper house) of the Indian national parliament.  The state legislative assembly has 60 members. 

The tribal people practice shifting agriculture (moving from one site to another).  They grow ginger, oranges, pineapples, and potatoes as cash crops, and rice, maize, and vegetables as food crops.  Forest products are among the chief resources of the state.  

There are rich mineral deposits, including coal, gypsum, and mica, but these are not yet being used.  There is no large-scale modern industry in Meghalaya.  Handicrafts and weaving are important, and brightly-coloured textiles are a speciality.  

The nearest railway is in the neighbouring state of Assam.  Meghalaya has about 2,000 kilometres of surfaced roads, and there is only one major road, from Gauhati in western Assam, to Shillong in Meghalaya.  Shillong has a connection by air with Calcutta. 

Meghalaya is a compact and isolated state, bordered to the north by Assam and to the south by Bangladesh.  The landscape is mostly rolling plateau.  The state lies in a severe earthquake belt.  An earthquake destroyed the entire town of Shillong in 1896. 

Much of the plateau consists of the same ancient granites that are found in peninsular India.  The south facing slopes overlooking Bangladesh are extremely steep.  The hills rise to just under 2,000 metres, which makes the area cool, despite the fact that it is close to the tropics.  There are many lakes and waterfalls.  

Pine, sal (Shorea robusta), and bamboo forests dominate the natural vegetation.  At higher levels, there are also several deciduous species such as birch, beech, and oak.  Elephants, leopards, tigers, oxen, wild pigs, and many small animals such as apes, deer, monkeys, and squirrels are common.  The forests have many colourful birds, such as parrots and partridges.