Assam

The Land of Red Rivers & Blue Hills

State Facts

Area: 78,438 Sq. km

Population (2011): 31,169,272

Literacy: 73.18%

Capital: Dispur

Established: 1912 (Assam Province - British India), 15 August 1947

Major crops and resources for economic upliftment

Assam is rich in natural resources. The natural resources of Assam may be classified under following heads – mineral, forest, water and agricultural resources. The State is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland ecosystems. Assam is abundant on mineral resources like coal, petroleum; limestone and natural gas. It is also the largest producer of crude oil in India. Other minor minerals include magnetic quartzite, kaolin, sillimanites, iron ore, clay and feldspar etc. Oil India Limited (OIL) is the second largest hydrocarbon exploration and production Indian public sector company with its operational headquarters in Duliajan, Assam, India under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. In Assam, agriculture makes the highest contribution to its domestic sectors, accounting for more than a third of Assam's income and employs about 69% of workforce. Assam has the single largest tea growing area in the world, constituting around one-seventh of the global tea production. Camellia assamica is the native variety of tea. The state accounts for over 50 per cent in the country’s overall tea production. Assam also accounts for fair share of India’s production of rice, rapeseed, mustard, jute, potato, sweet potato, banana, papaya, areca nut and turmeric. Assam is also a home to large varieties of citrus fruits, vegetables, leafy vegetables, useful grasses, herbs, spices, etc. which are mostly subsistence crops. Assam Silk denotes the three major types of indigenous wild silks produced in Assam-Golden Muga Silk, White Pat and warm Eri Silk.