Meghalaya

Meghalaya

status	State
Capital	Shillong
founding	January 21, 1972
surface	22,429 km²
Residents	2,964,007 (2011)
Population density	132 inhabitants per km²
languages	Khasi , Garo , English
governor	Tathagata Roy
Chief Minister	Conrad Sangma ( NPP )
Website	meghalaya.gov.in
ISO code	IN-ML

Meghalaya is an Indian state with an area of ​​22,429 km² and almost 3 million inhabitants (2011 census). The capital of Meghalaya is Shillong (at 1500 m altitude, 143,000 inhabitants), the main languages ​​are Khasi and Garo ; In addition to these, English is another official language. The name "Meghalaya" was newly formed from Sanskrit and means "home of the clouds" (in Hindi मेघालय meghālaya ).

geography

Landscape structure

In terms of area, Meghalaya is somewhat larger than the German state of Hesse with 22,429 km² . The state measures approximately 300 kilometers in an east-west direction and approximately 100 kilometers in a north-south direction. In the north the state borders on the neighboring state of Assam with the districts Goalpara , Kamrup and Nowgong , and in the east on the districts Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao (formerly North Cachar Hills, also Assam). The southern and western borders coincide with India's state border with Bangladesh . Meghalaya shares a border with Bangladesh for about 443 kilometers.

Geographically, Meghalaya lies between latitude 24 ° 58 'and 26 ° 07' north and longitude 89 ° 48 'and 92 ° 51' east. Topographically it consists mainly of mountain and hill country, in which gorges and small valleys are cut. The height above sea level varies between 150 meters and 1950 meters. To the north and northwest, the Brahmaputra river valley forms the geographical limit, to the south and partly to the southwest the plain of the Surma (in Bangladesh) and to the west the Cachar region, which belongs to Assam.

The sky over Meghalaya is mostly cloudy, the newly formed Sanskrit name of the state means " Abode of the Clouds"

Ecoregion

The vegetation of Meghalaya consists mainly of monsoon forests , divided into three climatic zones: at heights between 30 and 300 meters there are tropical lowland rainforests and between 300 and 1100 meters subtropical wet forests , which extend to the moderate altitude between 1100 and 1900 meters in places cloud forests . Bamboo forests cover 14% of Meghalaya's area; a total of 12% of all wooded areas are state-owned and are looked after by supervisors.

Meghalaya is part of the Asian biodiversity hotspot Indo-Myanmar (19) . The WWF ecoregion Meghalaya Subtropical Forests (IM0126) covers the entire elevation with its mountains and the high plateau and is considered to be one of the most biodiverse in Asia, with an exceptionally large number of indigenous plant and animal species. Hundreds of orchids , many original types of rice, bananas and citrus , some magnolias ( Michelia ) and the only pitcher plant in India come from here: Nepenthes khasiana . 850  medicinal plants are listed for Meghalaya, over 370 medicinal plants are regularly used as folk medicine by three quarters of the population , mostly collected from the wild.

139 species of mammals live in Meghalaya, including the Asian elephant , the Bengal tiger , the clouded leopard , the golden and the bengal cat and 7 primates such as the white-browed gibbon ("small ape") and some macaques . 659 bird, 107  reptile and 152 fish species were identified.

The World Wide Fund For Nature ( WWF ) states that two thirds of the entire ecoregion have already been deforested or degraded and the 7 state-protected areas make up less than 1% of the ecoregion. Large-scale mining of coal, limestone and uranium and the corresponding infrastructures also contribute to deforestation. The state Wildlife Institute of India (wii) states in 2017 that a total of 6% of the state area of ​​Meghalaya is protected as various types of protected area. The more than 100  holy forests of the Khasi make only a small contribution to the urgently needed reforestation.

climate

The climate of Meghalaya is temperate, varies with the altitude above sea level and is influenced by the southwest monsoons and northeast winds in winter. The Khasi and Jaintia Hills have a consistently pleasantly temperate climate. The plains of the Garo Hills have a warm, humid climate. The four seasons are spring (March / April), summer (monsoon season from May to September), autumn (October / November) and winter (December to February). The rainy season of the monsoon season usually begins in the third week of May and lasts until the end of September, sometimes until mid-October. The average annual precipitation in the west of Meghalaya is 2600 mm, in the northern Meghalaya between 2500 and 3000 mm and in the southeast at 4000 mm. The greatest rainfall occurs on the southern slopes of the Khasi Hills, which are the rainiest regions in the world. In Cherrapunji (Sohra), the “wettest place in the world”, an average of 12,000 mm annual precipitation is recorded.

Biggest cities

Aerial photo of the capital Shillong:
located on the plateau at 1500 m,
143,200 inhabitants 2011,
until 1972 the capital of Assam (2011)

city	Residents 2011	2001
Shillong	143.229	132,876
Tura	74,858	58,391
Mawlai	55.012	38.241
Nongthymmai	38.004	34.209
Nongstoin	28,742	22.003
Jowai	28,430	25,023
Pynthorumkhrah	27,219	22,108

population

Demographics

Languages ​​in Meghalaya
language			percent
Khasi			47.05%
Garo			31.41%
Bengali			8.04%
Nepali			2.26%
Hindi			2.17%
Marathi			1.67%
Assamese			1.58%
Maram			1.53%
Rabha			0.97%
cook			0.90%
Language families: Austronesian Tibetan Burmese Indo-Aryan Source: 2001 census   

According to the 2011 census, Meghalaya had 2,966,889 inhabitants, 20% lived in cities. The population density of 132 inhabitants per square kilometer was well below the Indian average (382 inhabitants per square kilometer). Around 86% of the population belonged to one of the 17  Scheduled Tribes (state-recognized tribal peoples):

2,966,889 = residents 2,555,861 = 86.1% tribal population 1,411,775 = 47.6% Khasi ("Khasi, Jaintia, Synteng, Pnar, War, Bhoi, Lyngngam": in the middle and eastern third of Meghalayas) 0. 821,026 = 27.7% Garo (in the western third) 0.0 38,576 = 01.3 % Hajong (in the west) 0.0 32,662 = 01.1% Raba 0.0 22,716 = 00.7% Koch 0.0 19,289 = 00.6% Karbi (in the northeast) 0.00 1,578 = 00.1% Synteng (an independent small group in the east) 000000f ... = another 10 small ethnic groups

languages

The two main languages ​​of Meghalayas are Khasi and Garo , the languages ​​of the two main tribes of the same name. According to the 2001 census, Khasi is spoken by 47.0% of the population and belongs to the branch of the Mon-Khmer languages ​​of the Austro-Asian language family. Garo is one of the Tibetan Burmese languages ​​and is spoken by 31.4% of the state's residents. The smaller tribal languages Maram (1.5%), Rabha (1.0%) and Koch (0.9%) are also Tibetan Burmese . The Indo-Aryan languages Bengali (8.0%), Nepali (2.3%), Hindi (2.2%), Marathi (1.7%) and Asamiya (1.6%) are spoken among the non-indigenous population . The official languages ​​are Khasi, Garo and English .

Religions

Meghalaya is one of three mainly Christian states of India, in addition to the in Northeast India situated Mizoram and Nagaland (in the near Arunachal Pradesh Christians constitute 30.3% only a slim majority). As a result of missionary work, especially by Baptists , a large part of the tribal population has converted to Christianity (compare Christian missions in India ). According to the 2011 census in India , 75% of Meghalaya's residents are Christian, while the minority are Hindus (12%) and Muslims (4%). 9% of the population are listed under “other religions and beliefs”. In Meghalaya, these are mainly animistic beliefs of the indigenous population, the tribal religions Niam Khasi, Niamtre and Songsarek (among the Garo). Meghalaya has 9,089 atheists (0.3% do not believe in divinity) in India (33,304), behind the great central Indian Maharashtra with 9,650 atheists (see Atheism in India and Meghalaya in India-wide comparison ).

The following list shows the proportions of religious followers in Meghalaya, among the Khasi, Garo and all of India ( comparison: worldwide ):

	Meghalaya (2,967,000 E.)		Khasi (47.6% of the population)		Garo (27.7% of the population)		India (1,211 million pop.)
	%	Religion 2011 (2001)	%	Religion 2011	%	Religion 2011	%	Religion 2011 (2001)
1	74.59%	Christian (70.25%)	83.14%	Christians	95.86%	Christians	2.30%	Christian (2.34%)
2	11.53%	Hindus (13.27%)	0.72%	Hindus	0.58%	Hindus	79.80%	Hindus (80.46%)
3	4.40%	Muslims (4.28%)	0.36%	Muslims	0.44%	Muslims	14.23%	Muslims (13.43%)
4th	0.33%	Buddhists (0.20%)	0.13%	Buddhists	0.41%	Buddhists	0.70%	Buddhists (0.77%)
5	0.10%	Sikhs (0.13%)	0.01%	Sikhs	0.02%	Sikhs	1.72%	Sikhs (1.87%)
6th	0.02%	Jainas (0.03%)	<0.01%	Jainas	<0.01%	Jainas	0.37%	Jainas (0.41%)
7th	8.71%	"Other rel. And o." (11.53%)	15.41%	"Different rel. And conviction."	2.47%	"Different rel. And conviction."	0.66%	"Other religions" (0.65%)
8th	4.59%	Niam Khasi (138,480)	9.24%	Niam Khasi (89.5% rural)	0%	Niam Khasi	0.01%	Niam Khasi (138,512)
9	2.73%	Niamtre (84,258)	5.49%	Niamtre (88.1% rural)	0%	Niamtre	<0.01%	Niamtre (84,276)
10	0.65%	Songsarek (19,803)	0%	Songsarek (Garo religion)	2.10%	Songsarek (100% rural)	0.41%	Sarna (4,957,467)
11	0.29%	Atheists (9,089)	0.48%	Atheists (6,830: 92% rural)	0.16%	Atheists (1,339: 99% rural)	<0.01%	Atheists (33,304)
12	0.32%	"not specified"	0.22%	"not specified"	0.21%	"not specified"	0.24%	"not specified"

On the part of the Catholic Church in India , the Archdiocese of Shillong (districts Ri-Bhoi and East Khasi Hills ) as well as the dioceses of Jowai ( East and West Jaintia Hills ), Nongstoin ( South West and West Khasi Hills ) and Tura ( East , North , South , South West and West Garo Hills ). In Shillong, the Salesians have been running the “Don Bosco Center for Indigenous Cultures ” (DBCIC: Don Bosco Center for Indigenous Cultures ) with the large anthropological Don Bosco Museum since 2001 . The DBCIC includes research, publications, training and animation programs related to the cultures of Northeast India and the surrounding area.

There are around 350,000 Hindus (12%) in Meghalaya, but only 3 of the 17 tribal peoples are Hindu: the Hajong , the Raba and the Koch , a total of 100,000 members.

society

The two large indigenous peoples of Meghalaya - the Khasi and the Garo  - had a total of 2,232,801 members (75.3% of the total population) in 2011, and it was to them that Meghalaya was founded as a separate state (in 1972). Both peoples have rules of ancestry, according to which family membership is only derived from the line of the mother ( matrilinearity : maternal lines). Both peoples live in large families that are united to form large clans via common ancestry (see the 3363 clans of the Khasi , the Garo have 3 large clans). Children get their mother's family name and belong to their clan, while fathers cannot pass on their family and clan affiliation to children. The ownership of the land and assets is in the hands of the women, who manage it for the entire family and bequeath it (mainly) to their daughters. In the case of the Khasi, the youngest daughter prefers to inherit the family property and thus the management and responsibility for the family group ( Ultimogenitur: Succession of the firstborn, see Khasi chart ), with the Garo the oldest daughter prefers to inherit ( Primogenitur ) . An heir's daughter is always supported by her (older) brother and her uncle on the mother's side, he acts as head of the family on official occasions. In media reports, Meghalaya is generally referred to as the “land of women”, but in the village communities and the autonomous district councils, men traditionally take on the role of councilors and the executive head; every clan has a chief as leader in addition to the clan mother.

While Garo couples often set up their own new place of residence ( neo-locality ) , in most Khasi sub-tribes the husbands move to the wife and their mother ( matrilocality : marital residence with the mother). A Khasi woman and her mother's uncle have a social father by her side ( avunculate of mother's brother; compare also uncle ), and her own brother will be the social father of her children.

The Khasi and Garo are the only matrilineal peoples in northern India, there are two small ethnic groups in southern India ( Nayar and Lakshadweep ) and around 160 worldwide with maternal lines, including the southern Chinese Mosuo , the Minangkabau on Sumatra and many Indian tribes in America.

Gender distribution in Meghalaya
year	Residents	plus	India	Women Men	India	under 6	India
2011	2,966,900	+ 28  %	+ 18%	989  : 1000 M.	943	970	914
2001	2,318,800	+31%	+ 22%	972  : 1000 M.	933	973	927
1991	1,774,800	+ 33%	+ 24%	955  : 1000 M.	927	986	945
1981	1,335,800	+ 32%	+ 25%	954  : 1000 M.	934	...	...
1971	1,011,700	+ 32%	+ 25%	942  : 1000 M.	930	...	...
1961	0.769,400	+ 27%	+ 22%	937  : 1000 M.	941	...	...
1951	0.605,700	0+ 9%	+ 13%	949  : 1000 M.	946	...	...
1941	0.555,800	+ 16%	+ 14%	966  : 1000 M.	945	...	...
1931	0.480,800	+ 14%	+ 11%	971  : 1000 M.	950	...	...
1921	0.422,400	0+ 7%	0−1%	1000  : 10000 M.	955	...	...
1911	0.394,000	+ 16%	0+ 6%	1013  : 10000 M.	964	...	...
1901	0.340,500	...	...	1036  : 10000 M.	972	...	...

Gender specific data

Meghalaya is the only ( federal ) state in the world with an officially matrilineal society (maternal lines); Both the Meghalaya government and the Indian Union government emphasize this matrilineal society , whose parentage rule and family affiliation is enshrined in the constitution.

In terms of gender distribution , Meghalaya was in India's 2011 census with 989 female to 1000 male inhabitants in 6th place - 1st place: the south Indian Kerala with 1084 women (India: 943). For children under 6 years of age, Meghalaya was ranked second with 970 girls to 1000 boys - behind the northeast Indian Arunachal Pradesh with 972 girls (India: 914).

In India, after a steady decline since 1991, the proportion of women in the population has risen again to 943 women per 1,000 men in 2011 (see the table on the right-hand side of the gender distribution), while the proportion in Meghalaya has increased since 1971 to 989 women. For the Khasi , the ratio was far above 1033 women ( Garo : 988), while it decreased for their girls to 971 (Garo: 976). The sex ratio of male to 100 female residents is measured worldwide; in 2015 there were 102 men (107 boys to 100 girls), in India: 107.6 males, at birth: 110.7 boys per 100 girls, i.e. 11% more male offspring (4th place worldwide).

Literacy rate

2011: Reading ability in India : 73.0%
Meghalaya: 74.4% • Khasi: 77.0%

The reading ability was calculated in India-wide in 2011 for all people aged 6 and over:

Meghalaya (3 million inhabitants)	India (1.21 billion inhabitants 2011)
0r 74.4 % (63% in 2001)  ♀ 72.9% of women: 48.8% of the alphabets  ♂ 76.0% of men: 51.2%	0r 73.0 % ( 65% in 2001 ; 18% in 1951)  ♀ 64.6% of women: 43.0% of the alphabets  ♂ 80.9% of men: 57.0%
Scheduled Tribes in Meghalaya (86% of the population)	ST in India (705 recognized: 9% of all population)
0r 74.5 % (61% in 2001)  ♀ 73.6% of women: 50.0% of the alphabets  ♂ 75.5% of men: 50.0%	0r 59.0 % (47% in 2001)  ♀ 49.4% of women: 41.8% of the alphabets  ♂ 68.5% of men: 58.2%
Khasi (48% of the population, 55% of the tribes)	Garo (28% of the population, 32% of the Tribes)
0r 77.0 % (66% in 2001)  ♀ 78.5% of women: 52.2  % of the alphabets  ♂ 75.5% of men: 47.8%	0r 71.8 % (55% in 2001)  ♀ 67.6% of women: 46.8% of the alphabets  ♂ 76.0% of men: 53.2%

Worldwide, reading ability is measured from the age of 15; in 2015 it was 86.3% (82.7% for women and 90.0% for men), in India: 71.2% = 60.6% ♀ and 81 , 3% ♂ .

Indices

2006 - the values ​​of the Union Government :
HDI India: 0.605
Meghalaya: 0.629 (see the map)

---

2006 - the values ​​of the United Nations :
HDI India: 0.544
Meghalaya: 0.543 ( compare HDI list )

Human and Gender Development

As a benchmark for prosperity and gender equality in the countries of the world, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) calculates several statistical indices annually (key figures with values ​​from a low 0.001 to an optimal 1,000):

1. HDI Human Development Index " Human Development Index " = average life expectancy , years of schooling and purchasing power per capita (officially from 1990)
2. GDI Gender Development Index " Index of gender-specific development " = HDI values ​​of women and men in relation to one another (officially from 1995)
3. GEM Gender Empowerment Measure " Women Participation Index " = political and economic participation and income, separated by gender (1995-2014)
4. GII Gender Inequality Index " Index of gender-specific inequality " = reproductive health of women, proportion of women in parliament as well as school education and labor force participation in a gender comparison (from 2010)

Both the Meghalayas government (planning department) and the Indian Union government (ministry for women's and child development) have made their own calculations based on UNDP calculation methods, some with different values. They serve as a planning basis for improvement programs; the respective ranking can refer to the 29 states of India or also include the 7 union territories . The HDI of the total of 705 Scheduled Tribes is calculated as a low 0.270 (unchanged since 2000).

• 1991: HDI from Meghalaya in 18th place with 0.464 (India: 0.432)

According to Meghalaya's government: Rank 24 with 0.365 (India: 0.381) , and the then GDI (Gender Disparity Index) ranked 7th with 0.807 (India: 0.676)  - the Indian government also names the matrilinearity of society as the reason for this gender improvement (" due to matrilineal society ") .

• 2006: HDI from Meghalaya in 22nd place with 0.543 (India: 0.544)

The Union government states: 17th place with 0.629 (India: 0.605) , GDI in 14th place with 0.624 (India: 0.590) and GEM in 28th place with 0.346 (India: 0.497) . For 2011, UNDP calculates the new GII for India with 0.617 at 129th place (out of 146 countries).

• 2017: HDI of Meghalaya in 19th place with 0.650 = comparable to Guatemala or Tajikistan (compare also the list of states according to their gross domestic product )

India ranks 130th in the world with 0.640 (2016: 129th) , comparable to Namibia , and is thus one of the countries with " medium human development". The HDI of all Scheduled Tribes is still only 0.270. In terms of gender, India has low values, mainly because of the low level of employment and political participation of women: GDI 0.841 ( rank 149: HDI 0.575 ♀ to 0.683 ♂ ) and GII 0.524 (rank 127) ; for Meghalaya these dates are not known.

Femdex (2015)

The index called Femdex ( India Female Empowerment Index : comparable to the earlier GEM) was calculated by the McKinsey Global Institute in 2015 for the 29 Indian states and the 3 largest of the Union territories. Meghalaya came in second with 0.69 (behind Mizoram : 0.70; India: 0.54) , comparable to Argentina , China and Indonesia  - while neighboring Assam had the third lowest Femdex in India with 0.47 (comparable to Yemen or Chad ). Gender equality with regard to work was significantly more pronounced in Meghalaya and Mizoram with 0.56 than in the other 30 states, whereby in Mizoram women were socially better off with 0.87 than in Meghalaya with 0.82 (rank 1: Chandigarh with 0.92) .

Economic indicators for Meghalaya
year	HDI	India	Electricity per capita	India ⌀	poverty	India
2012	0.659	0.599	489 kWh	709 kWh	11.9%	21.9%
2011	0.641	0.591	583 kWh	766 kWh	...	...
2010	0.621	0.581	572 kWh	726 kWh	17.1%	29.8%
2009	0.600	0.570	598 kWh	672 kWh	...	...
2008	0.584	0.564	531 kWh	648 kWh	...	...
2007	0.565	0.555	458 kWh	607 kWh	...	...
2006	0.543	0.544	493 kWh	563 kWh	...	...
2005	0.531	0.535	530 kWh	533 kWh	16.1%	37.2%

economy

Mawphlang dam for power generation (2011)

Earlier slash and burn in what is now the small UNESCO biosphere reserve Nokrek in the Garo Mountains (2004)

All of the 17 tribal peoples (Scheduled Tribes) residing in Meghalaya mainly operate on demand for self-sufficiency ( subsistence farming ). The main role is played by the traveling-field crops (shifting cultivation) , of the slash and burn (jhumming) begins a wooded area to a field for their Pflanzbau prepare. This agricultural technique has led to environmental damage in the last few decades due to progressive deforestation with subsequent severe erosion and soil degradation . One reason for this was the population explosion due to the more than doubling of the total population from 1.33 million in 1981 to 3 million in 2011.

Since 82% of all houses in Meghalaya are owner-occupied (only 16% are rented out) and all villagers have equal rights of use to the communal land, the official unemployment rate is only 4.8%. In 2012, 11.9% of the population in Meghalaya lived below the poverty line (less than 890 Indian rupees per month in the countryside or 1150 in cities), while it was 21.9% throughout India (816 rupees per month in the countryside, 1000 in cities ). In the past few years the poverty rate in Meghalaya was well below the Indian average (see table on the right).

The human development index (HDI: Human Development Index ), calculated by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), has been above the India-wide value for Meghalaya since 2007 (see also the section on indices above ).

Meghalaya has rich deposits of hard coal , limestone , kaolin (clay), sillimanite (95% of the Indian deposits) and uranium . The mining is largely carried out in small parts as so-called "rat hole mining", sometimes under unlawful and life-threatening conditions (see mining in Meghalaya ).

history

Map excerpt from Imperial Gazetteer of India (1909):
the Khasi Mountains in the middle as an area of ​​"indirect rule",
the Garo Mountains in the west and the Jaintia Mountains in the east as British property

At the time of British India, only the Garo Mountains and the Jaintia Mountains were under direct British rule, while the Khasi Mountains were only loosely dependent and largely self-administered. A far-reaching consequence of colonial rule was the Christianization of a large part of the population, who previously adhered to predominantly animist ideas, by British and American missionaries in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. After India's independence in 1947, the region was annexed to the state of Assam in the form of two districts ( Garo Hills and United Khasi and Jainthia Hills ). The federal state of Assam showed an extraordinary linguistic-ethnic heterogeneity. The fathers of the Indian constitution that came into force in 1950 took this into account insofar as the constitution provided for special regulations for the so-called tribal areas in the mountainous region of Assam. The districts belonging to the tribal areas were given a certain right of self-government and the constitution explicitly provided for the possibility that the central government could separate them from Assam and raise them to separate states, if this appeared expedient.

Assam and the Indian Northeast in 1960; Meghalaya later emerged from the two autonomous districts of Garo Hills and United Khasi and Jaintia Hills

In 1960 there was a decisive development that set the ball rolling towards the formation of Meghalayas as a separate federal state. Assam's Parliament passed the Assam Official Language Act, 1960 , a package of laws that introduced Assamese as the exclusive administrative language of the State of Assam. The law was directed primarily against the presence of the Bengali language in Assam, perceived by many ethnic Assamese as a threat , which was brought in by immigrants from West Bengal and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). However, the tribal peoples of Assam also saw their own cultural identity threatened and protested against the law. In 1960 the All Party Hill Leaders' Conference (APHLC) was founded at a conference in Shillong to represent the interests of the tribal peoples. The APHLC demanded the spin-off of the tribal areas from Assam and their merger in the form of a new state of their own. However, this was rejected not only by the Assam government, but also by the Indian central government. A number of negotiations took place over the following years and various commissions were formed to find a compromise solution. In 1967 the Assam Official Language Act was also modified so that English, not Assamese, should be the official language in the tribal areas, as the tribal peoples had requested. However, the APHLC was no longer willing to compromise and insisted on its demand for a state of its own. On September 11, 1968, the Indian government under Indira Gandhi announced its intention to create a separate hill state from the two districts of Garo Hills and United Khasi and Jainthia Hills . The geographer Shiba P. Chatterjee suggested the name 'Meghalaya' for the new state.

On April 2, 1970, the Meghalaya Autonomous State was officially inaugurated in Shillong by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Meghalaya was still part of Assam, but enjoyed the greatest possible autonomy and had its own legislative assembly. After the announcement of the government of Indira Gandhi on September 3, 1970 that the previous union territories of Manipur and Tripura were to be elevated to full federal states, the political leaders of the APHLC demanded the same status for Meghalaya. On November 10, 1970, the Prime Minister Meghalaya also promised this status. The state was officially incorporated on January 21, 1972. Shillong, the previous capital of Assam, became the capital of Meghalaya and Assam moved its capital to Gauhati.

After attaining state status, politics in Meghalaya found itself in calmer waters. The large mass demonstrations and strikes organized by the APHLC in the 1960s ceased. The state has also remained largely free from the serious ethnic strife and violence that rocked other states in northeastern India (particularly Assam, Nagaland and Manipur). During the years 1979 to 1985, the Assam movement , which was active in the neighboring state of Assam, partly spread to Meghalaya, but did not take on the same proportions as in Assam.

politics

Political system

The legislature of the state of Meghalaya consists of a unicameral parliament , the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly . The 60 members of parliament are elected every five years by direct election in 60 one-person constituencies (see Meghalaya's constituency list ). As everywhere in India, the relative majority voting system based on the British model applies. The parliament has its seat in Shillong . The Chief Minister (Head of Government) Meghalayas is elected by Parliament. But is appointed by the President of India governor at the head of the state (governor) . Its main tasks are to appoint the Chief Minister and to entrust him with the formation of the government. Meghalaya High Court has been the Meghalaya High Court in Shillong since 2012 . Prior to 2012, Meghalaya was in the jurisdiction of the Gauhati High Court .

Meghalaya has two MPs in the Lok Sabha , the lower house of the Indian parliament, and one in the upper house, the Rajya Sabha .

See also : List of Governors of Meghalaya  and List of Chief Ministers of Meghalaya

Parties

Distribution of seats after the 2018 parliamentary elections
INC	21st
NPP	20th
UDP	6th
PDF	4th
HSPDP	2
BJP	2
NCP	1
KHNAM	1
Independent	3
total	60 †
† The election in the constituency of William Nagar was postponed to April 27, 2018 after the local NCP candidate was killed in an attack on February 18, 2018. The NPP candidate won the by-election.

The party landscape in Meghalaya was traditionally shaped by the Congress Party (INC) on the one hand and a number of regional parties on the other. The party landscape is relatively highly fragmented, which leads to a certain short-lived government. From the founding of the state in 1972 to 2018, there were 20 governments (average duration 2.3 years). The All Party Hill Leaders' Conference (APHLC), which spearheaded the state founding movement in the 1960s and early 1970s, may have had the potential to become a strong regional party in the state. In 1976, however, she largely joined the Congress Party under the leadership of the then Chief Minister. Other APHLC members continued to lead the party, but it did not recover from this blow and later disappeared from the political scene. Since then, various regional parties have existed alongside the Congress Party, although usually none of these parties is strong enough to achieve an absolute majority.

As a result of the parliamentary election in February 2013, the Congress Party won 29 out of 60 constituencies. Five regional parties were then represented in parliament: the United Democratic Party (UDP) with eight, the Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) with four, the National People's Party (NPP) with two and the Garo National Council (GCC) and the North East Social Democratic Party (NESDP) with one MP each. There was also the supra-regional Nationalist Congress Party with two seats and thirteen independent MPs. As a result of the election, Congress politician Mukul Sangma , who had held the office of Chief Minister since April 20, 2010, was confirmed in office with the support of the NCP and eleven independent MPs. In the 2014 all-India parliamentary elections , one of the two constituencies in Meghalaya went to the Congress Party and one to the NPP.

In the parliamentary election in Meghalaya on February 27, 2018, the Congress party was again the strongest party with 21 seats despite losses. The NPP won 20 mandates , the UDP 6, the People's Democratic Front founded in the previous year 4, the BJP and HSPDP 2 each and other or independents a total of 5 mandates. On March 6, the NPP party leader Conrad Sangma was sworn in as the new Chief Minister at the head of a multi-party coalition made up of NPP, UDP, HSPDP, PDF and BJP .

Administrative division

Current district division

The state of Meghalaya is divided into 11 districts . At the time of the last census in 2011 there were still 7 districts. In 2012, four new districts were formed: South West Khasi Hills from parts of West Khasi Hills District , North Garo Hills from parts of East Garo Hills, and South West Garo Hills by separation from West Garo Hills . In addition, the Jaintia Hills district was divided into the two districts of East Jainthia Hills and West Jainthia Hills .

The following table shows the number of inhabitants and population density after the 2011 census (in the old district boundaries):

The 11 districts of Meghalaya

Development of the district division in Meghalaya since 1972 newly formed districts


District 2011	Administrative headquarters	Residents 2011	surface	Population density
West Garo Hills †	Tura	642.923	3,716 km²	132 inhabitants / km²
East Garo Hills †	Williamnagar	317,618	2,603 ​​km²	122 inhabitants / km²
South Garo Hills	Baghmara	142,574	1,852 km²	77 inhabitants / km²
West Khasi Hills †	Nongstoin	385601	5,282 km²	73 inhabitants / km²
East Khasi Hills	Shillong	824.059	2,822 km²	292 inhabitants / km²
Ri-Bhoi	Nongpoh	258.380	2,370 km²	109 inhabitants / km²
Jaintia Hills †	Jowai	392.852	3,814 km²	103 inhabitants / km²

^† Boundaries changed after district redistribution in 2012

Historical development of the district division

After Meghalaya was founded in 1972, there were two districts: Garo Hills and United Khasi and Jaintia Hills . In the following decades new districts were formed and the number of districts increased to 11:

Feb. 22, 1972: Jaintia Hills and Khasi Hills by division of United Khasi and Jaintia Hills (3 districts).

Oct. 22, 1976: East Garo Hills and West Garo Hills by dividing Garo Hills (4 districts).

Oct. 28, 1976: East Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hills by division of the Khasi Hills district (5 districts).

04th Jun. 1992: Ri-Bhoi by separation from East Khasi Hills (6 districts).

Jun. 18, 1992: South Garo Hills from parts of East Garo Hills (7 districts).

July 27, 2012: North Garo Hills from parts of East Garo Hills (8 districts).

July 31, 2012: East Jaintia Hills and West Jaintia Hills by division of Jaintia Hills District (9 districts).

0Aug 3, 2012: South West Khasi Hills from parts of the West Khasi Hills district (10 districts).

0Aug 7, 2012: South West Garo Hills from parts of West Garo Hills (11 districts).

literature

• Department of Agriculture: Meghalaya Agriculture Profile 2006 (Third Edition). Government of Meghalaya, Shillong 2006 (English; Meghalaya's state agricultural profile; PDF: 276 kB, 64 pages at megagriculture.gov.in).
• Wildlife Institute of India: The Meghalaya State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2016–2026; Draft). Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India, March 6, 2017 (English; draft of the biodiversity plan for Meghalaya; full text: PDF: 15.4 MB, 350 pages at megbiodiversity.nic.in).
• Kumar Suresh Singh (Ed.): Meghalaya (= People of India. Volume 22). Anthropological Survey of India, Seagull, Calcutta 1994, ISBN 8185579091 (English; Scheduled Tribes von Meghalaya).

Documentaries

• Uschi Madeisky , Klaus Werner: Drums of love - groom robbery among the Garo in India. Colorama film for NDR , Germany 2001 (60 minutes; press ).
• See documentaries about Khasi , also about the Jaintia.

Web links

Commons : Meghalaya  - collection of images and media files

Wiktionary: Meghalaya  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• Government of Meghalaya: meghalaya.gov.in (English).
• News portal: TNT - The North East Today: Meghalaya (English).
• WWF Meghalaya Ecoregion : Gopal S. Rawat, Eric D. Wikramanayake: Southern Asia, Eastern India: Meghalaya Subtropical Forests (IM0126). In: Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. World Wildlife Fund, undated, accessed on January 11 (English; detailed overview).

Individual evidence

• ( wii ) Biodiversity Plan for Meghalaya (2016-2026) of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII): The Meghalaya State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (Draft). Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, version from March 6, 2017 (compare biodiversity : biological diversity; the plan also summarizes the economic and cultural foundations of Meghalaya; PDF: 15.4 MB, 350 pages, mostly without page numbers on megbiodiversity.nic.in).

1. ↑ pp. 50–55: 2.8.4: Forestry Policy and Management (without page numbers).
2. ↑ P. 57–81: Chapter 3: Biodiversity Profile and Conservation in Meghalaya (without page numbers).
3. ↑ P. 62: 3.3.1: Mammals (without page numbers).
4. ↑ P. 81: 3.5: Protected Areas Coverage (without page numbers); Quotation: "These PAs [Protected Areas: Staatlichhaben] constitute only 6% of geographical area of ​​the state and yet they provide best protection to the biodiverstity of the state as no other activities are allowed inside these PAs [...]".
5. ↑ P. 91–94: 3.6: Sacred Groves (without page numbers).
6. ↑ P. 44: 2.7: Governance (without page number); Quote: "At national level, Meghalaya ranks poorly in the Human Development Index (HDI), which slumped from 21st rank in 1991 to 24th rank by 2001 (National Human Development Report 2001). [...] As far as the Gender-related Development Index (GDI) is concerned, Meghalaya is in a better position compared to most of the states in India due to matrilineal society. The GDI rank of Meghalaya was 12th in 1981 and improved to 7th in 1991. "

• Other documents

1. ^ ^{A b} Government of Meghalaya: Meghalaya. Government of Meghalaya, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Report on MEGHALAYA STATE PROFILE. (pdf) Indian Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, February 2016, accessed on January 11, 2019 . 
3. ^ India State of Forest Report 2009: 7.18 Meghalaya. (pdf) Indian Ministry of Agriculture, 2009, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
4. ^ State Agricultural Profile Meghalayas: Meghalaya Agriculture Profile 2006 (Third Edition). Department of Agriculture, Government of Meghalaya, Shillong ( PDF: 276 kB, 64 pages on megagriculture.gov.in);
   see also the 3 climate zones on p. 34: “Agro-climatic Zones […] Tropical Zone (100–300 msl) | Sub-tropical Zone (300-1100 msl) | Temperate Zone (1100–2000 msl) ”and on p. 8:“ Surma and Brahmaputra Valley (100-300m) […] Shillong plateau (600–2000 m) ”.
   → Ministry of Agriculture & Horticulture: Department of Agriculture. Government of Meghalaya, Shillong.
5. ↑ Waldarten Meghalayas (1976): Josef Schmithüsen (editor): Atlas for Biogeography (= Meyer's Great Physical World Atlas. Volume 3). Bibliographisches Institut, Mannheim / Wien / Zürich 1976, ISBN 978-3-411-00303-7 , p. 19. Summary: In the Khasi area come “tropical evergreen seasonal rainforest”, “tropical semi-evergreen lowland rainforest” (as a transition form between tropical and subtropical rainforests = monsoon forests) as well as "laurel forest of the mountain level" (= subtropical wet forest).
   → For animal and plant life, see the brief overview at Meghalaya subtropical forests .
6. ↑ ^{a b} WWF Meghalaya Ecoregion (current): Gopal S. Rawat, Eric D. Wikramanayake: Southern Asia, Eastern India: Meghalaya Subtropical Forests (IM0126). In: Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. World Wildlife Fund, undated, accessed January 11, 2019 (detailed overview); Quote: “More than two-thirds of this ecoregion has been cleared or degraded; However, extensive stretches of intact habitat can still be found in the northeastern parts. The protected area system in this ecoregion amounts to a mere 154 km2, which is less than 1 percent of the ecoregion's area (table 2). All seven protected areas are extremely small, with the largest being only 60 km2. "
   
7. ^ Forest and Environment Department: Medicinal Plants in Meghalaya. Government of Meghalaya, Shillong, undated, accessed January 11, 2019; Quote: "Meghalaya has 850 species of Medicinal Plants, 377 of which are used by 70% to 80% of the State's population for primary health care needs."
8. ↑ About Meghalaya. The Official website of Meghalaya Tourism, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
9. ↑ ^{a b c d} census Meghalaya 2011: Meghalaya Population Census data 2011 Census Population 2015 Data retrieved on 11 January 2018 (English).
10. ^ 2001 Census in India: Statement 3: Distribution of 10,000 Persons by Language - India, States and Union Territories (2001). Retrieved January 11, 2019.
11. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Special dates of the Scheduled Tribes (ST: registered tribal peoples): Census of India 2011: A-11: State Primary Census Abstract for Individual Scheduled Tribes. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner India, New Delhi 2019, table row 28: "Khasi ..." (English; pure quantities, without quotas; XLSX-Excel: 38 kB on censusindia.gov.in).
12. ↑ ^{a b c} Religions in India (2011): All India Religion Census Data 2011. Census Population 2015 Data, accessed on January 11, 2019.
    → Table on members of “other religions” in India and Meghalaya (2011): C-01 Appendix : Details of Religious Community Shown Under "Other Religions And Persuasions" In Main Table C-1- 2011 (India & States / UTs). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner India, New Delhi 2019 ( XLSX-Excel: 126 kB on censusindia.gov.in).
13. ↑ ^{a b c} On the Garo religion Songsarek (1999): Sankar Kumar Roy: Garo - Religion and Expressive Culture. In: The same: Culture Summary: Garo. HRAF Press, New Haven CT, USA 1999 ( full page on ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu).
    → Paulinus R. Marak (2005): The Garo tribal religion: beliefs and practices. Anshah Publishing, New Delhi 2005, ISBN 8183640028 (Institute of Asian Studies, Calcutta).
    → Erik de Maaker (2007): From the Songsarek Faith to Christianity: Conversion, Religious Identity and Ritual Efficacy. In: South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. Volume 30, No. 3: The Northeast and Beyond: Region and Culture. 2007, pp. 517-530 (English; doi: 10.1080 / 00856400701714104 ).
14. ↑ Percentages of the 6 major religions of Meghalaya (2011): Meghalaya Religion Census 2011. Census Population 2015 Data, accessed on January 11, 2019.
    → Detailed table on members of the 6 major religions in Meghalaya (2011): Religion PCA. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner India, New Delhi 2019 ( XLSX-Excel: 733 kB on censusindia.gov.in).
    → District table: C-1 Population by Religious Community - 2011. Table, line 8: State - MEGHALAYA ( XLS-Excel: 68.0 kB on censusindia.gov.in).
15. ↑ ^{a b} Religions in Meghalaya and All of India (2001): Census of India 2001: Population by religious communities. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner India, New Delhi March 31, 2006, accessed January 11, 2019 (table rows 1–8: India and rows 185–192: Meghalaya ).
    → Table of religions in Meghalaya (2001): Jatinder K. Bajaj: Scheduled Tribes of India: Religious Demography and Representation. Center for Policy Studies, New Delhi / Chennai 2011, p. 16/17, here p. 16 (English; evaluation of the 2011 data; PDF download at cpsindia.org).
16. ↑ ^{a b c} Table with members of the 6 major religions of the 17 Scheduled Tribes in Meghalaya (2011): ST-14 Scheduled Tribe Population By Religious Community. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner India, New Delhi 2019 ( XLS-Excel: 36 kB on censusindia.gov.in).
    → Table on members of "other religions" of the 17 Scheduled Tribes in Meghalaya (2011): ST-14 A Details Of Religions Shown Under "Other Religions And Persuasions" In Main Table (For Each Tribe Separately). ( XLS-Excel: 40 kB on censusindia.gov.in).
17. ↑ Self-presentation of the DBCIC: Don Bosco Museum: A Brief History Don Bosco Center for Indigenous Cultures, Shillong, accessed on January 11, 2019;
    
18. ↑ ^{a b} Minimon Laloo: Meghalaya: The Matrilineal Society . In: Heritage of Meghalaya . No. 1 . Ministry of Culture, Government of Meghalaya, Shillong (English, text version on megartsculture.gov.in [accessed on July 10, 2019] around 1998).
19. ^ J. Patrick Gray: Ethnographic Atlas Codebook. In: World Cultures. . Volume 10, No. 1, 1998, pp 86-136, here p 104: Table 43 Descent: Major Type (English; evaluation of all time worldwide recognized ethnic groups in 1267; PDF: 2.4 MB, 52 pages, without page numbers on ss.uci.edu); Quote: "584 Patrilineal - 160 Matrilineal - 52 Duolateral - 49 Ambilineal - 11 Quasi-lineages - 349 bilateral - 45 Mixed - 17 Missing data".
20. ↑ Inhabitants of Meghalaya, including all districts 1901–2011: Census of India 2011: Table A-2: Decadal Variation in Population since 1901: Meghalaya. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner India, New Delhi 2019 (English PDF: 24 kB, 3 pages on censusindia.gov.in).
    → Ibid: Table A-2: Decadal Variation in Population since 1901: India. ( PDF: 65 kB on censusindia.gov.in)
    → Ibid .: short table Sex Ratio of Population by Census (1901 to 2011). ( XLS table: 42 kB ( Memento from April 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )).
21. ^ Reserve Bank of India : Publications: Table 1: State-wise Total Population. May 5, 2018, accessed January 11, 2019.
22. ^ Reserve Bank of India : Publications: Table 4: State-wise Decadal Growth Rate of Population. May 5, 2018, accessed January 11, 2019.
23. ^ Reserve Bank of India : Publications: Table 5: State-wise Sex Ratio. May 5, 2018, accessed January 11, 2019.
24. ^ Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Statistics Division: Statistical Profile of Scheduled Tribes in India 2013. Government of India, New Delhi 2013, p. 130: Table 1.14: Comparison of Child Sex Ratio (Population 0-6 age group): Census 1991 , 2001 & 2011 (English; PDF: 18.1 MB, 448 pages on tribal.nic.in).
25. ↑ ^{a b} Readability 2011 at Scheduled Tribes: Census of India 2011: Primary Census Abstract: Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner India, New Delhi October 28, 2013, pp. 3, 7, 23 and 31 ( PPT-Powerpoint: 11 MB, 55 pages on censusindia.gov.in).
26. ↑ ^{a b c} Literacy 2001 of the ST in Meghalaya: Census of India 2001: Literacy & Educational Level. In: Meghalaya Data Highlights: The Scheduled Tribes. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner India, New Delhi March 31, 2006, p. 2/3 ( PDF: 44 kB, 5 pages on censusindia.gov.in).
27. ^ ^{A b} Government of India, UNDP -India: Gendering Human Development Indices: Recasting the Gender Development Index and Gender Empowerment Measure for India (Summary Report, revised). Ministry of Women and Child Development, New Delhi 2009, tables p. 11/12 and 14 ( PDF: 1.6 MB, 20 pages on undp.org).
28. ↑ ^{a b c d} Global Data Lab: Subnational Human Development Index. Version 2.1. Institute for Management Research, Radboud University Nijmegen , October 2017, accessed on January 11, 2019;
    Note on setting the page for "India": First click on the Countries option , then click on "Deselect all" at the top and select the state "India"; then switch on “Scale to national extremes” for the Color scales option in order to see color gradations (columns, however, cannot be sorted).
29. ↑ ^{a b} UNDP India: About India. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
30. ↑ ^{a b} UNDP -India: India Factsheet: Gender and Social Exclusion Indicators. Without date ( PDF: 633 kB, 2 pages on in.undp.org).
31. ↑ Government of Meghalaya: Meghalaya Human Development Report 2008. Shillong 2009, p. 22: Table 2.2 Human Development Index of States in India - 1991 (Chapter 2: PDF: 147 kB, 11 pages on megplanning.gov.in; extensive full version: PDF: 3.9 MB, 372 pages at in.undp.org).
32. ↑ ^{a b} United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - with the search term “India”: → HDI: Table 2: Human Development Index Trends (1990–2017). → IHDI: Table 3: Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index. → GDI: Table 4: Gender Development Index. → GII: Table 5: Gender Inequality Index. → GEM: Dashboard 3: Women's empowerment.
    
    
    
    
    
33. ↑ On Femdex (2015): McKinsey Global Institute: The power of parity: Advancing women's equality in India. November 2015, pp. 10–12 ( PDF: 3.0 MB, 36 pages at mckinsey.com).
34. ^ Reserve Bank of India : Publications: Table 99: State-wise Per Capita Availability of Power. In: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2017-2018, May 5, 2018 edition, accessed January 11, 2019.
35. ^ ^{A b} Reserve Bank of India : Publications: Table 156: Number and Percentage of Population Below Poverty Line. In: Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy 2017–2018 edition of September 15, 2018, accessed on January 11, 2019.
36. ↑ The North-Eastern Areas (Reorganization) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012. PRS Legislative Research, May 2012, accessed on January 11, 2019 . 
37. ↑ ^{a b} Meghalaya Result. Indian Election Commission, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
38. ↑ Meghalaya Assembly Election 2018: Voting for 59 constituencies begins in over 3,000 polling stations amid tight security. firstpost.com, March 3, 2018, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
39. ↑ Williamnagar Assembly by-election result: NPP's Marcuise Marak defeats nearest rival by 4,860 votes. In: India TV News. May 1, 2018, archived from the original on May 10, 2018 ; accessed on January 11, 2019 . 
40. ^ The Times of India: Mukul Sangma sworn in as Meghalaya chief minister. ( Memento from June 29, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) March 5, 2013 (English; on archive.md).
41. ↑ Shiv Sahay Singh: Conrad Sangma sworn in as Meghalaya CM. The Hindu, March 6, 2018, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
42. ^ Census of India 2011: Provisional Population Totals. Paper 1 of 2011: Meghalaya. Government of India, Delhi 2011, p. 10: Table Table-1: Distribution of Population, Decadal Growth Rate, Sex-Ratio and Population Density (English, provisional evaluation; PDF: 18.7 MB, 19 pages on censusindia.gov. in).
43. ↑ Basic Facts. Department of Information and Public Relations, Meghalaya, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
44. ^ ^{A b} District Profile. East Khasi Hills District Office, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
45. ^ Welcome to South Garo Hills District. South Garo Hills District Office, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
46. ↑ Welcome. North Garo Hills District Office, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
47. ↑ Introduction. West Jaintia Hills District Office, accessed January 11, 2019 . 
48. ↑ About 'The District South West Khasi Hills'. South West Khasi Hills District Office, archived from the original February 1, 2017 ; accessed on January 11, 2019 . 
49. ↑ District at a glance. South West Garo Hills District Office, accessed January 11, 2019 . 

Coordinates: 25 ° 30 '  N , 92 ° 0'  E