North India
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{{!}} colspan="2" style="color:black; line-height:1.15em; background-color:{{IIJ/P|PT|region}}; font-size:1.30em; text-align:center;" {{!}}
'''<span class="fn org">North India</span>'''
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[[Image:North-India-locator.png|235px|border]]
</div></div></div><small>North Indian states (geographical sphere) shown in red, cultural sphere shown in pink</small></center>
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{{!}} style="border-top: 2px dotted #DCDCDC;" bgcolor=#F4F4F4 width=100px {{!}} '''[[Time zone]]'''
{{!}} style="border-top: 2px dotted #DCDCDC;" {{!}} [[Indian Standard Time|IST]] ([[UTC+5:30]])
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{{!}} bgcolor=#F4F4F4 {{!}} '''[[Geography of India|Area]]'''
{{!}}[[1 E10 m²|1,624,160 km²]]
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{{!}} style="border-top: 2px dotted #DCDCDC;" bgcolor=#F4F4F4 width=100px {{!}} '''[[States and territories of India|States and territories]]'''
{{!}} style="border-top: 2px dotted #DCDCDC;" {{!}}[[Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[Haryana]], [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]], [[Rajasthan]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]], [[Jharkhand]], [[Chhattisgarh]] and [[Madhya Pradesh]]
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{{!}} bgcolor=#f4f4f4 {{!}} '''Most populous cities''' (2008)
{{!}} [[New Delhi]], [[Kanpur]], [[Jaipur]], [[Lucknow]], [[Indore]], [[Ludhiana]]
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{{!}} bgcolor=#f4f4f4 {{!}} '''[[Official languages of India|Official languages]]'''
{{!}} [[Hindi]], [[Punjabi]], [[Kashmiri]], [[Urdu]], [[English language|English]]
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{{!}} style="border-top: 2px dotted #DCDCDC;" bgcolor=#F4F4F4 {{!}} '''[[Population]]'''
{{!}} style="border-top: 2px dotted #DCDCDC;" {{!}}504,196,432
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'''North India''' refers to a set of states in the non-peninsular region of the [[Republic of India]] including the area to the north of the [[Vindhya]] mountains, [[Narmada River]] and [[Mahanadi River]], but excluding the states of [[Gujarat]] and [[Maharashtra]] in the west, [[West Bengal]] and [[Orissa]] in the east as well as the seven [[North-East India|North-East states]]. [[New Delhi]], the capital of [[India]] lies in North India. The dominant geographical features of northern India are the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]] whose fertile soils and perennial rivers have sustained large populations and the [[Himalayas]] which cut the region off from the rest of [[Asia]]. North India has been the historical center of the [[Maurya]], [[Gupta]], [[Mughal]] and [[British Indian Empire|British Indian]] Empires. It has a rich and diverse culture, having the [[Hindu]] holy cities of [[Varanasi]] and [[Allahabad]] along with world heritage sites representing [[Humayun's Tomb|Islam]] and [[Mahabodhi Temple|Buddhism]] within its boundaries.The Eastern parts of this region continues to face problems of [[overpopulation]], [[poverty]], [[illiteracy]] despite significant economic growth and the [[Green Revolution in India|Green Revolution]].
==History==
(For detailed history please read the respective articles of the individual states)
===Indus Valley Civilization===
[[Image:IVC Map.png|thumb|left|200px|Extent and major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization.]]
{{main|Indus Valley Civilization}}
The Indus Valley civilization (c. 3000–1500 BCE, Mature period 2600–1900 BCE), one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. This civilization was partly located in North India and in the [[Indus River|Indus]] and [[Ghaggar-Hakra River|Ghaggar-Hakra]] river valleys primarily in [[Sindh]] province of [[Pakistan]], extending westward into [[Balochistan]] province. Though the civilization was located in the North, the scripts identified at the archaeological site was found to be [[Proto-Dravidian]]<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9042359 Indus civilization - Britannica Online Encyclopedia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Around 1800 BCE, signs of a gradual decline began to emerge, and by around 1700 BCE, most of the cities were abandoned.
===Vedic Civilization===
{{main|Vedic period}}
North India is the birthplace of all major Indian religions - [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Sikhism]]. Of these, Hinduism is the oldest, considered to have started during the Indus Valley Civilization but evolved mainly in the times immediately following it. The times during which Hinduism or [[Sanatana Dharma]] (as it was then called) evolved as a way of life are collectively known as the [[Vedic Civilization]]. The great [[Sanskrit]] literature was written in this period and North India became a major center of discovery and learning. The [[Veda]]s and [[Shastra]]s, and the great epic, the [[Mahabharata]] are believed to have been composed in [[Uttarakhand]] during this period. [[Ramayana]], the other major Hindu epic, was written by [[Valmiki]]. People led a highly disciplined and religious life and the economy was chiefly agrarian and dairy-based. The life of people was divided into four [[ashrama]]s or stages and the society was divided into four [[Varna in Hinduism|varnas]] or castes based on occupation. People of higher castes were called [[Arya]], meaning "the noble one" in Sanskrit. That is why this period in the history of North India is sometimes also referred to as the '''Aryan Civilization'''. A number of kingdoms and oligarchies, often called republics, emerged across the Indo-Gangetic plain during this period. 16 of them, called [[Mahajanapadas]] (great lands), are referred to in the ancient literature of the period.
===Maurya and Gupta Empires===
[[Image:AiKhanoumAndIndia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The distribution of the [[Edicts of Ashoka]]]]
{{main|Maurya Empire|Gupta Empire}}
Towards the end of the [[Iron Age India|Iron Age]], the [[Maurya Empire]] arose from the kingdom of [[Magadha]]. By 316 BCE, the empire had fully occupied Northwestern India, defeating and conquering the satraps left by [[Alexander]]. At its greatest extent under [[Ashoka the Great]], the Empire stretched to the north along the natural boundaries of the Himalayas, and to the east stretching into what is now [[Assam]]. To the west, it reached beyond modern Pakistan and significant portions of what is now [[Afghanistan]], including the modern Herat and Kandahar provinces. To the south, it missed only the southern portions of today's [[Kerala]] and [[Tamil Nadu]]. [[Gautama Buddha]] had lived in North India shortly before the Mauryan empire was established and Ashoka the great embraced the new religion and took upon himself to propagate it. It was the one time in Indian history when Buddhism became dominant in North India. The Guptas established the next great empire, the [[Gupta Empire]] in North India around 320 AD. The Guptas were staunch Hindus and revived Hinduism. The time of the Gupta Empire is referred to as Golden Age of India in science, mathematics, astronomy, religion and Indian philosophy. The peace and prosperity created under the leadership of the Guptas enabled the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors.
===Mughal Empire===
[[Image:TajMahalbyAmalMongia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Taj Mahal built by the Mughal Emperor [[Shah Jahan]] ]]
{{main|Mughal Empire}}
The Mughal Empire ruled most of the Indian subcontinent from the early 16th to the mid-19th centuries, with its capital at [[Delhi]]. At the height of its power, around 1700, it controlled most of the subcontinent and parts of what is now Afghanistan. Its population at that time has been estimated as between 110 and 130 million, over a territory of over 4 million km² (1.5 million mi²). It reached its height under [[Akbar the Great]], and its power began to decline after the death of [[Aurangzeb]] in 1707. The empire rapidly declined after 1725 and was replaced by the [[Maratha Empire]] as the pre-eminent power in South Asia, until the battle of [[Plassey]] in 1757.
===British Empire===
{{main|Company rule in India|British Raj}}
The Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked the real beginning of the Company rule in India, as well as the steady decline of native rule. The victory was consolidated in 1764 at the Battle of Buxar (in Bihar), when the defeated Mughal emperor, Shah Alam II, granted the Company the Diwani ("right to collect land-revenue") in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. The Company soon expanded its territories around its bases in Bombay and Madras.
At the turn of the 19th century, Governor-General Wellesley began what became two decades of accelerated expansion of Company territories.This was achieved either by subsidiary alliances between the Company and local rulers or by direct military annexation. The subsidiary alliances created the Princely States (or Native States) of the Hindu Maharajas and the Muslim Nawabs, prominent among which were: Cochin (1791), Jaipur (1794), Travancore (1795), Hyderabad (1798), Mysore (1799), Cis-Sutlej Hill States (1815), Central India Agency (1819), Kutch and Gujarat Gaikwad territories (1819), Rajputana (1818), and Bahawalpur (1833). The annexed regions included the Northwest Provinces (comprising Rohilkhand, Gorakhpur, and the Doab) (1801), Delhi (1803), and Sindh (1843). Punjab, Northwest Frontier Province, and Kashmir, were annexed after the Anglo-Sikh Wars in 1849; however, Kashmir was immediately sold under the Treaty of Amritsar (1850) to the Dogra Dynasty of Jammu, and thereby became a princely state. In 1854 Berar was annexed, and the state of Oudh two years later.
The Act for the Better Government of India (1858) made changes in the governance of India at three levels: in the imperial government in London (which took over control from the East India Company), in the central government in Calcutta, and in the provincial governments in the presidencies (and later in the provinces). In Calcutta, the Governor-General remained head of the Government of India and now was more commonly called the Viceroy on account of his secondary role as the Crown's representative to the nominally sovereign princely states; he was, however, now responsible to the Secretary of State in London and through him to British Parliament.
===Modern India===
{{main|History of the Republic of India}}
India attained independence from England in 1947, and North India became part of the [[Republic of India]]. The states were reorganized in 1956, and again in the 2000s when [[Chhattisgarh]], [[Uttarakhand]] and [[Jharkhand]] became the 26th, 27th and 28th states of India. In modern India, North India is the largest region in terms of both land area and population. Ever since independence, it has established itself as the political, cultural and educational hub of India. It is also fast turning into the major economic hub in the country owing to the growing importance of the [[Delhi]]-[[Gurgaon]]-[[Noida]] (also called the NCR or National Capital Region) in the Indian industry and economy. However, the gulf between the rich and the poor is very high in the region, especially in the sates of [[Bihar]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Rajasthan]], leading to those states being considered among the poorest in the country. The region has seen great political upheavals with insurgencies in [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]] and [[Kashmir]]. However, Indian politics continues to be dominated by North India and the state of Uttar Pradesh in particular.
==Geography==
[[Image:India-view of shilla.jpg|left|thumb|210px|Shilla (7026 m) above the [[Spiti Valley]] in [[Himachal Pradesh]]]]
Northern India lies mainly on continental India and a very small part of it lies on the Indian peninsula. Towards its North are the [[Himalayas]] which largely define the boundary between the [[Indian subcontinent]] and the [[Tibetan plateau]]. To its west is the [[Thar]] desert, which separates most of North India from [[Pakistan]], while in the southwest lie the Aravalli hills, beyond which lies the state of [[Gujarat]]. The [[Vindhya]] mountains are generally taken to be the southern boundary of northern India.
[[Image:Désert-du-Thar.jpg|right|thumb|210px|The [[Thar desert]] near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan]]
The predominant geographical features of northern India are the Indo-Gangetic plain which spans the states of [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]], [[Haryana]] and [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]], the [[Himalayas]] which lie in the states of [[Uttarakhand]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Jammu and Kashmir]] and the [[Thar]] desert which lies mainly in the state of [[Rajasthan]]. The state of Madhya Pradesh has large areas under forest cover as do Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chattisgarh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fsiorg.net/fsi2003/index.asp
|title=FOREST SURVEY OF INDIA - STATE OF FOREST REPORT 2003|accessdate=2006-12-21}}</ref> The states of [[Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Uttarakhand]] receive sustained snowfall in winter months.
Although predominantly subtropical, with cool winters, hot summers and moderate monsoons, overall North India is one of the most climatically diverse regions on Earth. Extreme temperatures have ranged from {{convert|-45|°C|°F|0}} in [[Dras]], [[Jammu and Kashmir]]<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=24534&refer=&units=metric Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Dras, India<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> to 50.6 °C (123 °F) in [[Alwar]], [[Rajasthan]].
==Demographics==
[[Image:Hindi belt.png|thumb|right|200px|Geographical distribution of [[Hindi]] and other [[Indo-Aryan languages]]]]
The people and languages of Northern India are predominantly [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]], and it is in this region that [[Sanskrit]] and the various [[Prakrit]]s are thought to have evolved in India. [[Hindi]] has the largest number of speakers in the region, with the Hindi [[heartland]] of India lying within North India. [[Punjabi]], [[Kashmiri]] and other languages are also spoken by large populations and are official languages in their respective states.
Hinduism and Islam predominate in North India, although [[Sikh|Sikhism]] is predominant in [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]]. [[Jammu and Kashmir]] is the only state in India with a majority [[Muslim]] population. The states of [[Uttarakhand]], [[Rajasthan]] and [[Himachal Pradesh]] are predominantly Hindu, while [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]], [[Jharkhand]], [[Haryana]], [[Madhya Pradesh]] and [[Chhattisgarh]] have religiously diverse populations.
==Social conditions==
Crimes against women such as female-infanticide, honor-killings, bride-burning and human rights abuses against Dalits, North Eastern Indians and Nepalis are rampant,{{cn}} often ignored by the police, especially in the states of Punjab, [[Haryana]] and [[Delhi]].{{cn}} The unchecked population growth, wastage of natural resources and human rights abuses are leading to great strain on the resources of the entire country, its political stability and democratic ethos.{{cn}}
==Flora & Fauna==
[[Image:Chinkara.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Chinkara]] in [[Madhya Pradesh]], India]]
North Indian original vegetation is predominantly deciduous forest because of its tropical location, of the deciduous trees Sal and Teak are the most important. The Western Himalayan region is abound in Chirpine and other conifers deodar, blue pine, spruce, silver fir, and junipers. The Eastern Himalayan region consists of oaks, laurels, maples, rhododendrons, alder, and birch and dwarf willows. The floral wealth ranges from the Alpine to the temperate thorn, from the coniferous to the evergreen, from scrubs to deciduous forests, from thick tropical jungles to cool temperate woods.
There are around 500 varieties of mammals, 2000 species of birds and 30,000 types of insects and a wide variety of fish, amphibians and reptiles are found in the country. The animal species in North India includes Elephant, Tiger, Leopard, Sambar, Chital, Hog Deer, Porcupine, Wild Pig, Fox and Rhesus Monkeys, highly endangered Caracal, Jungle Cat, Hyena, Jackal, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Langur, Spotted Deer, Indian Gazelle, Sambar (Asiatic stag) and Nilgai (blue bull).
A huge number of snake varieties, lizards, ghariyal and crocodiles account for the reptile count.<ref>[http://www.north-india.in/fauna.htm North India Online - India - Flora and Fauna - Animals - Trees - Birds - Mammals - Insects<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Snakes include the deadly King cobras to the equally poisonous Kraits. Scorpions and insects are found in plenty in this region. Useful insects include the bees, silkworms and the Lac insect. A huge number of snake varieties, lizards, ghariyal and crocodiles account for the reptile count. Snakes include the deadly King cobras to the equally poisonous Kraits. Scorpions and insects are found in plenty in this region. Useful insects include the bees, silkworms and the Lac insect.
The birds of North India includes the beautiful peacock to the parrots, and thousands of immigrant birds. Common Indian birds are Pheasants, Geese Ducks, Mynahs, Parakeets, Pigeons, Cranes, and Hornbills. Great pied hornbill, Pallas's fishing eagle, Grey-headed fishing eagle, Red-thighed Falconet are some of the endangered birds found in Himalyan region. Other birds found in this region are Tawny Fish Owl, Great Hornbill, Scaly-bellied Woodpecker, Red-breasted Parakeet, Himalayan Swiftlet, Stork-billed Kingfisher and Himalayan Rubythroat. <ref>[http://www.indianmirror.com/geography/geography.html INDIAN GEOGRAPHY - indian rivers, indian flora & fauna wildlife, national symbols in india<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
<ref name="Corbett">{{citeweb|url=http://www.corbettnationalpark.com/wildpackage.htm
|title=Flora & Fauna North India|accessdate=2007-09-15}}</ref>
The most important National Parks and Tiger reserves of North India includes:-
[[Image:Corbett View.jpg|thumb|200px|Jim Corbett National Park]]
[[Corbett National Park]]: It was established in 1936 along the banks of the Ramganga River. It is India's first National Park, and was designated a Project Tiger Reserve in the year 1973. Cradled in the foothills of the Himalayas, it comprises a total area of 500 km² out of which 350 km² is core reserve. This park is known not only for its rich and varied wildlife but also for its scenic beauty.
[[Kanha National Park]]: The lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines of Kanha provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel "Jungle Book". The Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh came into being in 1955 and forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, created in 1974 under Project Tiger.
[[Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary]]: It is one of the finest bird parks in the world, it is a reserve that offers protection to faunal species as well. Nesting indigenous water birds as well as migratory water birds and waterside birds, this sanctuary is also inhabited by Sambar, Chital, Nilgai and Boar.
[[Dudhwa National Park]]: It covers an area of 500 km² along the Indo-Nepal border in Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh, is best known for the Barasingha or Swamp Deer. The grasslands and woodlands of this park, consist mainly of sal forests. The barasingha is found in the southwest and southeast regions of the park. Among the big cats, tigers abound at Dudhwa. There are also a few leopards. The other animals found in large numbers, are the Indian one-horned rhinoceros and the wild elephant, jungle cats, leopard cats, fishing cats, jackals, civets, sloth bears, sambar, otters, crocodiles and chital.
[[Ranthambhore National Park]]: It spans an area of 400 km² with an estimated head count of thirty two tigers is perhaps India’s finest example of Project Tiger, a conservation effort started by the government in an attempt to save the dwindling number of tigers in India. Situated near the small town of Sawai Madhopur it boasts of variety of plant and animal species of Northern India.
==Political parties from North India==
North India had played a very vital role in the formation of Government in India with large number of seats in the lower house of parliament. The major political parties are [[Indian National Congress]], [[BJP]], [[Janata Dal]], Bhujan Samaj Party, [[Samajwadi Party]] and the [[Shiromani Akali Dal]]. The Nehru-Gandhi family which has governed India for last few decades after Independence from British rule hails from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. Many Indian Prime Ministers were North Indians including the first Indian Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]], [[Gulzarilal Nanda]], [[Indira Gandhi]], [[Rajiv Gandhi]], [[V P Singh]], [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], [[Chandra Shekhar]], [[I K Gujral]] and the present PM [[Dr Manmohan Singh]].
<ref name="Politics">{{citeweb|url=http://www.indianetzone.com/2/indian_prime_ministers.htm
|title=Politics in North India|accessdate=2007-09-15}}</ref>
==Universities in North India==
North India has some universities, colleges and centre of excellence namely, [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences]], Allahabad University, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahahad [[Delhi University]], [[Aligarh Muslim University]], [[Benaras Hindu University]], [[Punjab University]], [[Birla Institute of Technology and Science]], [[Punjab Agricultural University]] and [[Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology]]. The world renowned [[Indian Institute of Technology]] and [[Indian Institute of Management]], have campuses in several cities of North India such as [[Kanpur]], [[Delhi]], [[Roorkee]], [[Lucknow]], [[Indore]], [[Ahmadabad]], and [[Kolkata]]. One of the first great universities in recorded history, the [[Nalanda University]], is located in in the state of [[Bihar]]. There has been various [[Nalanda#Plans for revival|plans for revival]] of this ancient University including a consortium led by Singapore along with China, India and Japan.
==Economy==
[[Image:Maruti img factory.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Maruti Suzuki]] plant in Haryana.|{{deletable image-caption|1=Saturday, 21 June 2008}}]]
The economy of northern India, is predominantly agrarian like other parts of the country; culturally, socially and historically the country has always been defined by its village societies. But with the rapid growth of more than 8% GDP per annum, the economic landscape is changing fast.
The highest per capita income states in northern India include [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]], [[Delhi]], [[Haryana]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] and the union territory of [[Chandigarh]].<ref name="thehindubusinessline">{{citeweb|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/08/19/stories/2004081900500500.htm|title=thehindubusinessline.com|accessdate=2007-11-10}}</ref>
==References and bibliography==
{{reflist}}
{{wikinews}}
{{commonscat}}
==External links==
* [http://www.north-india.in More Info about Northern India]
* India's best portal for Indian Art and Artist [http://www.indianartandartist.com Indian Art and Artist], [http://www.indianartandartists.com Indian Art and Artists], [http://www.indianartartist.com Indian Art and Artist]
==See also==
* [[India]]
* [[South India]]
* [[North-East India]]
* [[West India]]
* [[East India]]
[[Category:Regions of India]]
[[simple:North India]]