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Neetu Chopra
state lies in a fertile, alluvial plain with many rivers and an extensive irrigation canal system. A belt of undulating hills extends along the north-eastern part
of the state at the foot of the Himala- yas. Its average elevation is 300 metre above sea level, with a range from 180 metre in the southwest to more than 500 metre around the northeast border. The southwest of the state is semiarid, eventually merging into the Thar desert. The Shiwalik Hills extend along the north-eastern part of the state at the foot of the Himalayas.
Climate
Punjab is one of the coldest regions in India with an average daily high tem- perature of only 30°C. Several months (mid-April to end of August) of the year it is warm to hot when temperature soars above 25°C, sometimes reaching up to 40°C. Punjab's rainy season begins in the first week of July and lasts up to
PUNJAB
The Land of Five Rivers
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May 2021
unjab is a state in the north- west region of India and is one of the most prosperous states. With over 27 million
inhabitants, Punjab is the 16th largest state by population, comprising 22 dis- tricts. Punjabi, written in the Gurmukhi script, is the most widely spoken and official language of the state. Punjab in its present form came into existence
on November 1, 1966, when most of its predominantly Hindi-speaking areas were separated to form the new state
of Haryana. The state capital is Chan- digarh, a Union Territory and also the capital of the neighbouring state of Har- yana. The emblem of Punjab consists
of the encircled Lion Capital of Ashoka with a Wheat stem above it and crossed Swords below it. The word Punjab is a compound of the Persian words panj (five) and Aab (waters). The five major rivers of Punjab are the Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jehlum.
“Northern goshawk”, the State Bird of Punjab has cultural association and significance in Sikh religion. It is locally known as “Baaj” and has been tradi- tionally revered as a symbol of strength. “Blackbuck” and “Sheesham” are the state animal and tree, respectively.
Geography
Punjab has a total area of 50,362 square kilometre. It is bounded by Pakistan on the west, Jammu and Kashmir (un-
ion territory) on the north, Himachal Pradesh on the northeast and Haryana and Rajasthan on the south. Most of the