Meghalaya

Geographical Location:

Carved from the erstwhile State of Assam, Meghalaya became a full fledged State on January 21,1972. Bounded on the North and East by Assam and on the South and West by Bangladesh, Meghalaya is spread over an area of 22, 429 square kilometres, and lies between 20.1° N and 26.5° N latitude and 85.49 °E and 92.52 °E longitude.

Climate:

The State enjoys a temperate climate. It is directly influenced by the South-West Monsoon and the northeast winter wind. The four seasons of Meghalaya are: Spring – March and April, Summer (Monsoon) – May to September, Autumn -October and November and Winter – December to February.
The Monsoon usually starts by the third week of May and continues right to the end of September and sometimes well into the middle of October. Maximum rainfall occurs over the southern slopes of the Khasi Hills, i.e over the Sohra and the Mawsynram platform, which receives the heaviest rainfall in the world. The average rainfall in the State is 12,000 mm.

Principal Languages:

The principal languages in Meghalaya are Khasi, Pnar and Garo with English as the official language of the State.
 

People & Culture:

Meghalaya’s main ethnic communities, each having its own distinctive customs and cultural traditions, are the Khasis (of Mon-Khmer ancestry), the Garos (of Tibeto-Burman origin) and the Jaintias said to be from South East Asia. The common trait binding all three communities is its matrilineal system in which the family linage is taken from the mother’s side. The people of Meghalaya are known to be hospitable, cheerful and friendly.