NE India

Northeast India
Country	India
States and territories	Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura
Largest city	Guwahati
Most populous cities (2011)	Arunachal Pradesh: Itanagar Naharlagun Pasighat Aalo Seppa Assam: Guwahati Silchar Jorhat Dibrugarh Nagaon Manipur: Imphal Thoubal Kakching Ukhrul Lilong Meghalaya: Shillong Tura Mawlai Nongthymmai Madanrting Mizoram: Aizawl Lunglei Champhai Saiha Kolasib Nagaland: Dimapur Kohima Tuensang Mokokchung Wokha Sikkim: Gangtok Namchi Rangpo Jorethang Rhenak Tripura: Agartala Dharmanagar Udaipur Kailasahar Khowai
Area
• Total	262,230 km2 (101,250 sq mi)
Population (2011 Census of India)
• Total	45,772,188
• Density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Official languages	Assamese Bodo Garo Khasi Kokborok Meitei (Manipuri) Gorkhali Hindi English Bengali

Assam:

Manipur:

Meghalaya:

Mizoram:

Nagaland:

Sikkim:

Tripura:

Northeast India (officially called North Eastern Region, NER) is the eastern-most region of India. It comprises eight states – the contiguous Seven Sister States (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura), and the Himalayan state of Sikkim. The Siliguri Corridor in West Bengal, with a width of 21 to 40 kilometres (13 to 25 mi), connects the North Eastern Region with East India, and separates Sikkim from the Seven Sister States. The region shares more than 4,500 kilometres (2,800 mi) of international border with China (Tibet Region) in the north, Myanmar in the east, Bangladesh in the southwest, and Bhutan to the northwest. The region comprises an area of 262,230 square kilometres, 8.0 percent of India.

The states of North Eastern Region are officially recognised under the North Eastern Council (NEC), constituted in 1971 as the acting agency for the development of the eight states. At the time of induction of NEC, the North Eastern Region comprised the Seven Sister States only. Sikkim was introduced as the eighth member in 2002. Sikkim is the least populous and the second smallest state in India. The region is also the largest salient (panhandle) in the world.

The earliest settlers may have been Austro-Asiatic speakers, followed by Tibeto-Burmese and lastly by Indo-Aryans. Due to the bio- and crop diversity of the region, archaeological researchers believe that early settlers of Northeast India had domesticated several important plants. Writers believe that the 100 BC writings of Chinese explorer, Zhang Qian indicate an early trade route via Northeast India. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mention a people called Sêsatai in the region, who produced malabathron, so prized in the old world.