Nagaland is a state in the north-eastern part of India. It borders the Indian states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur and the country Myanmar. The state capital is Kohima. Nagaland is divided into 7 administrative districts. About 84 percent of the population belongs to 16 Naga tribes, an Indo-Mongoloid ethnic group; minority tribes include the 40,000 Chin. In addition, there are some 220,000 Assamese and 14,000 Bengali Muslims. More than 85 percent of the population is Christian, mostly Baptist. This Christian heritage is shared with a majority in the nearby states of Mizoram and Meghalaya and by a large minority in neighbouring Manipur, but sets them apart from the rest of India which is overwhelmingly Hindu.

Recent history

Nagaland became a state on December 1, 1963. Its status as part of India or as an independent entity beforehand has been disputed since 1956, and there are agitators for independence within the region.

On October 2, 2004, a series of attacks, including two bomb explosions, in the states of Assam and Nagaland killed at least 57 people and injured over 100. Officials have blamed two groups of separatist rebels, the United Liberation Front of Asom and National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB).

Facts and Figures

• Area: 16,600 km²
• Population: 1.55 million (2000)
  • Ethnic groups:
    • Naga (16 tribes): 83.6%
    • Assamese: 11.5%
    • Chin: 2.5%
    • Bengali: 0.8%
    • Other: 1.6%
  • Religion:
    • Christian: 87.5% (60%+ Baptist)
    • Hindu: 10.1%
    • Muslim: 1.7%
• Capital: Kohima (pop. 63,000)

External links

• Official website (http://nagaland.nic.in/)
• Independent - Separatist attacks kill 57 in north-east India (http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=568505)
• BBC Breaking News - India rocked by deadly attacks (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3710318.stm)

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