Himachal

General Information
Himachal Pradesh is a hill state in northern part of India. It is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir in north, Punjab on the west, Haryana and Uttarakhand in south and Tibet on the east. The meaning of Himachal Pradesh is "region of snowy mountains". Himachal Pradesh also known as Dev Bhumi (The Abode of Gods). Himachal Pradesh situated in the western Himalayas. The elevation ranging from about 350 meters to 7000 meters above the sea level. The climate of Himachal varies from hot and sub-humid tropical in the southern tracts to cold, alpine and glacial in the northern and eastern mountain ranges with more elevation.

Climate
In Himachal, there are three main season; summer, Cold and Rainy season. Summer lasts from mid-April to end of June and most part become very hot except in alpine zone, the temperature ranging from 28°c to 32°c. Winter lasts from late November to mid-March and snowfall is common in alpine tracts. In rainy season areas like Dharamshala receive very heavy rainfall but Lahaul and Spiti are almost rainless.

Flora and Fauna
Himachal is well known habitat to a variety of animals. There are more than 1200 variety of birds and 350 animals species include, Leopards, Snow Leopards, Musk Deer and Western Tragopan. The Great Himalayan National Park in Kullu district, create to conserve the flora and fauna for the main Himalayan range and Pin Valley National Park to conserve the flora and fauna in the cold desert of Himachal.

Culture
Himachal is a multiregional, multicultural and multilingual state like other Indian states. Himachal is well known for his handicrafts. Pashmina Shawl is one of the products which are highly in demand in India and out of India. Kullu is famous for its Shawl while Kangra and Dharamshala are famous for Kangra miniature paintings.

Tourism
Himachal is a hill state, considered as a comprehensive tourist destination because of exceptional deviation in altitude and climate. Himachal also host of various travel & tourism related activities, services and facilities. It is a paradise for both tourists who love adventure and cultural tours. In Himachal Shimla, Manali, Dharmasala, Kullu are the most famous hill stations apart Dharmasala is the home of HH Dalai Lama. Himachal is the house of Buddhist Monasteries, Hindu Temples and Gurudwara which are dating from ancient times.

Himachal Fact :

Area : 55,673 Km².
Population : 68,56,509 (Approximately).
Language : Hindi, English, Himachali.
Capital : Shimla.
Altitude : Av. 2319 meters.
Temperature :
Summer : 28°C to 32°C.
Winter : 0°C to 2°C.