Meghalaya Travel Guide

By Author: soni sajjan
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Nearly one-third of the state is forested. The state has an agrarian economy and the important crops grown in the state are pineapple, banana, potato, maize and rice. The service sector is mostly comprised of insurance and real estate companies. Meghalaya’s entire domestic product for the year 2004 is approximately $1.6 billion.

About Meghalaya

Meghalaya is an Indian state located in the northeastern region. Meghalaya literally means “Abode of Clouds” in Sanskrit. Meghalaya is a mountainous region, which is nearly 300-km long and 100-km wide covering an entire area of 8,700 sq. m. The total population in the state was 2,175,000 in the year 2000. The capital city of Shillong is called the Scotland of the East and has a population of 260,000.

Where is Meghalaya

Meghalaya is one of the most frequently toured eco tourism destinations in the country. The state has two national parks and three wildlife sanctuaries. ...
... The place is home to a large number of hikers, mountaineers and trek enthusiasts. The Umiam Lake is popular for its water sports activities in the state.
Exploring Meghalaya

The state houses nearly 500 natural sandstone and limestone caves that are said to be one of the deepest and longest ones in the entire world. Cavers from many countries such as UK, USA, Ireland and Germany come to this part of India to explore and know these caves.

Other tourist hubs in the state are the popular sacred groves, the sacred forests of Nongkhnum Island, Mawphlang, Kynshi River, the Nokrek National Park,theBalpakram National Park, MawlynnongVillage and the Umiam Lake.

The Garos, Jaintias and Khasis are the three main tribes in the state. These tribes follow a matrilineal system, which is a tradition of tracing the descent of the tribes through their matrilineal ancestors. This tradition is maintained by the Khasi and Jaintia tribes where the youngest daughter in the family takes care of all the dependent members and her parents. The entire property is also inherited by her.

Meghalaya has one of the largest tribal populations in the world that practices the matrilineal culture.

Things to Know
The state has an extremely cold climate and hence you will need warm clothes throughout the year. Most of the tourists visit the state during the summers because of the fall in temperatures in the winters. It rains most of the days in the year. Use of drugs is strictly prohibited in the state.