northeast India
Assam
Assam is the largest state of Northeast India by population and a major Brahmaputra-Barak valley region known for tea, oil, one-horned rhinoceros conservation, river islands, floods and erosion, cultural diversity, Ahom history, Vaishnavite traditions, and Guwahati as a gateway to the Northeast.
Capital
Dispur
Population
3.12 Cr
Census of India 2011
Area
78,438 sq km
Census of India 2011
Literacy
72.2%
Census of India 2011
Districts
35
State Profile
Assam overview
Assam is a river-valley state of Northeast India centred on the Brahmaputra valley, with the Barak valley in the south and hill districts such as Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao. Its capital is Dispur, while Guwahati is the largest city and a major gateway to Northeast India.
Capital
Dispur
Region
northeast
Population
3.12 Cr
Census of India 2011
Area
78,438 sq km
Census of India 2011
Snapshot
Quick facts
Core facts useful for prelims, maps, and state comparison.
- Capital
- Dispur
- Largest city
- Guwahati
- Region
- northeast
- Population
- 3.12 CrCensus of India 2011
- Area
- 78,438 sq kmCensus of India 2011
- Languages
- Assamese, Bodo, Bengali
Snapshot
Economy snapshot
A quick view of source-backed output, income, growth, and major sectors.
- Industries
- Tea, Oil and natural gas, Agriculture, Sericulture
UPSC Focus
Why it matters
Important UPSC-relevant themes connected with this state.
- Assam is a core UPSC case study for Northeast India, Ahom history, British expansion after the Treaty of Yandabo, tea plantations, oil, riverine ecology, floods, migration-sensitive governance, and federal accommodation.
- Its geography links the Brahmaputra, Barak, Himalayan foothills, hill districts, wetlands, chars, river islands, biodiversity hotspots, and international and inter-state borderland governance.
- Its society and culture illustrate linguistic diversity, Vaishnavite satra traditions, Bihu, Sattriya, tea garden communities, tribal and autonomous governance, and the challenges of preserving identity within a diverse federal democracy.
UPSC Focus
Identity markers
Cultural, historical, geographical, or economic identifiers.
- Capital: Dispur.
- Largest city: Guwahati, a major commercial and transport gateway to Northeast India.
- Gauhati High Court is located at Guwahati and has jurisdiction over Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram.
- Centred on the Brahmaputra valley, with the Barak valley in southern Assam and hill/foothill zones in Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Patkai and Bhutan-Arunachal-Nagaland-Meghalaya interfaces.
- Globally known for tea, oil, one-horned rhinoceros conservation, Brahmaputra floods, river islands, muga silk and cultural diversity.
- UNESCO sites associated with Assam include Kaziranga National Park, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary/National Park and the Moidams of the Ahom Dynasty at Charaideo.
- Important places include Guwahati, Dispur, Sivasagar or Sibsagar, Jorhat, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Silchar, Majuli, Kaziranga, Manas, Charaideo, Hajo, Barpeta, Goalpara, Dhubri, Haflong, Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong.