| Punjab |
Patiala .
. Amritsar
| Pakistan |
=
Attari .
| Himachal Pradesh |
| Haryana |
| Rajastan |
| Lahore. |
| Map |
| The state of Punjab covers an area of 50,362 square kilometres and has a population around 24,000,000 (2000). The name "Punjab" means "land of five rivers" and derives from the Persian words 'panj,' meaning five, and 'aab,' meaning water. The rivers (tributaries of the Indus River) are the Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, and Sutlej. The five rivers are now divided between India and Pakistan. Geographically, Punjab is divided into two regions, the Shivaliks and the Plains. The Punjab Shivalik region covers the outer part of the Shivalik ranges and spans up to ten kilometers in width. The Punjab plain is a part of the Indo Gangetic plains. The plains lie between 180 to 300 meters above sea level. The area of Majha is between the Beus and Chenab rivers and on both sides of Ravi. This area is called the heart of Punjab and includes the cities of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Faridkot and Ferozepur. The area of Punjab between the rivers of Beus and Satluj is called Doaba and the Malwa area is southern Punjab facing Rajasthan and East of river Beus. Punjab is located in the northwest region of India. It is bordered by the states of Jammu and Kashmir in the North, Pakistan in the west, Rajasthan and Haryana in the south east and Himachal Pradesh in the north east. The population of Indian Punjab is 37 % Hindu, 61 percent Sikh, 1 % Muslim and a little more than 1 % Christian, with smaller portions of Buddhists, Jains, and others. |
