Northeastern India's Assam state is located along the valleys of the Brahmaputra and Barak Rivers, south of the eastern Himalayas. The size of Assam is 78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi). The state is bordered to the north by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, to the east by Nagaland and Manipur, to the south by Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and Bangladesh, and to the west by West Bengal via the 22 km (14 mi) wide Siliguri Corridor, which connects the state to the rest of India. The official languages of Assam are Assamese and Boro, with Bengali serving as a third official language in the Barak Valley. Assam tea and Assam silk are trademarks of the state. The nation's first oil well was drilled in this state. Assam is one of the last remaining wild habitats for the Asian elephant and is also home to the one-horned Indian rhinoceros, wild water buffalo, pygmy hog, tiger, and several species of Asian birds. Wildlife tourism visiting the World Heritage Sites of Kaziranga and Manas National Parks benefits Assam's economy. The feral horses in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park are well-known. In the state, sal tree woods may be found. Because of the state's high rainfall, these forests are perpetually green. Assam receives more rainfall than the majority of India, and this precipitation feeds the Brahmaputra River, which, along with its tributaries and oxbow lakes, creates a hydro-geomorphic environment in the region.
