Known as the "Province of the Snow-laden Mountains," Himachal Pradesh is a state in northern India. It is one of the thirteen mountain states and is located in the Western Himalayas. It is distinguished by an extreme scenery with numerous peaks and huge river systems. Himachal Pradesh is the most northern state in India. It has borders with Uttar Pradesh to the south, Punjab to the west, Haryana to the southwest, Ladakh to the southeast, and the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the north. Additionally, the nation and China's Tibet Autonomous Region are separated by a common international boundary to the east. Himachal Pradesh is often referred to as Veer Bhoomi, which means "Land of the Brave," and Dev Bhoomi, which means "Land of the Gods." Since prehistoric times, people have lived in the primarily mountainous territory that makes up modern-day Himachal Pradesh, and there have been numerous waves of human migration from other regions. [20] The area was primarily ruled by small kingdoms throughout its history, some of which recognized the suzerainty of more powerful empires. Himachal was British India's hilly Punjab Province before to the country's independence from the British. Following independence, much of the steep regions were formed as Himachal Pradesh, the Chief Commissioner's province that eventually evolved into a union territory. The hilly portions of the neighboring state of Punjab were amalgamated into Himachal in 1966, and the state was finally given full sovereignty in 1971. Himachal Pradesh is divided into valleys that are traversed by several perennial rivers. The rural portions of the state are home to about 90% of the population. The state's economy heavily relies on hydropower, tourism, horticulture, agriculture, and horticulture. Almost all houses in the mountainous state have access to electricity, with 99.5% having it as of 2016. In 2016, the region was named the second open-defecation-free state in India. Himachal Pradesh is the least corrupt state in India, according to the CMS-India Corruption Study 2017.
