Himachal Pradesh, a picturesque mountain state, is a land of remarkable geographical diversity. In the south, the Shiwalik hills rise gently from the Punjab-Haryana plains. But to the north the altitudinal rise is dramatic. A series of parallel ranges rise like giant steps till the highest point is reached in the Greater Himalaya. Within these ranges are a number of smaller ranges like the Dhauladhar, Pir Panjal and Zanskar. Himachal is a mosaic of different cultures. It is inhabited by one of the most colourful people whose culture is as richly diverse and fascinating as the landscape. The developmental activities such as industrialization, road construc-tion, hydropower projects, horticulture, urbanization, mining and growth of tourism have gradually transformed the state, though the issues of environ-mental pollution, resource depletion and increasing incidences of natural hazards such as cloudbursts, flash floods, land-slides and erratic weather conditions are causing serious concerns. The book examines the emergence of Himachal, and explores the physical geography of the state, including its topography, drainage and climate in first two chapters. Chapter three examines the resources of the state including its flora and fauna, soils, minerals and hydropower potential. Chapter four focuses on the human diversity, while the fifth chapter looks at the economy of the state with special reference to horti-culture, tourism and settlements. The last chapter examines the state’s vulne-rability to natural hazards such as earth-quakes, flash floods, cloudbursts and avalanches. The book enlightens and refreshes the readers by providing an insight into this wonderful state.
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