SIKKIM – A HIMALAYAN STATE

Gangtok Market

Sikkim is a state of India. It is located in the northeastern part of the country. It is the second smallest state in India, covering an area of 2,740 square miles (7,096 square kilometers). It is bordered by the kingdoms of Nepal to the west and Bhutan to the east, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and northeast, and the state of West Bengal to the south. Gangtok is the capital.
Long a sovereign state, Sikkim became a protectorate of India in 1950 and a state in 1975. Because of its location, it has a political and strategic importance out of proportion to its size.
Physical and human geography
Sikkim is a basin surrounded on three sides by precipitous mountain walls. There is little lowland, and the variation in relief is extreme. Within 50 miles (80 kilometers) the land rises from an elevation of 750 feet in the Tista River valley to 28,208 feet (8,598 meters) at Kanchenjunga, India's highest peak and the world's third highest mountain. The Singalila Range separates Sikkim from Nepal in the west, while the Dongkya Range forms the border with China to the east. Several passes across this range afford easy access to the Chumbi valley in Tibet and beyond to Lhasa, imparting considerable strategic and political value to the region.
About two-thirds of Sikkim consists of perpetually snow-covered mountains, dominated by the Kanchenjunga massif. The Sikkimese have traditionally viewed the mountain as both a god and the abode of gods. The legendary abominable snowman, or yeti, called Nee-gued in Sikkim, is believed to roam its slopes. Other major peaks—all above 23,000 feet—include Tent, Kabru, and Pauhunri.
Drainage and climate.
The Sikkim basin is drained by the Tista River and its tributaries, such as the Rangit, Rongni Chu, Talung, and Lachung, which have cut deep valleys into the mountains. Originating in a glacier near the Tibetan border, the Tista River descends steeply, dropping about 15,700 feet to Rongphu (Rangpo), where it has cut a gorge through the Darjeeling Ridge (7,000–8,000 feet) before emerging onto the Gangatic Plain. Hydroelectric projects on Sikkim's rivers provide power to Gangtok, Rongphu, Singtam, and Mangan.
Sikkim exhibits a variety of climatic types, from almost tropical conditions in the south to the severe mountain climates in the north. Depending on altitude and exposure, annual precipitation varies from 50 to 200 inches (1,270 to 5,080 millimeters), most occurring during the months of the southwest monsoon (May through October). The heavy rains and snows often trigger destructive landslides and avalanches.
Plant and animal life
About one-third of Sikkim is forested. Sal, pandanus, palms, bamboos, ferns, and orchids are common in the subtropical forests found below about 5,000 feet. In the temperate forests (5,000 to 13,000 feet), oak, laurel, maple, chestnut, magnolia, alder, birch, rhododendron, fir, hemlock, and spruce predominate. Alpine tundra replaces forest at the higher elevations.
Sikkim has a rich and varied animal life, including the black bear, brown bear, panda, numerous species of deer, wild goats, sheep, goral, and the Tibetan antelope; the tiger, leopard, and lesser cats are also found. Birdlife includes pheasant, partridges, quail, eagles, barbets, Himalayan cuckoos, Tibetan black crows, and minivets.
The people
Three-quarters of Sikkim's population is Nepalese in origin, speaking Nepali (Gorkhali) dialects and mostly Hindu in religion and culture. The Bhutia, Lepcha, and Limbu are significant minorities; they speak Tibeto-Burman dialects and practice Mahayana Buddhism and the pre-Buddhist Bon religion. Migrants from India since 1985 have added to the Hindu population, and there are also a small number of Christians and Muslims.
The population is mostly rural, living in scattered hamlets and villages. Gangtok, with fewer than 30,000 people, is Sikkim's largest settlement; other towns, in descending order of population, include Singtām, Rongphu, Jorthang, Nayabazar, Mangan, Gyalshing, and Namchi.