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State Profile
Punjab
literally means five waters. It
has derived its name from the
five rivers that flow through
this region – the Sutlej, the
Beas, the Ravi, the Jhelum and
the Chenab. Prior to Persian
period this region was known by
different names at different
times. After independence this
region witnessed mass migration
and distribution of property. In
1947 when India was portioned,
the larger half of Punjab went
to Pakistan. In 1966 the Indian
smaller half was further divided
into three: Punjab, Haryana and
Himachal.
Punjab is an agrarian state with
agriculture as the main
occupation though the
inhabitants are good
entrepreneurs. Over 80% of
Punjab is cultivated. Major
crops of Punjab include Wheat,
Rice, Sugarcane, Cotton. The
principal industries are textile
manufacturing, yarn, knitwear,
sewing machine, sports goods,
fertilizer, bicycle, electrical
goods, machine tool,
pharmaceuticals and processing
of sugar and pine oil. Most of
Punjab is a fertile plain;
toward the southeast one finds
semi-arid and desert landscape;
a belt of undulating hills
extends along the northeast at
the foot of the Himalayas. Four
rivers, the Ravi, Beas, Satluj
and Ghaggar flow across the
state in a southwesterly
direction. They have numerous
small and seasonal tributaries.
The state has an extensive canal
system that irrigates more than
95% of its land. |
