Location and Extent

Jharkhand is a landlocked plateau state in eastern India with an area of about 79,716 square kilometres. It lies wholly on the Chotanagpur plateau, is crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, and touches five neighbouring states.

Area — about 79,716 sq km | About 2.4 percent of India | Landlocked | Capital Ranchi

Position on the map

• Located in eastern India, entirely on the Chotanagpur plateau
• Approximate latitude — about 22 to 25 degrees North
• Approximate longitude — about 83 to 88 degrees East
• The Tropic of Cancer passes through the state, crossing near Ranchiबार-बार पूछा जाता है
• Landlocked — no coastline and no international boundary
• The state is compact rather than elongated, which helps administration

Size and rank

• Area — about 79,716 square kilometres
• Roughly 2.4 percent of India's total area
• Among Indian states it ranks around fifteenth by area
• Population as per Census 2011 — about 3.30 crore
• The state is small in area but dense in resources, which shapes its whole economy

Neighbours by direction

Height and terrain in brief

• Most of the state lies between 300 and 900 metres above sea level
• Highest point — Parasnath hill, 1,365 metres, in Giridih district
• Highest plateau surface — the Pat region around Netarhat
• Lowest tracts — the Rajmahal and river plains in the east and north-east
• Being a plateau, the state is cooler than the Bihar plains at the same latitude

Why location matters

• Plateau elevation gives a milder climate and made hill stations such as Netarhat possible
• Being landlocked, the state depends on ports in Odisha and West Bengal for exports
• Its position between the Ganga plain and the peninsula makes it a transit corridor
• The Damodar and Subarnarekha basins are shared with neighbouring states
• Mineral belts continue across the borders, so mining policy has an inter-state dimension

Local terms you will meet in this chapter

• Pat — the high, flat-topped plateau surface of the west, around Netarhat
• Tanr — the less fertile upland field of the plateau
• Don — the more fertile lowland field where water collects
• Buru — hill, as in Dombari Buru and Dalma Buru
• Trough — the low rift-like belt along the Damodar valley
• Damin — the skirt of the hills, as in Damin-i-Koh

State at a glance