Map of Punjab

History

The Punjab region is noted as the site of one of the earliest urban societies, the Indus Valley Civilisation that flourished from about 3000 B.C. and declined rapidly 1,000 years later, following the Indo-Aryan migrations that overran the region in waves between 1500 and 500 B.C. Frequent intertribal wars stimulated the growth of larger groupings ruled by chieftains and kings, who ruled local kingdoms known as Mahajanapadas. The rise of kingdoms and dynasties in Punjab is chronicled in the ancient Hindu epics, particularly the Mahabharata. The epic battles described in the Mahabharata are chronicled as being fought in what is now the state of Haryana and historic Punjab.

Geography

Punjab is in northwestern India and has a total area of 50,362 square kilometres (19,445 mi2). Punjab is bordered by Pakistan's Punjab province on the west, Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Himachal Pradesh on the northeast and Haryana and Rajasthan on the south. Most of Punjab lies in a fertile, alluvial plain with perennial rivers and an extensive irrigation canal system. A belt of undulating hills extends along the northeastern part of the state at the foot of the Himalayas. Its average elevation is 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level, with a range from 180 metres (590 ft) in the southwest to more than 500 metres (1,600 ft) around the northeast border. The southwest of the state is semi-arid, eventually merging into the Thar Desert.

Punjab lies in the Indus River Basin.

Economy

Punjab's GSDP was estimated at ₹7.39 trillion (US$ 87 billion) at current prices in 2024–25. Punjab is one of the most fertile regions in India. The region is ideal for wheat-growing. Rice, sugar cane, fruits and vegetables are also grown. Indian Punjab is called the "Granary of India" or "India's bread-basket". It remains one of India's major producers of wheat and rice.

Punjab ranked first in GDP per capita among Indian states in 1981 and fourth in 2001, but has experienced slower growth than the rest of India during several periods since 2000.

Punjab produces significant quantities of wheat and rice for India's food-grain supply. In 2021–22, wheat was cultivated on approximately 3.53 million hectares and rice on approximately 3.14 million hectares.

Demographics

Punjab is home to 2.3% of India's population, with a density of 551 persons per km2. According to the provisional results of the 2011 national census, Punjab has a population of 27,743,338, making it the 16th-most populous state in India. Males and females totalled 14,639,465 and 13,103,873, respectively. Dalits comprised 32% of Punjab's population in 2017. In the state, the rate of population growth is 13.9% (2011), lower than national average. According to the National Family Health Survey 2019–21, the total fertility rate of Punjab was 1.6 children per woman.