The State of Nagaland was formally inaugurated on December 1st, 1963 , as the 16th State of the Indian Union. It is bounded by Assam in the West, Myanmar ( Burma ) on the east, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam on the North and Manipur in the South. The State consists of seven Administrative Districts, inhabited by 16 major tribes along with other sub-tribes. Each tribe is distinct in character from the other in terms of customs, language and dress.
The earliest records throwing light on the politico-economic linkages of the Nagas with others are the Buranjis, the chronicles of the Ahoms of Assam. The early Buranjis describe that the Ahom Sukhapa encountered the Nagas of the Patkoi as early as the twelfth century. It is said that Sukhapa, an adventurer who left Maulung in 1215 AD, heading a force of eight hundred armed soldiers with 300 horses and two elephants, entered Naga territory enroute to Assam Valley . The subsequent rise and fall of his kingdom urshered in a chequered history of hostility and friendship with the Nagas. The Naga areas in 1852 were constituted into a sub-division under the Nowgong district, with Asaloo as its headquarters. The Manipuri interests, the threatening postures of the Burmeses and the belligerent attitude of the Nagas had forced the British to shift their headquarters to Samaguting, ten miles inside the Angami territory. In 1869, Captain Butler , the Political Agent of Naga Hills was given orders to initiate a process of consolidation of the colonial rule in Naga Hills by interfering in inter-tribal disputes. The Naga district, in 1874 was brought under the Chief Commissioner of Assam .
The beginning of the effective administration of the Naga Hills started when Kohima was established as the headquarters in 1878.
After the independence of India in 1947, the area remained a part of the province of Assam . Nationalist activities arose amongst Naga tribes, who demanded a political union of their ancestral and native areas, and greater autonomy and self-government. Extremists demanded secession from India altogether. Sectarian and political violence increased throughout the state - extremist groups damaged government and civil infrastructure, and attacked government officials and Indians from other states. The Union government sent the Indian Army in 1955, to restore order. In 1957, the Government began diplomatic talks with representatives of Naga tribes, and the Naga Hills district of Assam and the Tuensang frontier were united in a single political entity that became a Union territory - directly administered by the Central government with a large degree of autonomy. This was not satisfactory to the tribes, however, and soon agitation and violence increased across the state - methods of protest included attacks on Army and government institutions, as well as civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes. In July 1960, a further political accord was reached at the Naga People's Convention that Nagaland should become a constituent and self-governing state in the Indian union. Statehood was officially granted in 1963 and the first state-level democratic elections were held in 1964.
Capital : Kohima
Coordinates : 25.4° N 94.08° E
Largest city : Dimapur
Population(2001): 1,988,636
Density : 120/km²
Area : 16,579 km²
Districts : 11
Time zone : IST (UTC+ 5:30 )
Official language: English
