Short facts instead of long texts
Assam in a nutshell
Assam short and sweet
The most important information
Below you will find everything you need to know about Assam clearly summarized in a table. If something is not clear, please do not hesitate to contact us.
| Location | Assam is one of the seven sister states in the far northeast of India and lies south of the eastern Himalayas, with borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh and internal borders with the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal. |
| Area | 78,438 km² |
| Population | 31.1 million/ 397 inhabitants per km² (2011) |
| Capital | Dispur |
| Districts | 27: Baksa, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Cachar, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Dima Hasao, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, Tinsukia and Udalguri |
| Topography | Assam consists almost exclusively of the valleys of the rivers Brahmaputra (with a length of almost 1,000 km and a width between 80 and 100 km) and Barak, as well as the mountainous regions of Karbi Anglong and Cachar, with an average altitude of 1,200-1,500 m above sea level. |
| Vegetation | Tropical wetlands along the Brahmaputra, which partially flood a huge alluvial plain which is many kilometers wide. Widespread agricultural use in the mountainous regions, otherwise vegetation changes up to the subalpine zone. |
| Animal world | The Kaziranga National Park in particular is home to many rare animal species such as the Indian Rhinoceros unicornis, Asian elephant Elephas maximus, water buffalo Bubalus arnee, various deer species and also the Bengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris and the Indian leopard Panthera pardus fusca. Countless species of monkeys, reptiles, birds and insects also live here. |
| Climate | Tropical to subtropical, depending on altitude. The year can be divided into three seasons: Summer (March to May, pleasant, warm and humid climate with slowly increasing rainfall), monsoon (June to September, humid and very humid climate with heavy rainfall) and winter (December to February, cool to cold and dry). Sometimes strong northwesterly winds in February and March |
| Temperatures | In summer, temperatures range between 18 °C and 35 °C, in winter between 7 °C and 26 °C. Lowest temperatures in December and January |
| Precipitation | Approx. 1,650-2,500 mm of precipitation per year, 75% of which is monsoon rain from the end of May to September |
| Languages | Assamese (official language, approx. 50% native speakers). Bengali (approx. 30%), Hindi (approx. 6%), associated official languages at regional level: Bodo, Nepali, Miri, Karbi and other Tibetan-Burmese languages, Santali and Oriya. English as a foreign language is quite widespread. |
| Ethnicities | Assamese (approx. 50%), Bengalese (approx. 30%), immigrants from Bangladesh and Nepal, plus 12.5% members of approx. 16 different indigenous tribes. |
| Religions | Hinduism (approx. 65%), Islam (approx. 31%), Christianity (approx. 4%), Buddhism (<1%), Sikh (<1%), Animism (<1%). |
| Economy | About 80% of the population works in agriculture, growing tea, rice, sugar cane, jute, oilseeds and fruit; there is some silk production. Oil and gas are also extracted and refined. Mining of limestone and granite, cement production. |
| Journey | Flight to Kolkata or Delhi in India. From Delhi onward flight to Guwahati |
| Visa / entry permit | A visa and a passport valid for at least six months are required to enter India; additional entry permits are not required for Assam |
| Vaccinations | Vaccinations against hepatitis A, polio (polio), tetanus combined with diphtheria are strongly recommended if the last vaccination was more than 10 years ago. You will receive detailed vaccination recommendations from us upon registration. |