State (pop., 2001 prelim.: 1,091,117), extreme northeastern India.
Bordered by Bhutan , Tibet (China), and Myanmar and Nagaland and Assam states, it occupies 32,333 sq mi (83,743 sq km); its capital is Itanagar . A portion of the region was annexed by Assam in the 16th century. By 1826 the British had made Assam part of British India. In 1954 the region was known as the North East Frontier Agency and was part of Assam state; in 1987 it became a separate state. It incorporates major ranges of the Himalaya foothills and has a rugged terrain. The population consists of many ethnic groups who speak dialects of the Tibeto-Burman linguistic family.