State (pop., 2001 prelim.: 6,077,248), northern India.
Located in the western Himalayas , it is bordered by Tibet (China) and the states of Uttaranchal , Haryana , Punjab , and Jammu and Kashmir and covers an area of 21,495 sq mi (55,673 sq km); its capital is Shimla . The area's history dates back to the Aryan s assimilated the indigenous peoples. It was exposed to successive invasions through the centuries, ending with British domination in the 19th century. Between 1948 and the achievement of statehood in 1971, the state underwent various changes in size and administrative status. It is one of the least urbanized states in India, and most of the people are subsistence-level farmers.