Capital: Kohima 

Geography of Nagaland

Location

• Nagaland, state of India, lies in the hills and mountains of northeastern part of the country. 
• On the eastern boundary of Nagaland lies the international border that India shares with Myanmar. 
• The southern end of the state is bordered by the state of Manipur. 
• The state of Assam borders Nagaland in the western and the north-western sides. 
• The state of Arunachal Pradesh borders Nagaland on the north.

Climate 

• The salubrious mountain climate of Nagaland is responsible for the health and well-being of the citizens of the state and its visitors. 
•  Various factors influencing the climate of Nagaland are
  • The altitude
  • Geographical coordinates
  • Distance from the sea
  • The wind’s direction
• The hilly terrains of the northeastern state of Nagaland are instrumental in shaping the cool and pleasant climatic conditions. 
• Summer is the shortest season in the state and temperature during the summer season remains between the 16 degrees Celsius to 31 degrees Celsius.  
• The torrential monsoon downpours during the months of June, July, August and September. The recorded average annual rainfall of the state ranges from 2000mm-2500mm 
• Winter makes an early arrival in the state of Nagaland. The temperature drops as low as of 4 degrees Celsius in winter. 
•  The maximum average temperature recorded in the winter season is 24 degrees Celsius. 

Vegetation 

• The lush green vegetation of Nagaland depicts the natural and the cultivated growth in the state.  
• The economy of the state of Nagaland is dependent on agriculture which forms the chief occupation of the tribal inhabitants.  
• The people practice terrace farming in the hilly regions of the state.  
• Drained by four rivers, the alluvial deposits of the rivers facilitate the growth of various agricultural food products. 

Soil 

• A survey conducted on the soil of Nagaland has revealed that the soil can be categorized into 10 major groups, 14 sub-groups, 4 orders, 7 sub-orders and 72 soil families. 
• The soil of Nagaland are an important part of the topography and the geography of Nagaland.  
• The classification of the soils into groups and orders have aided the management of the land use planning which is of primary significance in the agricultural sector.  
• The systematic survey and classification of soils in Nagaland has facilitated extensive crop cultivation in the state. 
• The following are the four orders of soil in Nagaland that constitute the 16.6 million hectares of geographical land of the state.
  • Inceptisols
    • The most important type of soil that covers about 66 percent of the land area of Nagaland are the Inceptisols.
    • The soil texture is fine clay, clay loamy and the fine loamy clay. These soil types are predominant near the riverbeds.
  • Entisols
    • Entisols cover 7.3 percent of the land area and is found mainly in the north and the northeastern parts of the state of Nagaland.
    • This nascent category of soil comprises of the fine loamy and the fine categories of soil textures. 
  • Alfisols 
    • The light colored and mineral rich, Alfisols cover a meager 2.9 percent of the land area of the state of Nagaland. 
    • The fine loamy and the fine drained class of soil texture occur in the western extremity of the state near its border with Assam. 
  • Ultisols 
    • About 23.8 percent of the land area of Nagaland is enveloped by the Ultisols.
    • The soil is characterized by its low base saturation feature.
    • This soil type is found in different regions of the state and is prevalent mostly in the forested regions of the state which receive a high amount of rainfall.
    • The texture of the soil remains clayey. 

Rivers

• The proximity to the Himalayan foothills and the torrential monsoon rains has resulted in the prosperity of the mighty rivers in Nagaland.  
• The rivers form an integral part of the geography of Nagaland.  
• The mountain region is the source of several streams and rivulets. 
• The tributaries of the great Brahmaputra River flow through the state to join the main river before reaching its mouth in the Bay of Bengal. 
• Nagaland state is drained by four main rivers
  • Dhansiri
  • Dikhu
  • Doyang
  • Jhanji. 
• These above-mentioned rivers form huge catchment areas. 
•  The rich alluvial deposit of the rivers facilitates crop cultivation in the state. 
• The government has also set up power stations in order to generate hydroelectricity from these rivers.

Map of India representing Nagaland