All Illustrated Geography of Assam

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This book entitled 'An Illustrated Geography of Assam' contains a collection of twenty articles contributed by a group of authors across different disciplines. The articles address the varied themes covering the land and people of Assam, viz. Assam in Chronology perspective, topography and physiography, geology and minerals, soils, climate, rivers, wetlands, water resources, forest resources and biodiversity, land use land cover, natural disasters, ethnic groups and ethnicities, population growth and demographic changes, rural and urban settlements, agriculture, industries, transport, tourism, geopolitics and health sector and health status. Covering a wide spectrum of topics devoted to almost all aspects of the state of Assam, this book is expected to be very useful, informative and interesting to the students, research scholars, teachers and academicians of different backgrounds, the aspirants of different competitive examinations besides fulfilling the needs of various agencies engaged in planning and development of the state.

Ashok Kumar Bora, M.Sc. Ph.D., is a Professor and former Head, Department of Geography, Gauhati University. His fields of research interest include Geomorphology, Fluvial Geomorphology, Wetland Studies, Environmental Geography and Application of Remote Sensing in Resource Management. He has more than 30 years of PG. teaching and also research experience till date and produced as many as 20 Ph.D. and 14 M.Phil. degree holders so far under his supervision. He to his credit, has so far published more than 90 research papers in national and international journals besides a good number of popular articles and some books. He is the member of a number of national and international academic bodies.

A Mrinal Nath, M. Sc. Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Geography In Jagannath Barooah College (Autonomous), Jorhat, Assam. Formerly, he worked as the Senior Cartographer in Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar. His specialization is cartography and map making. Besides these, he is interested in the field of climatology, environmental studies and land surveying. The latest atlas of Assam showing the newly constituted districts which is now available in the market was prepared by him. He takes part in coaching programs for different competitive examinations as Resource Person. He also writes articles in newspapers and magazines from time to time.

I am very happy to see that two of my ardent students and colleagues Professor Ashok Kumar Bora of Gauhati University, Assam and Dr. Mrinal Nath of Jagannath Barooah College (Autonomous), Jorhat, Assam, have willingly come forward to bring out an edited book titled "An Illustrated Geography of Assam" in honour of their revered teacher late Professor Suresh Prasad Mandal, who served Darrang College, Tezpur for a substantially long time. Professor Mandal was a great teacher in the truest sense of the term and also a wise soul, and a book prepared in honour of such a person is really a most welcome academic effort.

Located in the north-eastern region of India, Assam holds a unique position so far the country's topographic, socio-cultural and biological diversities are concerned. The State is characterized by the presence of a variety of geomorphic features ranging from flat floodplains to high hills, hillocks and corrugated plateaus. In the climatic and floral fronts also, the State exhibits some unusually rich patterns with notable spatial variation in the distribution of rainfall, temperature and forest types. It is equally diverse in the pattern of distribution of natural habitats, human settlements and resultant cultural landscapes. Interestingly, the State is inhabited by a large number of communities belonging to different ethnic and religious groups and sub-groups. The history of peopling and the mode of adaption of the culture groups to their local environment in different parts of the State are also quite noteworthy. However, as other parts of the country, Assam has also been experiencing remarkable change in its environmental, political and socio-economic settings during the recent period. The pattern and intensity of change, however, vary significantly at regional level, especially between the hills and the plains. Within the plains again, micro level variations, particularly from the river banks to the foothills, are clearly evident in the pattern of socio-economic expression and level of development.

The necessity of a comprehensive book on geography of the State of Assam has long been felt. We fervently acknowledge that several books on geography of Assam have been published and are available in the market. Being associated with the profession of teaching for long period, the necessity of a comprehensive volume on geography of Assam is felt in an acute manner. It is known from the student community, particularly from the aspirants of different competitive examinations that they also face shortage of geographic information during their preparation for the examinations. Again, the scholars, students and common people belonging to non-geographic background and those who want to acquaint themselves with the geography of the state of Assam do not express their total satisfaction after searching for relevant books. All these were striking the minds of the editors.

We, the editors of this book are extremely indebted and grateful to one of our most respected teachers Professor Suresh Prasad Mandal, the real architect of the Department of Geography, Darrang College, Tezpur (Assam) who served the college as the Head of the Department, Vice Principal and Principal in-charge for a total period of 37 years. With untiring efforts, this highly dedicated teacher to his profession produced a galaxy of luminaries who are serving the state and the nation in different capacities. On October 14, 2020 and at the age of 84, Professor Mandal left us to his heavenly abode. In order to pay homage to the departed soul and quench our urge to do something for his sacred memory, we have sincerely taken up this job of publishing a comprehensive book on geography of Assam, the need of which had long been felt. We, the editors feel ourselves extremely fortunate to dedicate this book to our beloved teacher Late Professor Suresh Prasad Mandal in his honour and fond reminiscence.

The introductory chapter of the book (Chapter 1) 'Assam Through Ages' authored by Mrinal Nath and Devajani Bhagawati Nath makes an attempt to explore the geographical territory that Assam had been occupying in historical perspective. It focuses on how the land of Assam has been documented in the ancient Indian writings including the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas of the pre-historic times. The geopolitical events of the medieval and modern period are also incorporated at length. The chapter gives a vivid description of streams of people coming into this land from different parts at different periods of time and the process of assimilation of these human groups with their own cultural characteristics.

**Contents and Sample Pages**