View source for North India

{{Short description|Region of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name = North India
| other_name = Northern India
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = <!-- ISO 639-3 {{lang|ori}} instead --> <!-- ISO 639-2 {{lang|bn}} instead -->
| image_alt = [[File:North India.png|thumb|North India]]
| image_caption = '''From top, left to right''': [[Garhwal Himalayas]], [[Auli, India|Auli]]; [[Karzok]], [[Ladakh]]; [[Taj Mahal]], [[Agra]]; [[Red Fort]], [[Delhi]]; [[Hawa Mahal]], [[Jaipur]]; [[Lidder Valley]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]; [[Lotus Temple]], [[New Delhi]]; [[Kedarnath Temple]], [[Uttarakhand]]; [[Golden Temple]], [[Amritsar]]; [[Ram Mandir]], [[Ayodhya]]; [[Kullu Valley]], [[Manali, Himachal Pradesh|Manali]]; [[Cyber City Gurgaon|Cyber City]], [[Gurgaon]]
| motto = 
| image_map = {{box|type=transparent|[[File:Northwest India map.svg|300px]]}}
| map_caption = States and union territories commonly referred to as North India
| settlement_type = 
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width              = 300
| image_style              = 
| perrow                   = 2/2/2/2/2
| image1 = Auli, India.jpg
| image2 = Karzok Tso Moriri (cropped) 02.jpg
| image3 = Taj Mahal (Edited).jpeg
| image4 = Red Fort in Delhi 03-2016 img3.jpg
| image5 = East facade Hawa Mahal Jaipur from ground level (July 2022) - img 01.jpg
| image6 = Pahalgam Valley.jpg
| image7 = Lotus Temple in New Delhi 03-2016.jpg
| image8 = Kedarnath Temple in Rainy season.jpg
| image9 = Golden Temple nighttime.jpg
| image10 = Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Shree Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on January 22, 2024.jpg
| image11 = Kullu Valley near Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India.jpg
| image12 = Cyber City View.jpg
}}
| map_alt = 
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{IND}}
| subdivision_type1 = 
| subdivision_name1 = 
| subdivision_type2 = [[States and union territories of India|States]]{{r|name=States}}
| subdivision_name2 = {{plainlist|
*{{flagicon image|Flag of Haryana.svg}} [[Haryana]]
*{{flagicon image|}} [[Himachal Pradesh]]
*{{flagicon image|Emblem of Punjab (India) on a white background (1).png}} [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
*{{flagicon image|Flag of Rajasthan.svg}} [[Rajasthan]]
*{{flagicon image|Flag of Uttarakhand.svg}} [[Uttarakhand]]
*{{flagicon image|Flag of Uttar Pradesh.svg}} [[Uttar Pradesh]]
}}
| subdivision_type3 = [[States and union territories of India|Union territories]]
| subdivision_name3 = {{plainlist|
*[[Chandigarh]]
*[[Delhi]]
*[[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
*[[Ladakh]]
}}
| subdivision_type4 = Popular cities
| subdivision_name4 = {{plainlist|
* [[Amritsar]]
* [[Chandigarh]]
* [[Delhi]]
* [[Jaipur]]
* [[Kedarnath]]
* [[Kanpur]]
* [[Nainital]]
* [[Ludhiana]]
* [[Noida]]
* [[Shimla]]
* [[Srinagar]]
* [[Lucknow]]
}}
| blank_name_sec2 = [[Languages with official status in India|Official languages]]
| blank_info_sec2 = {{Flatlist|
* [[English language|English]]
* [[Hindi]]
* [[Urdu]]
* [[Dogri language|Dogri]]
* [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
* [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]
}}
| blank_name_sec1 = [[Languages of India|Common languages]]
| blank_info_sec1 = {{hlist| [[Hindi]]|[[Awadhi language|Awadhi]]|[[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]]|[[Maithili language|Maithili]]|[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]|[[Marwari language|Marwari]]|[[Malwi language|Malwi]]|[[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]|[[Bundeli language|Bundeli]]}}
| unit_pref = Metric
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
<!-- for references: use<ref> tags -->| area_footnotes = 
| area_note = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_rank = 
| area_total_km2 = 1069867
| area_land_km2 = 
| area_water_km2 = 
| population_total = 368065454
| population_as_of = 2025
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = [[North Indian]]<br />
{{collapsible list
| title                    = See all demonyms
|[[Awadhi people|Awadhi]]
|[[Bagheli]]
|[[Braj Bhasha|Brajwasi]]
|[[Bundeli]]
|[[Garhwali people|Garhwali]]
|[[Haryanvi people|Haryanvi]]
|[[Jammu Division|Jammuites]]
|[[Kashmiri people|Kashmiri]]
|[[Kumaoni people|Kumaoni]]
|[[Magahi people|Magahis]]
|[[Marwari people|Marwari]]
|[[Mewari]]
|[[Pahari people (Kashmir)|Pahari]]
|[[Punjabi people|Punjabi]]
}}
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]] ([[UTC+05:30]])
| utc_offset1 = 
| timezone1_DST = 
| utc_offset1_DST = 
| official_name = 
}}

'''North India''' is a [[geographical region]], loosely defined as a [[cultural region]] comprising the northern part of [[India]] (or historically, the [[Indian subcontinent]]) wherein [[Indo-Aryans]] (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority population, while [[Tibeto-Burman languages|Tibeto-Burmans]] (speaking Tibeto-Burman languages) form the significant minority population. It extends from the [[Himalayas|Himalayan mountain range]] in the north to the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]], the [[Thar Desert]], till [[Central Highlands (India)|Central Highlands]]. It occupies nearly two-quarters of the area and population of India and includes one of the three [[List of Indian cities by population#List|mega cities of India]]: [[Delhi]]. In a more specific and administrative sense, North India can also be used to denote the northern [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]] within this broader expanse, to the [[Thar Desert]].<ref name="Frykenberg2008">{{cite book |last1=Frykenberg |first1=Robert Eric |title=Christianity in India: From Beginnings to the Present |date=27 June 2008 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-154419-4 |quote=The central feature of Norh India is the gigantic Indo-Gangetic plain, together with all of the sacred rivers that flow into it.}}</ref>

Several major rivers flow through the region including the [[Indus]], the [[Ganges]], the [[Yamuna]] and the [[Narmada]] rivers. North India includes the states of [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] and [[Haryana]], [[Rajasthan]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], and union territories of [[Chandigarh]], [[Delhi]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and [[Ladakh]]. Occasionally, states of [[Western India|Western]], [[Central India|Central]] and [[East India|Eastern]] India are referred as "North Indian" in a broader term.{{r|name=States|refs=<ref name="TheHindu-Apr2017"/><ref name="TNN-marriages"/><ref name="FP-overtake"/><ref name="The Hindu, July 27, 2016"/><ref name="The Hindu, May 22, 2016"/><ref name="Daily Bhaskar, May 12, 2015"/><ref name="The Hindu, January 26, 2016"/><ref name="Jharkhand" /><ref name="maha1">{{cite web|website=FACT|url=https://fact.co.in/home/Dynamicpages?MenuId=18|title=Marketing Division activities|quote=FACT is also expanding its market to North Indian states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha and Gujarat}}</ref><ref name="maha2">{{cite web|website=servdharm|url=https://servdharm.com/blogs/post/gowri-habba-celebrations-rituals-and-practices|title=Gowri Habba Celebrations, Rituals and Practices|quote=The festival is also celebrated in some North Indian states like Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh as Hartalika Teej}}</ref><ref name="maha3">{{cite web|website=Broadcast &Cablesat|url=https://www.broadcastandcablesat.co.in/how-south-indian-cinema-lured-viewers-across-india/|title=How South Indian cinema lured viewers across India|date=3 September 2021 |quote=Mansi Shrivastava, senior vice-president and head- content acquisitions and partnerships at MX Player, said the southern film category, including dubbed versions, was huge for the platform, drawing 75% of its overall viewing minutes from north Indian states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.}}</ref><ref name="maha4">{{cite web|website=News18|url=https://www.news18.com/india/secret-sign-language-silent-trade-thrives-in-thenkasis-dried-chilli-market-8007367.html|title=Secret Sign Language: Silent Trade Thrives in Thenkasi's Dried Chilli Market|date=5 June 2023 |quote=Dried chillies from South Tamil Nadu have a huge demand in many countries, and hence they are exported to countries like Malaysia, U.A.E., and also sent to North Indian states like Maharashtra and Gujarat.}}</ref><ref name="maha5">{{cite web|website=Bharathidasan University|url=https://www.bdu.ac.in/cde/docs/ebooks/B-Ed/I/TEACHING_OF_ENGLISH.PDF|title=Teaching of English|quote= In non-Hindi north Indian states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odiya, their regional language is the first language, Hindi is the second language and English is the third language.}}</ref>}}
<!-- Ministry of Home Affairs used J&K in 2016 to refer the present J&K and Ladakh --><ref name="Indian Zonal Council">{{Cite web|url=https://interstatecouncil.nic.in/genesis/|title=Genesis &#124; ISCS|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="isc.nic">{{cite web |title=The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Act No.37 of 1956) |url=https://interstatecouncil.nic.in/iscs/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/states_reorganisation_act.pdf |website=interstatecouncil.nic.in |access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref><ref name="MoM-GSI"/>

Majority in North India speak [[Indo-Aryan languages]]. The region was the historical centre of the ancient [[Vedic culture]], the [[Mahajanapada]]s, the medieval [[Delhi Sultanate]] and the modern [[Mughal India]] and [[British Indian Empire|Indian Empire]], among many others. It has a diverse culture, and includes the [[Hindu]] pilgrimage centres of [[Chota Char Dham|Char Dham]], [[Haridwar]], [[Varanasi]], [[Vindhyachal]], [[Ayodhya]], [[Mathura]], [[Prayagraj]], [[Vaishno Devi]] and [[Pushkar]], the [[Buddhist]] pilgrimage centres of [[Sarnath]] and [[Kushinagar]], the [[Sikh]] pilgrimage centre of [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]], as well as world heritage sites such as the [[Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve]], [[Khajuraho|Khajuraho Temples]], [[Hill Forts of Rajasthan]], [[Jantar Mantar (Jaipur)]], [[Qutb Minar]], [[Red Fort]], [[Agra Fort]], [[Fatehpur Sikri]] and the [[Taj Mahal]]. North India's culture developed as a result of [[Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb|interaction]] between these Hindu and Muslim religious traditions.<ref name="Dhulipala2000"/>

== Northern Region/Zone ==
[[File:Zonal Councils.svg|thumb|300px|right|States under Northern Zonal Council in ''orange'']]
The terms 'North Zone,' 'North Region,' or 'Northern Cultural Zone' are used by various ministries of the Government of India to refer to the northernmost administrative division of the country, whether one of four or six. These terms are distinct from 'North India,' which refers to a much larger geo-cultural region.

=== Government of India definitions ===
The [[Northern Zonal Council]] is one of the advisory councils, created in 1956 by the [[States Reorganisation Act]] to foster interstate co-operation under the [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]], which included the states of [[Chandigarh]], [[Delhi]], [[Haryana]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Ladakh]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] and [[Rajasthan]].<ref name="Indian Zonal Council"/><ref name="isc.nic"/>

The [[Ministry of Culture (India)|Ministry of Culture]] established the [[Cultural Zones of India|North Culture Zone]] in [[Patiala]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] on 23 March 1985. It differs from the North Zonal Council in its inclusion of [[Uttarakhand]] and the omission of [[Delhi]].<ref name="MoC-North">{{cite web|title=North Zone Cultural Centre|url=https://www.culturenorthindia.com/|website=culturenorthindia.com|publisher=Ministry of Culture, [[Government of India]]|access-date=25 March 2017}}</ref>

The [[Geological Survey of India]] (part of the [[Ministry of Mines (India)|Ministry of Mines]]) in its Northern Region, included [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Delhi]], but excluded [[Rajasthan]] and [[Chandigarh]], with a regional headquarters in [[Lucknow]].<ref name="MoM-GSI">{{cite web | url=https://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?_pageid=108,957826&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL | title=Northern Region – Geological Survey of India | publisher=Geological Survey of India, MOI, Government of India | access-date=2 May 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924090521/https://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?_pageid=108,957826&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL | archive-date=24 September 2015 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Colloquial definitions of Northern Region/Zone ===

==== Indian press definition ====
''[[The Hindu]]'' newspaper puts Bihar, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh related articles on its ''North'' pages.<ref name="TheHindu-Apr2017">{{cite web|title=The Hindu (NOIDA Edition)|url=https://www.dropbox.com/sh/12qm2uzgokj3n74/AAB8MYR9brTeCt77uHCtK13ka?dl=0|website=Dropbox|access-date=8 April 2017}}</ref> Articles in the Indian press have included the states of Bihar,<ref name="TNN-marriages" >{{cite news |title=Marriages last the longest in north India, Maharashtra; least in northeast |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Marriages-last-the-longest-in-north-India-Maharashtra-least-in-northeast/articleshow/50618599.cms |date=18 January 2016 |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref> Gujarat,<ref name="The Hindu, May 22, 2016">{{cite news|title=Hot spell continues in North|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hot-spell-continues-in-north-india/article8631131.ece|access-date=7 April 2021|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=22 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="The Hindu, July 27, 2016">{{cite news |title=North Indians in Coimbatore|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/North-Indians-make-Coimbatore-their-second-home/article14509980.ece|access-date=7 April 2021|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=27 July 2016}}</ref> Jharkhand,<ref name="Jharkhand">{{cite news |last1=Ali |first1=Amin |title='Jharkhand is a North Indian state and for BJP to get decimated there is a statement in itself' |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/jharkhand-is-a-north-indian-state-and-for-bjp-to-get-decimated-there-is-a-statement-in-itself/ |access-date=7 April 2021 |work=[[The Times of India]] Blog |date=25 December 2019}}</ref> Madhya Pradesh,<ref name="FP-overtake">{{cite news|title=Can North India overtake 'arrogant' South in growth?|url=https://www.firstpost.com/economy/can-north-india-overtake-arrogant-south-in-growth-292855.html|access-date=7 April 2021|work=[[Firstpost]]|date=30 April 2012}}</ref> and West Bengal<ref name="Daily Bhaskar, May 12, 2015">{{cite news|date=12 May 2015|title=Earthquake jolts North India |url=https://daily.bhaskar.com/news/DEL-earthquake-jolts-delhi-patna-west-bengal-bihar-afghanistan-epicenter-4990713-NOR.html|work=Bhaskar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810193755/https://daily.bhaskar.com/news/DEL-earthquake-jolts-delhi-patna-west-bengal-bihar-afghanistan-epicenter-4990713-NOR.html |archive-date=10 August 2020|access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="The Hindu, January 26, 2016">{{cite news|last1=The Hindu|title=-Intense cold in North eight die in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Intense-cold-in-North-eight-die-in-Uttar-Pradesh-West-Bengal/article14020459.ece|access-date=7 April 2021|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=26 January 2016}}</ref> in North as well.

==== Latitude-based definition ====
The [[Tropic of Cancer]], which divides the [[temperate zone]] from the [[tropical zone]] in the [[Northern Hemisphere]], runs through India, and could theoretically be regarded as a geographical dividing line in the country.<ref name="dubey1961">Ram Nath Dubey, "Economic Geography of India", Kitab Mahal, 1961. ''... The Tropic of Cancer divides India roughly into two equal parts: the Warm Temperate and Tropical ... ''</ref> Indian states that are entirely above the [[Tropic of Cancer]] are [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[Haryana]], [[Delhi]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Bihar]] and most of [[North East India]]n states. However that definition would also include major parts of [[Rajasthan]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Jharkhand]] and [[West Bengal]] and minor regions of [[Chhattisgarh]] and [[Gujarat]].

==== Anecdotal usage ====
In [[Maharashtra]], the term "North Indian" is sometimes used to describe migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, often using the term ''bhaiya'' (which literally means 'elder brother') along with it in a derogatory sense.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dutta |first1=Prabhash K. |title=Who is a Bhaiya? |date=18 February 2022 |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/news-analysis/story/bhaiya-uttar-pradesh-up-bihar-punjab-channi-1914880-2022-02-18 |publisher=[[India Today]] |quote=These 'bhaiyas' were identified with the migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who were working in Maharashtra.}}</ref><ref name="Deccan2012">{{cite web |title=Thackerays are 'infiltrators' in Maharashtra from Bihar: Lalu Prasad |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/thackerays-are-infiltrators-in-maharashtra-from-bihar-lalu-prasad-269315.html |publisher=[[Deccan Herald]] |access-date=11 December 2023 |date=9 September 2012 |quote=Lalu said the Thackerays have always been indulging in a campaign against North Indians, mostly Biharis.}}</ref> However within Uttar Pradesh (literally meaning "North Province" in Hindi) itself, "the cultural divide between the [[Eastern Uttar Pradesh|east]] and the [[Western Uttar Pradesh|west]] is considerable, with the ''purabiyas'' (easterners) often being clubbed with Biharis in the perception of the westerners."<ref name= mazumdar1988>{{cite web|url=https://www.indialabourarchives.org/publications/Indrani%20Mazumdar.htm |title=Unorganised Workers of Delhi and the Seven Day Strike of 1988 |publisher=Indrani Mazumdar, Archives of Indian Labour |access-date=21 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040401063623/https://www.indialabourarchives.org/publications/Indrani%20Mazumdar.htm |archive-date=1 April 2004 |url-status= dead}}</ref><ref name="raghavan2007">Susheela Raghavan, "Handbook of Spices, Seasonings, and Flavorings", CRC Press, 2007, {{ISBN|0-8493-2842-X}}. ''... Maharashtra, in North India, has kala masala in many versions ... ''</ref> The [[Government of Bihar]] official site places the state in the eastern part of India.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://state.bihar.gov.in/main/CitizenHome.html |title=Government of Bihar |access-date=15 August 2023}}</ref> Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are often considered as being a part of north India, however, within most modern definitions of North India, Bihar is not included.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hassankhan |first1=Maurits S. |last2=Roopnarine |first2=Lomarsh |last3=Mahase |first3=Radica |title=Social and Cultural Dimensions of Indian Indentured Labour and its Diaspora: Past and Present |date=10 November 2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-98589-5 |quote=The north Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have the highest percentages of rural populations, with 18.6 and 11.1 percent of people living in villages, respectively, as per the 2011 census. These states are also the largest migrant-sending states. Substantial flows of labour migrants relocate from Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Haryana, Gujarat, and other states across northern and central India.}}</ref><ref name="Deccan2012"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Concern over north Indian workers in Tamil Nadu: What the numbers say about India's migrants |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/tamil-nadu-migrant-attack-india-numbers-explained-8482919/ |publisher=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=11 December 2023 |date=7 March 2023}}</ref>

==History==
{{main|India#History}}

=== Ancient era ===
By 55,000 years ago, the first modern humans, or ''[[Homo sapiens]]'', had arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, where they had earlier evolved.<ref name="PetragliaAllchin">{{harvnb|Petraglia|Allchin|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Qm9GfjNlnRwC&pg=PA10 10]}}, "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by modern humans originating in Africa. ... Coalescence dates for most non-European populations average to between 73–55 ka."</ref><ref name="Dyson2018p1">{{harvnb|Dyson|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 1]}}, "Modern human beings—''Homo sapiens''—originated in Africa. Then, intermittently, sometime between 60,000 and 80,000 years ago, tiny groups of them began to enter the north-west of the Indian subcontinent. It seems likely that initially they came by way of the coast. ... it is virtually certain that there were ''Homo sapiens'' in the subcontinent 55,000 years ago, even though the earliest fossils that have been found of them date to only about 30,000 years before the present."</ref><ref name="Fisher2018p23">{{harvnb|Fisher|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=kZVuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 23]}}, "Scholars estimate that the first successful expansion of the ''Homo sapiens'' range beyond Africa and across the Arabian Peninsula occurred from as early as 80,000 years ago to as late as 40,000 years ago, although there may have been prior unsuccessful emigrations. Some of their descendants extended the human range ever further in each generation, spreading into each habitable land they encountered. One human channel was along the warm and productive coastal lands of the Persian Gulf and northern Indian Ocean. Eventually, various bands entered India between 75,000 years ago and 35,000 years ago."</ref> The earliest known modern human remains in South Asia date to about 30,000 years ago.<ref name="PetragliaAllchin" /> After 6500 BC, evidence for domestication of food crops and animals, construction of permanent structures, and storage of agricultural surplus appeared in [[Mehrgarh]] and other sites in [[Balochistan, Pakistan]].{{sfn|Coningham|Young|2015|pp = 104–105}} These gradually developed into the [[Indus Valley Civilisation]],{{sfn|Kulke|Rothermund|2004|pp = 21–23}}{{sfn|Coningham|Young|2015|pp = 104–105}} the first urban culture in South Asia,{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 181}} which flourished during 2500–1900 BC north-western Indian subcontinent.{{sfn|Possehl|2003|p = 2}} Among its urban centres, [[Kalibangan]] (in Rajasthan) and [[Rakhigarhi]] (in Haryana) were prominent.{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 181}} These cities participated in a complex system of urban planning, long-distance trade, and craft production, sustained through a variety of subsistence strategies.

[[File:Kalibangan pre-Harappan structures.jpg|thumb|Urban planning and fire altars at [[Kalibangan]] reflect Harappan-era religious and civic life in northwestern India.|right]]

Between 2000 BC and 1500 BC, several waves of Indo-Aryan migrations from Central Asia occurred and these migrants settled in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The [[Vedas]], the oldest scriptures associated with [[Hinduism]],{{sfn|Singh|2009|pp = 186–187}} were composed during this period,{{sfn|Witzel|2003|pp = 68–69}} and historians have analysed these to posit a [[Vedic period|Vedic culture]] in the [[Punjab region]] and the upper [[Indo-Gangetic Plain|Gangetic Plain]].{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 255}}  During the period {{BCE|2000–500}}, many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from the [[Chalcolithic]] cultures to the [[Iron Age]] ones.{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 255}} The [[caste system]], which created a hierarchy of priests ([[Brahmins]]), warriors [[Kshatriyas]], and commoners and peasants ([[Vaishyas]] and [[Shudras]]), and but which excluded certain peoples whose occupations were considered impure, arose during this period.{{Sfn|Kulke|Rothermund|2004|pp=41–43}}

In the late Vedic period, around the 6th century BCE, the small states and chiefdoms of the Ganges Plain and the north-western regions had consolidated into 16 major oligarchies and monarchies that were known as the ''[[mahajanapadas]]''.{{sfn|Singh|2009|pp = 260–265}}{{sfn|Kulke|Rothermund|2004|pp = 53–54}} Among these, [[Kuru kingdom|Kuru]], [[Panchala]], [[Kosala (Mahajanapada)|Kosala]], and [[Kāśī (kingdom)|Kashi]], all located in present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]] and Haryana, figured prominently.  The emerging urbanisation gave rise to non-Vedic religious movements, two of which became independent religions. [[Jainism]] came into prominence during the life of its exemplar, [[Mahavira]].{{sfn|Singh|2009|pp = 312–313}} [[Buddhism]], based on the teachings of [[Gautama Buddha]], attracted followers from all social classes excepting the middle class; chronicling the life of the Buddha was central to the beginnings of recorded history in India.{{sfn|Kulke|Rothermund|2004|pp = 54–56}}{{sfn|Stein|1998|p = 21}}{{sfn|Stein|1998|pp = 67–68}} In an age of increasing urban wealth, both religions held up [[Nekkhamma|renunciation]] as an ideal,{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 300}} and both established long-lasting monastic traditions. Notably, cities like [[Sarnath]], [[Shravasti]], and [[Kushinagar]], became closely associated with the life of the Buddha and the early Buddhist sangha.

[[File:Ashoka Pillar, Allahabad, 1870.jpg|thumb|The [[Allahabad Pillar|Ashoka Pillar]] at [[Prayagraj]] also contains inscriptions attributed to the [[Gupta Empire|Gupta]] emperor [[Samudragupta]].|left]]

Politically, by the 3rd century BCE, the [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Kingdom of Magadha]] had annexed or reduced other states and evolved into the Magadha Empire under the [[House of Maurya]].{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 319}} Although the Mauryan capital was located in [[Pataliputra]], cities such as [[Kosambi|Kaushambi]] and [[Prayagraj|Prayag]] in Uttar Pradesh gained prominence as administrative and religious centres. The Magadhan Mauryan emperors are known as much for their empire-building and determined management of public life as for [[Ashoka]]'s renunciation of militarism and far-flung advocacy of the Buddhist ''[[Dharma (Buddhism)|dhamma]]''.{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 367}}{{sfn|Kulke|Rothermund|2004|p = 63}} Under Ashoka, the spread of Buddhism was institutionalised, and pillar inscriptions appeared across northern India, including sites in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

By the 4th and 5th centuries, the [[House of Gupta]] of Magadha had created a complex system of administration and taxation in the greater Ganges Plain; this system became a model for later Indian kingdoms.{{sfn|Kulke|Rothermund|2004|pp = 89–91}}{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 545}} Under the Guptas, a renewed Hinduism based on devotion, rather than the management of ritual, began to assert itself.{{sfn|Stein|1998|pp = 98–99}} This renewal was reflected in a flowering of [[Sculpture in the Indian subcontinent|sculpture]] and [[Architecture of India|architecture]], which found patrons among an urban elite.{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 545}} [[Sanskrit literature#Classical Sanskrit literature|Classical Sanskrit literature]] flowered as well, and [[History of science and technology in the Indian subcontinent|Indian science]], [[Indian astronomy|astronomy]], [[Ayurveda|medicine]], and [[Indian mathematics|mathematics]] made significant advances.{{sfn|Singh|2009|p = 545}}

Following the decline of the Guptas, the Indian early medieval age, from 600 to 1200 AD, is defined by regional kingdoms and cultural diversity.{{sfn|Stein|1998|p = 132}} When [[Harsha]] of [[Kannauj]], who ruled much of the Indo-Gangetic Plain from {{CE|606 to 647}}, attempted to expand southwards, he was defeated by the [[Chalukya dynasty|Chalukya]] ruler of the Deccan.{{sfn|Stein|1998|pp = 119–120}} When his successor attempted to expand eastwards, he was defeated by the [[Pala Empire|Pala]] king of [[Bengal]].{{sfn|Stein|1998|pp = 119–120}} In Rajasthan, a constellation of Rajput clans rose to power, forging new dynasties and asserting martial values through courtly traditions and fortified architecture.

At the same time, the hill regions of [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Uttarakhand]] remained under smaller principalities, shaped by geographic isolation and local cultural traditions. In the plains, cities such as [[Ajmer]], [[Kannauj]], and [[Varanasi]] emerged as religious and commercial centres, supported by an expanding temple economy and patronage networks. During this time, pastoral peoples, whose land had been cleared to make way for the growing agricultural economy, were accommodated within caste society, as were new non-traditional ruling classes.{{sfn|Stein|1998|pp = 121–122}} The caste system consequently began to show regional differences.{{sfn|Stein|1998|pp = 121–122}}

=== {{Anchor|Medieval era}}Indo-Muslim era ===
After the 10th century, Muslim Central Asian nomadic clans, using [[courser (horse)|swift-horse]] cavalry and raising vast armies united by ethnicity and religion, repeatedly overran South Asia's north-western plains. A general [[Qutub-ud-din Aibak]] declared his independence and established the [[Sultanate of Delhi]] in 1206.{{sfn|Ludden|2002|p = 68}} The sultanate was to control much of North India and to make many forays into South India. Although at first disruptive for the Indian elites, the sultanate largely left its vast non-Muslim subject population to its own laws and customs.{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 47}}{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 6}} By repeatedly repulsing [[Mongol Empire|Mongol raiders]] in the 13th century, the sultanate saved India from the devastation visited on West and Central Asia, setting the scene for centuries of [[Immigration to India#Medieval era|migration]] of fleeing soldiers, learned men, mystics, traders, artists, and artisans from that region into the subcontinent, thereby creating a syncretic Indo-Islamic culture in the north.{{sfn|Ludden|2002|p = 67}}{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|pp = 50–51}}

[[File:Babur introduced field guns at panipat, 1526.jpg|thumb|The three Battles of [[Panipat]] fought in [[First Battle of Panipat|1526]], [[Second Battle of Panipat|1556]], and [[Third Battle of Panipat|1761]] were pivotal in shaping the political landscape of North India.|right]]

In the early 16th century, northern India, then under mainly Muslim rulers,{{sfn|Robb|2001|p = 80}} fell again to the superior mobility and firepower of a new generation of Central Asian warriors.{{sfn|Stein|1998|p = 164}} A Turco-Mongol emir, [[Zahir-ud-din Mohammad]] "Babur", after defeating the Delhi Sultanate, upgraded himself from [[Emir]] and proclaimed himself as the [[Padishah of Hindustan]]. His successors were called [[Mughals]] or Moguls by European historians owing to the dynasty's Mongol origins. They did not stamp out the local societies it came to rule. Instead, it balanced and pacified them through new administrative practices{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 115}}{{sfn|Robb|2001|pp = 90–91}} and diverse and inclusive ruling elites,{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 17}} leading to more systematic, centralised, and uniform rule.{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 152}} Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic identity, especially under [[Akbar]], the Mughals united their far-flung realms through loyalty, expressed through a Persianised culture, to an emperor who had near-divine status.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 17}}

The State's economic policies, deriving most revenues from agriculture{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 158}} and mandating that taxes be paid in the well-regulated silver currency,{{sfn|Stein|1998|p = 169}} caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets.{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 152}} The relative peace maintained by the empire during much of the 17th century was a factor in the economic expansion of the region,{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 152}} resulting in greater patronage of [[Mughal painting|painting]], literary forms, textiles, and [[Mughal architecture|architecture]].{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 186}} During this time, religious movements such as [[Sikhism]] grew in strength in [[Punjab]], particularly under later Gurus, who adopted a militarised posture in response to growing Mughal intolerance.

=== Modern era ===
By the early 18th century, Mughal authority had weakened. In its place, regional powers in northern and western India, such as the [[Maratha Empire|Marathas]], the [[Rajput]]s, and the [[Sikh Empire|Sikhs]] asserted political control.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 23–24}} This fragmentation, coupled with growing European trading influence,{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 286}}{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 44–49}} created conditions that favoured British expansion. The [[East India Company]], leveraging military superiority and access to local revenue systems, took control of much of North India by the early 19th century.{{sfn|Robb|2001|pp = 98–100}}{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 286}}{{sfn|Ludden|2002|pp = 128–132}}{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 51–55}} The annexation of [[Delhi]] (1803) and [[Oudh State|Oudh]] (1856) consolidated British political authority across the region.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 68–71}} By this time, with its economic power severely curtailed by the [[British Parliament]] and having effectively been made an arm of British administration, the East India Company began more consciously to enter non-economic arenas, including education, social reform, and culture.{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 289}}

[[File:Indian Rebellion of 1857.jpg|thumb|A 1912 map of Northern India, showing the major centres of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]|left]]

The appointment in 1848 of [[James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie|Lord Dalhousie]] as [[Governor General of India]] set the stage for changes essential to a modern state. These included the consolidation and demarcation of sovereignty, the surveillance of the population, and the education of citizens. Technological changes—among them, railways, canals, and the telegraph—were introduced not long after their introduction in [[Europe]].{{sfn|Robb|2001|pp = 151–152}}{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 94–99}}{{sfn|Brown|1994|p = 83}}{{sfn|Peers|2006|p = 50}} However, disaffection with the company also grew during this time and set off the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]. Fed by diverse resentments and perceptions, including invasive British-style social reforms, harsh land taxes, and summary treatment of some rich landowners and princes, the rebellion rocked many regions of northern and central India and shook the foundations of Company rule.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 100–103}}{{sfn|Brown|1994|pp = 85–86}} This widespread revolt saw intense fighting and significant uprisings in key northern cities like [[Delhi]], [[Kanpur]], [[Lucknow]], [[Jhansi]], and [[Meerut]], which became focal points of resistance against British control.

Although the rebellion was suppressed by 1858, it led to the dissolution of the East India Company and the [[British Raj|direct administration of British territories in India]] by the [[British Crown]]. Proclaiming a [[unitary state]] and a gradual but limited British-style parliamentary system, the new rulers also protected princes and landed gentry as a feudal safeguard against future unrest.{{sfn|Stein|1998|p = 239}}{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 103–108}} In 1861, a supreme legislature for India was established — the [[Imperial Legislative Council of India]]. Further reforms also created a unified bank — the [[Imperial Bank of India]], a police force — the [[Indian Imperial Police]] and a unified army — the [[British Indian Army|Imperial Indian Army]]. In 1876, the Crown-ruled India and the numerous Indian states under the Crown's suzerainty formed a loose political union called the [[British Raj|Indian Empire]], and [[Queen Victoria]] was crowned the [[Empress of India]] in 1877. In the decades following, public life gradually emerged all over India, leading eventually to the founding of the [[Indian National Congress]] in 1885.{{sfn|Robb|2001|p = 183}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1983|pp = 1–4}}{{sfn|Copland|2001|pp = ix–x}}{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 123}}

The rush of technology and the commercialisation of agriculture in the second half of the 19th century was marked by economic setbacks, and many small farmers became dependent on the whims of far-away markets.{{sfn|Stein|1998|p = 260}} There was an increase in the number of large-scale [[Famine in India|famines]],{{sfn|Stein|2010|p=245|ps=: An expansion of state functions in British and in princely India occurred as a result of the terrible famines of the later nineteenth century, ... A reluctant regime decided that state resources had to be deployed and that anti-famine measures were best managed through technical experts.}} and, despite the risks of infrastructure development borne by Indian taxpayers, little industrial employment was generated for Indians.{{sfn|Stein|1998|p = 258}} There were also salutary effects: commercial cropping, especially in the newly canalled Punjab, led to increased food production for internal consumption.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 126}} The railway network provided critical famine relief,{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 97}} notably reduced the cost of moving goods,{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 97}} and helped nascent Indian-owned industry.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 126}} The imperial capital was shifted from [[Calcutta]] to [[Delhi]] in 1911.

[[File:Delhi Rajpath India Gate.jpg|thumb|The [[India Gate]] stands as a memorial to 74,187 soldiers of the [[British Indian Army]] who died between 1914 and 1921 in the [[World War I|First World War]].|right]]

After World War I, in which approximately [[Indian Army during World War I|one million Indians served]] in the [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]],{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 163}} a new period began. It was marked by the enactment of the [[Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms]] as the Government of India Act 1919 but also [[Rowlatt act|repressive legislation]], by more strident Indian calls for self-rule, and by the beginnings of a [[nonviolent]] movement of non-co-operation, of which [[Mahatma Gandhi]] would become the leader and enduring symbol.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 167}} During the 1930s, slow legislative reform was enacted; the Indian National Congress won victories in the resulting elections.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 195–197}} The next decade was beset with crises: [[India in World War II|Indian participation in World War II]], the Congress's final push for non-co-operation, and an upsurge of [[Muslim nationalism in South Asia|Muslim nationalism]]. All were capped by the advent of independence in 1947, but tempered by the [[partition of India]] into two states: India and Pakistan.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 203}}

=== Contemporary era ===
The partition of India caused significant upheaval, especially in Punjab and Delhi, with widespread violence and population displacement.<ref>—{{cite journal |last1=Talbot |first1=Ian |s2cid=147110854 |title=Partition of India: The Human Dimension |journal=Cultural and Social History |year=2009 |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=403–410 |quote=The number of casualties remains a matter of dispute, with figures being claimed that range from 200,000 to 2 million victims |doi=10.2752/147800409X466254}}<br />—{{Cite book |title=Nationbuilding, Gender and War Crimes in South Asia |last=D'Costa |first=Bina |publisher=Routledge |year=2011 |isbn=978-0415565660|page=53}}<br />—{{Cite book |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/butalia-silence.html |title=The Other Side of Silence: Voices From the Partition of India |last=Butalia |first=Urvashi |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2000 |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325043612/https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/butalia-silence.html |url-status=live}}<br />—{{Cite book |title=Muslims in India Since 1947: Islamic Perspectives on Inter-Faith Relations |last=Sikand |first=Yoginder |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=978-1134378258 |page=5}}<br />—{{Cite news |url=http://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/a-heritage-all-but-erased/ |title=A heritage all but erased |date=25 December 2015|work=The Friday Times |access-date=26 June 2017|archive-date=24 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424215718/https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2015/12/25/a-heritage-all-but-erased/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], which acceded to India amid conflict, became a central point of territorial disputes involving India, Pakistan, and China.<ref name="americana">{{citation|chapter=Kashmir|title=Encyclopedia Americana|publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_cWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA328|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7172-0139-6|page=328|access-date=18 December 2021|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117135716/https://books.google.com/books?id=l_cWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA328|url-status=live}} C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partly by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947";</ref> In the decades after independence, North India underwent major administrative changes. The princely states of the [[Rajputana Agency]] were merged to form Rajasthan in 1949.<ref name="GuptaBakshi2008PA143">{{cite book|author1=R.K. Gupta|author2=S.R. Bakshi|title=Studies in Indian History: Rajasthan Through The Ages The Heritage Of Rajputs (Set Of 5 Vols.)|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_S7dCkiyLJ6EC|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=978-81-7625-841-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_S7dCkiyLJ6EC/page/n151 143]–|access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref> In 1966, Punjab was [[Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966|reorganised]] along linguistic lines, creating Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and the present-day Punjab.<ref name="paul_brass_north_india">{{Cite book |last=Brass |first=Paul R. |title=Language, Religion and Politics in North India |publisher=iUniverse |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-595-34394-2 |page=326}}</ref> Punjab also experienced a separatist [[Insurgency in Punjab|insurgency]] in the 1980s.<ref name="Cynthia_Taksal77">{{Cite book |last=Mahmood |first=Cynthia Keppley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FqvTRUrwt2UC |title=Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Militants |date=1996 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=9780812215922 |page=77 |access-date=8 July 2018 |archive-date=9 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409094156/https://books.google.com/books?id=FqvTRUrwt2UC |url-status=live}}</ref> The Union Territory of Delhi was renamed the National Capital Territory of Delhi in 1991, gaining a legislative assembly with limited powers.<ref name="NCTact">{{cite web |url=https://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend69.htm |title=The Constitution (Sixty-Ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 |access-date=8 January 2007 |work=Government of India |publisher=National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821020032/https://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/amend/amend69.htm |archive-date=21 August 2016}}</ref> The [[Uttarakhand movement]], which gained traction in 1994, culminated with Uttarakhand being carved out of Uttar Pradesh as a separate hill state in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bhaskar |first=Arushi |date=9 November 2022 |title=Uttarakhand Foundation Day: The long struggle for the hill state |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/uttarakhand-foundation-day-the-long-struggle-for-the-hill-state-8258545/ |access-date=31 December 2022 |website=[[The Indian Express]] |archive-date=31 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231120258/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/uttarakhand-foundation-day-the-long-struggle-for-the-hill-state-8258545/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2019, the revocation of [[Article 370 of the Constitution of India]] changed Jammu and Kashmir's status, dividing it into two union territories [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and [[Ladakh]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/jammu-and-kashmir-crisis-live-updates-1564981600854.html|title=Jammu and Kashmir Live News: Article 370 to be revoked, J&K to be reorganised|date= 5 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/jammu-and-kashmir-news-live-updates-narendra-modi-speech-in-lok-sabha-on-article-370-35a-jammu-and-kashmir-reorganisation-bill-ladakh-mufti-omar-abdullah-arrested-119080600104_1.html|title=Kashmir debate LIVE: LS passes Bill reorganising Jammu and Kashmir|date= 6 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/jammu-kashmir-ladakh-article-370-live-news-updates/liveblog/70547109.cms|title=Article 370 Live News: Lok Sabha passes bill to bifurcate J&k, a step closer to becoming a law|date= 6 August 2019}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:A sunset on the dunes of the Great Indian Thar Desert Rajasthan India.jpg|right|thumb|Sunset on the sand dunes at [[Thar Desert]] located in North Indian state of [[Rajasthan]]]]
North India lies mainly on continental India, north of peninsular India.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} Towards its north are the Himalayas which define the boundary between the [[Indian subcontinent]] and the [[Tibetan Plateau]]. To its west is the [[Thar Desert]], shared between North India and [[Pakistan]] and the [[Aravalli Range]], beyond which lies the state of [[Gujarat]]. The [[Vindhya]] mountains are, in some interpretations, taken to be the southern boundary of North India.

The predominant geographical features of North India are:
*the Indo-Gangetic plain, which spans the states and union territories of Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.
*the Himalayas and sub-Himalayan belt, which lie in the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal;
*the [[Thar Desert]], which lies mainly in the state of Rajasthan.

The states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir also have a large forest coverage.<ref name=fsi2003>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsi.nic.in/sfr_2003.htm |title=Forest Survey of India – State of Forest Report 2003 |publisher=Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India |access-date=20 October 2008}}</ref>

===General climate===
[[File:India and South Asia Köppen climate map with legend.jpg|thumb|right|India's [[Köppen climate classification]] map<ref name="Peel">{{cite journal | author1=Peel, M. C. | author2=Finlayson, B. L. | author3=McMahon, T. A. | year=2007 | title= Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification | journal=Hydrology and Earth System Sciences | volume=11 | issue=5 | pages=1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 | bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P | url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00298818/file/hessd-4-439-2007.pdf | issn = 1027-5606| doi-access=free}} (''direct: [https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf Final Revised Paper]'')</ref> is based on native vegetation, temperature, precipitation and their seasonality. Major categories:
{{legend|#0077FF|[[tropical monsoon climate|(Am) Tropical monsoon]]}}
{{legend|#46A9FA|[[tropical savanna climate|(Aw) Tropical savanna, wet & dry]]}}
{{legend|#FE0000|[[hot desert climate|(BWh) Hot desert]]}}
{{legend|#FE9695|[[cold desert climate|(BWk) Cold desert]]}}
{{legend|#F5A301|[[hot semi-arid climate|(BSh) Hot semi arid]]}}
{{legend|#96FF96|[[Humid subtropical climate|(Cwa) Monsoon-influenced humid subtropical]]}}
{{legend|#63C764|[[subtropical highland climate|(Cwb) Subtropical highland]]}}
]]
North India lies mainly in the north [[temperate zone]] of the [[Earth]].<ref name="ref48buhij">{{Citation | title=Social Science Textbook for Class IX Geography | author=Yash Pal Singh | publisher=VK Publications | isbn=978-81-89611-15-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hvq7wTsNxoQC | quote=... The Tropic of Cancer divides India into almost two equal parts. It makes the southern half of India in the Tropical Zone and the northern half in the Temperate zone ...| year=2006}}</ref> Though cool or cold winters, hot summers, and moderate monsoons are the general patterns, North India is one of the most climatically diverse regions on Earth. During summer, temperatures often rise above 35&nbsp;°C across much of the Indo-Gangetic plain, reaching as high as 50&nbsp;°C in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, and up to 49&nbsp;°C in Delhi. During winter, the lowest temperatures on the plains dip below 5&nbsp;°C and drop below freezing in some states. Heavy to moderate snowfall occurs in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand. Much of North India is also notorious for heavy fog during the winters.

Extreme temperatures among inhabited regions have ranged from {{convert|-45|°C|°F|0}} in [[Dras]], Ladakh<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=24534&refer=&units=metric|title=Dras, India Travel Weather Averages |website=Weatherbase}}</ref> to 50.6&nbsp;°C (123&nbsp;°F) in [[Alwar]], Rajasthan. [[Dras]] is claimed to be the second-coldest inhabited place on the planet (after [[Siberia]]), with a recorded low of −60&nbsp;°C.<ref name="singh2003">Sarina Singh, "India: Lonely Planet Guide", Lonely Planet, 2003, {{ISBN|1-74059-421-5}}.</ref><ref name="ref71hoxij">{{Citation | title=Rediscovery of Ladakh | author=H. N. Kaul | publisher=Indus Publishing, 1998 | isbn=9788173870866 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8My6WaWRcC | quote=... With its altitude of 10000 ft. above the sea, Dras is considered to be the second coldest inhabited place in the world after Siberia where mercury sinks as low as -40&nbsp;°C during winter, though it has also recorded a low of −60&nbsp;°C ... | date=1 January 1998}}</ref><ref name="ref13puzoj">{{Citation | title=Many people come, looking, looking | author=Galen A. Rowell, Ed Reading | publisher=Mountaineers, 1980 | isbn=9780916890865 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjsTAQAAIAAJ | quote=... the bleak village of Dras, reportedly the second coldest place in Asia with recorded temperatures of {{convert|-80|°F|°C|abbr=on}} ... | date=June 1980}}</ref>
{{climate chart|[[New Delhi]]
|7.1|20.4|19
|10.2|23.4|20
|15.3|29.2|15
|21.2|36.0|21
|25.4|39.2|25
|27.4|38.8|70
|26.8|34.7|237
|26.3|33.6|235
|24.7|34.2|113
|19.4|33.0|17
|13.2|28.3|9
|8.5|22.9|9
|source=[ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/IN/42182.TXT NOAA]
|float=left
|clear=none}}
{{Climate chart|[[Amritsar]]
|3.7|19.4|24
|6.0|21.6|33
|10.9|26.5|48
|16.3|33.8|29
|21.1|38.7|25
|24.6|39.4|62
|25.3|35.0|231
|25.1|34.2|187
|22.2|34.5|96
|15.1|32.3|18
|8.7|27.1|6
|4.4|21.3|18
|source=[https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/normals-old/WMO/1961-1990/RA-II/IN/42071.TXT NOAA]
|float=left
|clear=right}}

===Precipitation===
The region receives heavy rain in plains and light snow on Himalayas precipitation through two primary weather patterns: the Southwest [[Monsoon]] and the [[Western Disturbance]]s. The Monsoon carries moisture northwards from the [[Indian Ocean]], occurs in late summer and is important to the [[Kharif crop|Kharif or autumn harvest]].<ref name="katiyar1990">Vidya Sagar Katiyar, "Indian Monsoon and Its Frontiers", Inter-India Publications, 1990, {{ISBN|81-210-0245-1}}.</ref><ref name="jainchatterjee1972">Ajit Prasad Jain and Shiba Prasad Chatterjee, "Report of the Irrigation Commission, 1972", Ministry of Irrigation and Power, Government of India, 1972.</ref> Western Disturbances, on the other hand, are an extratropical weather phenomenon that carry moisture eastwards from the [[Mediterranean Sea]], the [[Caspian Sea]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref name=hbl2005>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/11/17/stories/2005111702801900.htm |title=Western disturbances herald winter in Northern India |publisher=The Hindu Business Line |date= 17 November 2005 |access-date=20 October 2008}}</ref><ref name="wang2006">Bin Wang, "The Asian Monsoon", Springer, 2006, {{ISBN|3-540-40610-7}}.</ref><ref name="datta1968">R.K. Datta (Meteorological Office, Dum Dum) and M.G. Gupta (Meteorological Office, Delhi), "Synoptic study of the formation and movements of Western Depressions", Indian Journal of Meteorology & Geophysics, India Meteorological Department, 1968.</ref><ref name="dimri2004">A.P. Dimri, "Models to improve winter minimum surface temperature forecasts, Delhi, India", ''[[Meteorological Applications]]'', 11, pp 129–139, Royal Meteorological Society, Cambridge University Press, 2004.</ref> They primarily occur during the winter season and are critically important for the [[Rabi crop|Rabi or spring harvest]], which includes the main staple over much of North India, [[wheat]].<ref name="wang2006" /> The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand receive very heavy snowfall in winter months, however glacial and alpine areas receive snowfall throughout the year in these states.

===Traditional seasons===
Northern Indian tradition recognises six distinct seasons in the region: summer (''grishma'' or ''garmi'' (jyesth- ashadh), May–June), rainy (''varsha'' (shravan-bhadra), July–August), post-monsoon (''sharad'' (ashivan-kartik), September–October, sometimes thought of as 'early autumn'), autumn (''hemant'' (margh-paush), November–December, also called ''patjhar'', lit. ''leaf-fall''), winter (''shishir'' or ''sardi'' (magh-phagun),January–February) and spring (''vasant'' (chaitra-baishakh), March–April). The literature, poetry and folklore of the region uses references to these six seasons quite extensively and has done so since ancient times when [[Sanskrit]] was prevalent.<ref name="ref38bujab">[https://books.google.com/books?id=dGaVXekPkngC Geography], Yash Pal Singh, pp. 420, FK Publications, {{ISBN|9788189611859}}, ''... The sequence of the six traditional seasons is correct only for northern and central parts of India ...''</ref><ref name="ref72yuvur">[https://books.google.com/books?id=19zvfkwXyzUC The Life of a Text: Performing the Rāmcaritmānas of Tulsidas], Philip Lutgendorf, pp. 22, University of California Press, 1991, {{ISBN|9780520066908}}, ''... likening the major episodes of the narrative to various features of the river and its banks, and to the appearance of the river in each of the six seasons of the North Indian year ...''</ref><ref name="ref08loqih">[https://books.google.com/books?id=XuyTqD0Ybw4C Essays on North Indian Folk Traditions], [[Susan Snow Wadley]], pp. 226, Orient Blackswan, 2005, {{ISBN|9788180280160}}, ''... Yet another cultural division of the year views it as six seasons ... This cycle of six seasons, while known and referred to today, is more widely recognised in Sanskrit literature ...''</ref> In the mountainous areas, sometimes the winter is further divided into "big winter" (e.g. [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] ''chillai kalaan'') and "little winter" (''chillai khurd'').<ref name="ref52dapeb">[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZh3Zkoqtc4C Systematic Geography Of Jammu And Kashmir], S.A. Qazi, pp. 25, APH Publishing, 2005, {{ISBN|9788176487863}}</ref>


==Demographics==
The people of North India mostly belong to the [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Indo-Aryan]] ethno-linguistic branch,{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} and include various social groups such as [[Brahmins]], [[Rajput]]s, [[Gadaria people|Gadarias]], [[Kayastha]]s, [[Vanika|Banias]], [[Jats]], [[Ror]]s, [[Gurjar]]s, [[Kolis]], [[Yadav]]s, [[Khatri]]s and [[Kamboj]]s.<ref name="roy1996" >Sarat Chandra Roy and Ral Bahadur, "Man in India", A.K. Bose, 1996.{{full citation needed|date=August 2023}}</ref><ref name="abbi2002">Kumool Abbi, "Discourse of Zindaginama: A semio-anthropological critique", Harman Publishing House, 2002.</ref><ref name="haryana2002">Kiran Prem, Haryana Gazetteers Organization, "Haryana District Gazetteers", Government of Haryana, 1970.</ref> Minority ethno-linguistic groups including [[Dravidian peoples|Dravidians]], [[Tibeto-Burman]]s and [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatics]] exist throughout the region.

{{table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable sortable col2left" {{right}}
|+Population of states and union territories of North India<br /><small>([[2011 Census of India]])</small>
! rowspan=2|State or {{nowrap|Union Territory}} 
! rowspan=2|Population<br /><ref>{{Cite web |title=List of states with Population, Sex Ratio and Literacy Census 2011 |url=https://www.census2011.co.in/states.php |access-date=30 April 2023 |website=www.census2011.co.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 October 2016 |title=Census 2011: Population in States and Union Territories of India |url=https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/census-2011-population-in-states-and-union-territories-of-india-1476439733-1 |access-date=30 April 2023 |website=Jagranjosh.com}}</ref>
! rowspan=2|Growth<br /><small>(2001–2012)</small>
!rowspan=2|2025 Population Estimate<ref>{{cite web |title=State/UT wise Aadhaar Saturation |url=https://uidai.gov.in/images/AadhaarSaturationReport.pdf |website=[[Unique Identification Authority of India]] |access-date=25 November 2025}}</ref>
! colspan=2|Rural pop.
!colspan=2| Urban pop.
! rowspan=2|Density<br />{{nobold|(per sq km)}}<br />{{efn|For determining population density of India and the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the data excludes areas claimed by India but controlled by Pakistan (78,114&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) and China (5,180&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> in [[Shaksgam Valley]] and 37,555&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> under [[Aksai Chin]] and other areas).<ref name="jkexclude1">{{cite web|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/censusinfodashboard/stock/profiles/en/IND001_Jammu%20&%20Kashmir.pdf|title=J&K 2011 Population density census|access-date=6 January 2022|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225081903/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/censusinfodashboard/stock/profiles/en/IND001_Jammu%20%26%20Kashmir.pdf%20|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="jkexclude2">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/Religion_pca/RL-0100.xlsx|title=Religion PCA 2011 J&K census|access-date=14 January 2016|archive-date=9 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209134331/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/Religion_pca/RL-0100.xlsx|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
!rowspan=2|[[Human sex ratio|Sex ratio]]<br />{{nobold|(per 1000 female)}}
|-
! Nos.
! %
! Nos.
! %
|-
!colspan=10|States
|-
|[[Haryana]]
|{{nts|25351462}}
|19.9%
|''30,936,000''
|{{nts|16509359}}
|{{pct|16509359|25351462|2}}
|{{nts|8842103}}
|{{pct|8842103|25351462|2}}
|573
|879
|-
|[[Himachal Pradesh]]
|{{nts|6864602}}
|12.9%
|''7,542,000''
|{{nts|6176050}}
|{{pct|6176050|6864602|2}}
|{{nts|688552}}
|{{pct|688552|6864602|2}}
|123
|972
|-
|[[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
|{{nts|27743338}}
|13.89%
|''31,122,000''
|{{nts|17344192}}
|{{pct|17344192|27743338|2}}
|{{nts|10399146}}
|{{pct|10399146|27743338|2}}
|551
|895
|-
|[[Rajasthan]]
|{{nts|68548437}}
|21.3%
|''82,770,000''
|{{nts|51500352}}
|{{pct|51500352|68548437|2}}
|{{nts|17048085}}
|{{pct|17048085|68548437|2}}
|201
|928
|-
|[[Uttar Pradesh]]
|{{nts|199812341}}
|20.2%
|''240,468,000''
|{{nts|155317278}}
|{{pct|155317278|199812341|2}}
|{{nts|44495063}}
|{{pct|44495063|199812341|2}}
|828
|912
|-
|[[Uttarakhand]]
|{{nts|10086292}}
|18.8%
|''11,874,000''
|{{nts|7036954}}
|{{pct|7036954|10086292|2}}
|{{nts|3049338}}
|{{pct|3049338|10086292|2}}
|189
|963
|-
!colspan=11|Union Territories
|-
|[[Chandigarh]] 
|{{nts|1055450}}
|17.2%
|''1,255,000''
|{{nts|28991}}
|{{pct|28991|1055450|2}}
|{{nts|1026459}}
|{{pct|1026459|1055450|2}}
|9,252
|818
|-
|[[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
|{{nts|12267032}}
|23.6%
|''13,798,000''
|{{nts|9064220}}
|{{pct|9064220|12267032|2}}
|{{nts|3202812}}
|{{pct|3202812|12267032|2}}
|297
|890
|-
|[[Ladakh]]
|{{nts|274000}}
|17.8%
|''304,000''
|{{nts|43840}}
|{{pct|43840|274000|2}}
|{{nts|230160}}
|{{pct|230160|274000|2}}
|2.8
|853
|-
|[[NCT of Delhi]]
|{{nts|16787941}}
|21.2%
|''22,146,000''
|{{nts|419042}}
|{{pct|419042|16787941|2}}
|{{nts|16368899}}
|{{pct|16368899|16787941|2}}
|11,297
|868
|}

===Religion===
[[Hinduism]] is the dominant religion in North India. Other religions practised by various ethnic communities include [[Islam]], [[Sikhism]], [[Jainism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Judaism]], [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]], [[Christianity]], and [[Buddhism]]. Hindus constitute more than 80 per cent of the North India's population. The national capital of India, [[New Delhi]], is overwhelmingly Hindu-majority with Hindus constituting nearly 90% of the capital city's population. The states of [[Rajasthan]], [[Haryana]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] are overwhelmingly Hindu-majority. [[Uttarakhand]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]] are also Hindu majority states, but have a large Muslim minority (14% In Uttarakhand, 19% in Uttar Pradesh). The union territory of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] has a Muslim majority, while Ladakh has a Muslim plurality with minority Hindus and Buddhists. The state of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] has a [[Sikhs|Sikh]] majority of 60% and is the homeland of Sikh religion.

===Languages===
{{Further|Languages of India}}
[[File:Indo-Aryan languages.png|right|thumb|250px|Distribution of [[Indo-Aryan languages]]]]
Linguistically, North India is dominated by [[Indo-Aryan languages]]. It is in this region, or its proximity, that [[Sanskrit]] and the various [[Prakrit]]s are thought to have evolved.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} Hindi is spoken in Western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and by a large number of people in many urban centres across North India. Many other languages of the Central Indo-Aryan languages such as Awadhi, Braj, Haryanvi, Chhattisgarhi, Bundeli and Bagheli are spoken in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Marwari, Harauti, Malvi, Gujarati, Khandeshi, Marathi and Konkani are spoken in Rajasthan, extreme eastern Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. Towards the far north, languages of Dardic (such as Kashmiri) and Pahari (such as Dogri, Kumaoni and Garhwali) groups are spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand. [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] is spoken in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]. Bengali is spoken in West Bengal. Languages of Bihari group, such as Maithili, Magahi and Bhojpuri are spoken in Bihar and Jharkhand.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

A number of aboriginal languages of Austroasiatic and Dravidian origin are spoken in some regions.<ref name=languages>{{cite web |url=https://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |title= Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities: 50th report (July 2012 to June 2013) |publisher=Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India |access-date=21 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708012438/https://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Several [[Sino-Tibetan languages]] are spoken in the Himalayan region like [[Kinnauri]],<ref name=languages/> [[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]], [[Balti language|Balti]], and [[Lahuli–Spiti languages]].

==Culture==
[[File:Hindu bride in Lehenga.jpg|thumb|North Indian Hindu bride in [[Lehenga]]]]
The composite [[North Indian culture|culture of North India]] is known as [[Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb]], a result of the amicable interaction of Hindus and Muslims there.<ref name="Dhulipala2000">{{cite book |last1=Dhulipala |first1=Venkat |title=The Politics of Secularism: Medieval Indian Historiography and the Sufis |date=2000 |publisher=[[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] |page=27|quote=The composite culture of northern India , known as the ''Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb'' was a product of the interaction between Hindu society and Islam.}}</ref>

===Dance===
{{see also|List of Indian folk dances}}

Dance of North India too has diverse ''folk'' and ''classical'' forms. Among the well-known [[Indian folk dance|folk dances]] are the ''[[Bhangra (dance)|bhangra]]'' of the [[Punjab region|Punjab]], Ghoomar of Rajasthan, [[Nati (dance)|Nati]] of [[Himachal Pradesh]] and ''rouf'' and ''[[bhand pather]]'' of Kashmir. Main dance forms, many with narrative forms and [[Hindu mythology|mythological]] elements, have been accorded [[Indian classical dance|classical dance status]] by India's ''[[Sangeet Natak Academi|National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama]]'' such as ''[[Kathak]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/indianclassicald00vats|title=Indian Classical Dance|first=Kapila|last=Vatsyayan|date=14 December 1992|publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India|isbn=9788123005898|access-date=14 December 2019|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Clothing===
{{Further|Punjabi clothing|Jammu dress|Phiran}}
Each state of North India has its own regional forms of clothing:
# [[Uttar Pradesh]]: Chikan Suit, Pathani Salwar, Kurta Paijama,  Lehenga, [[Gharara]], [[Sari]].{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
# [[Jammu]]: [[Kurta]]/[[Jammu dress|Dogri suthan]] and kurta/churidar pajama and kurta.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
# [[Kashmir]]: [[Phiran|Phiran and poots]].{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
# [[Himachal Pradesh]]: [[Shalwar kameez]], [[Kurta]], [[Churidar]], [[Dhoti]], [[Himachali cap]] and angarkha.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
# [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]/[[Haryana]]: [[Salwar (Punjabi) Suit]], [[Patiala salwar]], [[Punjabi Tamba and Kurta]], [[Dastar|Sikh Dastar]], [[Phulkari]], [[Punjabi Ghagra]].{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
# [[Uttarakhand]]: Rangwali Phichora.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
# [[Rajasthan]]: Traditional: [[Ghagra]], [[choli]], and [[Dupatta|odhni]] for women. Rajasthani [[pagri (turban)|pagdi]], [[angarkha]]/[[kurta]], and [[dhoti]]/[[pyjamas]] for Men. [[Mojari]] are worn for footwear. The pagdi is worn on many occasions, and is part of the heritage of Rajasthan with its many colours and textile design ([[Leheriya]], [[Bandhani|Bandhej]], and [[Gota Patti]]). Semi-Formal/Formal: Women often wear the [[Poshak]], historically worn by royalty, and men often wear the    [[Pagri (turban)|Safa]]/Pagdi, [[Bandhgala]] (Jodhpuri suit) along with traditional pants like churidars, dhotis, and [[Jodhpurs|Jodhpuri pants]]. Footwear includes mojari, similar to the shoes found in Sindh.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Traditional Attire in Rajasthan: Explore the Rich Textile Heritage {{!}} IIAD | url=https://www.iiad.edu.in/the-circle/traditional-attire-in-rajasthan-explore-the-rich-textile-heritage/#Decoding | access-date=30 August 2025 | website=www.iiad.edu.in | date=17 May 2024}}</ref>

==Flora and fauna==
{{Further|Wildlife of India}}
[[File:Chinkara.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Chinkara]] in [[Madhya Pradesh]], India]]
[[File:Is this pose ok?.jpg|thumb|Goat at Great Himalayan national Park in [[Himachal Pradesh]]]]
North Indian vegetation is predominantly [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|subtropical evergreen forest]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests|subtropical deciduous forest]] in [[East Rajasthan Uplands|East Rajasthan]], [[Haryana]], [[Punjab]] and [[Delhi]], [[Desert|hot desert]] in western [[Rajasthan]], [[Montane ecosystem]] in [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|J&K]], and [[Cold Desert (biosphere reserve)|cold desert]] in Ladakh, and the [[Spiti|Spiti Valley]] of Himachal Pradesh. Of the moist deciduous trees [[Shorea robusta|sal]], [[teak]], Mahogany, [[Sheesham delbergia|sheesham]] (Indian rosewood) and [[Populus|poplar]] are some which are important commercially.<ref name="saxena1997">N.C. Saxena, "The Saga of Participatory Forest Management in India", Center for International Forestry Research, 1997, {{ISBN |979-8764-15-3}}.</ref> The thorn woodland region mainly contains shrubs and trees like [[Vachellia nilotica|babul]], [[Prosopis cineraria|khejri]], [[Vachellia leucophloea|ronjh]], and [[Senegalia catechu|khair]] along with [[Terminalia pendula|dhok]] and [[Butea monosperma|palash]] in upland regions. The Western Himalayan region abounds in [[chir pine|chir]], [[pine]], [[Cedrus deodara|deodar]] (Himalayan cedar), [[blue pine]], [[spruce]], various [[fir]]s, [[birch]] and [[juniper]]s.<ref name="singh1971">R.L. Singh, "India: A Regional Geography", National Geographical Society of India, 1971.</ref><ref name="kaul1995">Bansi Lal Kaul, "Ecodegradation of Himalayas", Vinod Publishers & Distributors, 1995.</ref><ref name="negi2002">S.S. Negi, "Himalayan Forests and Forestry", Indus Publishing, 2002, {{ISBN|81-7387-112-4}}. Snippet:''... Important Himalayan trees are sal, chir pine, deodar, oaks, fir, spruce, rhododendrons, and the giant evergreen trees of the Eastern Himalayas ...''</ref><ref name="sharma1946">R.P. Sharma, "The Indian Forester", v.72:6–12 (Jan–June 1946).{{full citation needed|date=August 2023}}</ref> The birch, especially, has historical significance in Indian culture due to the extensive use of birch paper ({{langx|sa|bhurja patra}}) as parchment for many ancient Indian texts.<ref name= "sgupta1972">Sanjukta Gupta, "Lakṣmī Tantra: A Pāñcarātra Text", Brill Archive, 1972, {{ISBN|90-04-03419-6}}. Snippet:''... the text recommends that the bark of the Himalayan birch tree (bhurja-patra) should be used for scribbling mantras ...''</ref><ref name="ghosh1990">Amalananda Ghosh, "An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology", BRILL, 1990, {{ISBN|90-04-09264-1}}. Snippet:''... Bhurja-patra, the inner bark on the birch tree grown in the Himalayan region, was a very common [[writing material]] ...''</ref> The Eastern Himalayan region consists of [[oak]]s, [[laurels]], [[maple]]s, [[rhododendron]]s, [[alder]], birch and [[dwarf willow]]s. Reflecting the diverse climatic zones and terrain contained in the region, the floral variety is extensive and ranges from Alpine to Cloud forests, coniferous to evergreen, and thick subtropical moist forests to cool temperate woods.<ref name="singh1971" /><ref name="wood1933">Casey A. Wood, "Through Forest and Jungle in Kashmir and Other Parts of North India: The Annual Smithsonian Institution Report, 1932", Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1933.</ref>

There are around 500 varieties of mammals, 2000 species of birds, 30,000 types of insects and a wide variety of fish, amphibians and reptiles in the region. Animal species in North India include [[elephant]], [[bengal tiger]], [[indian leopard]], [[snow leopard]], [[Sambar (deer)|sambar (Asiatic stag)]], [[Chital|chital (spotted deer)]], [[Kashmir stag|hangul (red deer)]], [[hog deer]], [[Chinkara|chinkara (Indian gazelle)]], [[blackbuck]], [[Nilgai|nilgai (blue bull antelope)]], [[porcupine]], [[wild boar]], [[Indian fox]], [[Tibetan sand fox]], [[rhesus monkey]], [[langur]], [[jungle cat]], [[striped hyena]], [[golden jackal]], [[Himalayan bear|black bear]], [[Himalayan brown bear]], [[sloth bear]], and the endangered [[caracal]].

Reptiles are represented by a large number of [[snake]] and [[lizard]] species, as well as the [[ghariyal]] and [[crocodile]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.north-india.in/fauna.htm|title=North India Online – India – Flora and Fauna – Animals – Trees – Birds – Mammals – Insects<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126023744/https://north-india.in/fauna.htm|archive-date=26 November 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Venomous snakes found in the region include [[king cobra]] and [[krait]]. Various [[scorpion]], [[spider]] and [[insect]] species include the commercially useful [[honeybee]]s, [[silkworm]]s and [[Lac (resin)|lac]] insects. The strikingly coloured [[Trombidiidae|bir bahuti]] is also found in this region.<ref name="shakespear1817">{{Citation | title=Dictionary: Hindustani and English | author=John Shakespear | year=1817 | publisher=Taylor & Francis | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=31cVAAAAIAAJ | quote=''... bir bahuti: a small insect with a back of a bright red colour; the scarlet or lady fly, commonly called the "Rain insect" as it makes its appearance when the first rains have fallen ...''}}</ref>

The region has a wide variety of birds, including [[peafowl]], [[parrot]]s, and thousands of immigrant birds, such as the [[Siberian crane]]. Other birds include [[pheasant]]s, [[goose|geese]], [[duck]]s, [[mynah]]s, [[parakeet]]s, [[pigeon]]s, [[crane (bird)|crane]]s (including the celebrated [[sarus crane]]), and [[hornbill]]s. [[Great hornbill|great pied hornbill]], [[Pallas's fish-eagle|Pallas's fishing eagle]], [[Grey-headed fish eagle|grey-headed fishing eagle]], red-thighed [[Microhierax|falconet]] are found in the Himalayan areas. Other birds found here are [[Tawny fish-owl|tawny fish owl]], scale-bellied woodpecker, [[red-breasted parakeet]], [[Himalayan swiftlet]], [[stork-billed kingfisher]] and [[White-tailed rubythroat|Himalayan or white-tailed rubythroat]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indianmirror.com/geography/geography.html|title=India Geography – indian rivers, indian flora & fauna wildlife, national symbols in india|work=indianmirror.com|access-date=16 April 2022}}</ref><ref name="Corbett">{{cite web|url=https://www.corbettnationalpark.com/wildpackage.htm
|title=Flora & Fauna North India|access-date=15 September 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070818212629/https://www.corbettnationalpark.com/wildpackage.htm |archive-date = 18 August 2007}}</ref>

===Wildlife parks and reserves===
Important national parks and tiger reserves of North India include:

[[File:Sultan- largest amongst all the tigers at PTR.png|thumb|right|200px|Sultan- The largest tiger of [[Pilibhit Tiger Reserve]]]]
[[Pilibhit Tiger Reserve]]: It is the most narrowly-forested reserve among all the [[Tiger reserves of India]] with density of 11 tigers per 100&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>,{{efn|name="Tiger density"|total recorded tigers in the core area / area in sqaure kilometres.}} The reserve's 97.6% area is located in [[Pilibhit district]] and 2.4% in [[Shahjahanpur district]] in the [[Rohilkhand]] region of [[Uttar Pradesh]].<ref name="district wise area percentage">{{cite web|url=https://dfe.gov.in/uploads/documents/pilibhit_tiger_reserve_coimbatore.pdf#:~:text=PilibhitTiger%20Reserve%20has%20won%20the%20first%20ever,in%20just%20four%20years%20from%202014%2D18%20period.|title=district wise area percentage of Pilibhit tiger reserve|publisher=Central Academy for state forest service}}</ref><ref name=Chanchani2015>{{cite journal |author=Chanchani, P. |year=2015 |title=Pilibhit tiger reserve: conservation opportunities and challenges |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=50 |issue=20 |page=19 |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2015/20/reports-states-web-exclusives/pilibhit-tiger-reserve.html |access-date=18 August 2023 |archive-date=18 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818135804/https://www.epw.in/journal/2015/20/reports-states-web-exclusives/pilibhit-tiger-reserve.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The core area of the reserve contains 127 species of [[mammal]]s,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pilibhit tiger reserve recorded 70% hike in the Barasingha Population|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/dtr-ptr-mark-record-increase-in-swamp-deer-population/articleshow/119387001.cms|website=timesofindia.com |date=24 March 2025}}</ref> 556 birds species,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://upforest.gov.in/web/forestnew/upfd_PTR.aspx|title=556 birds species|work=Govt. of Uttar Pradesh}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pilibhittigerreserve.in/biodiversity.php|title=Biodiversity|work=pilibhittigerreserve.in/}}</ref> 37 species of [[reptile]]s and 87 species of [[amphibian]]s,<ref name=ReptileAmphibians>{{cite web |title=Pilibhit tiger reserve – Reptiles and Amphibians |work=[[National Tiger Conservation Authority]]|url=https://ntca.gov.in/assets/uploads/briefnote/pilibhit.pdf}}</ref> as well as 79 species of fishes,<ref name=Fishes>{{cite web |title=Pilibhit tiger reserve- Fishes' species |work=[[National Tiger Conservation Authority]]|url=https://ntca.gov.in/assets/uploads/briefnote/pilibhit.pdf}}</ref> As of August 2025, reserve officials confirmed that reserve's core area hosts more than 79 adult tigers.{{efn|name="Tiger counting"|including 14 males, 53 females, and 12 tigers of undetermined gender. This count excludes 18 other tiger including the young cubs who have not reached the age of a year or the tigers straying outside core area roaming in the agricultural land, commonly called '''Sugarcane Tigers'''.}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/pilibhit-tiger-reserve-introduces-new-method-to-count-tigers-by-gender/articleshow/123317399.cms |title=Pilibhit tiger reserve introduces new method to count tigers by gender |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=15 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/three-tigresses-with-nine-cubs-spotted-at-pilibhit-tiger-reserve-sign-of-rise-in-big-cat-count/articleshow/120288498.cms |title=Three tigresses with nine cubs spotted at Pilibhit tiger reserve; sign of rise in big cat count|work=[[The Times of India]] |date=15 April 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Corbett View.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Jim Corbett National Park]]]]
[[Corbett National Park]]: It was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park<ref name="corbett-national-park.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.corbett-national-park.com/blog/edward-jim-corbett-the-legendary-hunter-who-inspired-conservation-of-wild-life.html|title=Edward Jim Corbett – Hunter who Inspired Wildlife Conservation|first=Tanmay|last=Sharma|date=24 March 2012|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref>
along the banks of the Ramganga River. It is India's first National Park, and was designated a Project Tiger Reserve in 1973. Situated in [[Nainital district]] of Uttarakhand, the park acts as a protected area for the critically endangered Bengal tiger of India. Cradled in the foothills of the Himalayas, it comprises a total area of 500&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> out of which 350&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> is core reserve. This park is known not only for its rich and varied wildlife but also for its scenic beauty.

[[Nanda Devi National Park]] and [[Valley of Flowers National Park]]: Located in West Himalaya, in the state of Uttarakhand, these two national parks constitute a biosphere reserve that is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004. The Valley of Flowers is known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and the variety of flora, this richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals.

[[Dachigam National Park]]: Dachigam is a higher altitude national reserve in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that ranges from 5,500 to 14,000 feet above sea level. It is home to the [[Kashmir stag|hangul]] (a [[red deer]] species, also called the Kashmir stag).

[[Great Himalayan National Park]]: This park is located in Himachal Pradesh and ranges in altitude from 5,000 to 17,500 feet. Wildlife resident here includes the [[snow leopard]], the [[Himalayan brown bear]] and the [[musk deer]].

[[Desert National Park]]: Located in Rajasthan, this national reserve features extensive sand dunes and dry salt lakes. Wildlife unique to the region includes the desert fox and the [[great Indian bustard]].

[[Kanha National Park]]: The sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines of Kanha were the setting for [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s collection of stories, "[[The Jungle Book]]". The Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh came into being in 1955 and forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, created in 1974 under Project Tiger.

[[Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary]]: Located in the state of Bihar, it is the only protected zone for the endangered [[Ganges and Indus river dolphin]].

[[Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary]]: It is one of the finest bird parks in the world, it is a reserve that offers protection to faunal species as well. Nesting indigenous water birds as well as migratory water birds and waterside birds, this sanctuary is also inhabited by sambar, chital, nilgai and boar.

[[Dudhwa National Park]]: It covers an area of 500&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> along the Indo-Nepal border in [[Lakhimpur Kheri District]] of Uttar Pradesh, is best known for the [[barasingha]] or swamp deer. The grasslands and woodlands of this park, consist mainly of sal forests. The barasingha is found in the southwest and southeast regions of the park. Among the big cats, tigers abound at Dudhwa. There are also a few leopards. The other animals found in large numbers, are the [[Indian rhinoceros]], elephant, jungle cats, leopard cats, fishing cats, jackals, [[civet]]s, [[sloth bear]]s, sambar, [[otter]]s, crocodiles and [[chital]].

[[Ranthambhore National Park]]: It spans an area of 400&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> with an estimated head count of thirty two tigers is perhaps India's finest example of [[Project Tiger]], a conservation effort started by the government in an attempt to save the dwindling number of tigers in India. Situated near the small town of [[Sawai Madhopur]] it boasts of variety of plant and animal species of North India.

[[Kalesar National Park]]: Kalesar is a [[Sal tree|sal]] forest in the [[Shivalik Hills]] of eastern Haryana state. Primarily known for birds, it also contains a small number of tigers and panthers.

[[Sultanpur National Park]]: Sultanpur is a [[Ramsar site|Ramsar wetland]] in [[Gurgaon district]] of southern Haryana along the [[Sahibi River]]. It is primarily known for the numerous migratory birds that come during winter with over 130 species being recorded such as [[Amur falcon]]s and [[Egyptian vulture]]s with antelopes like the [[nilgai]] also being common.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 December 2020 |title=Gurugram: 130 species of migratory birds seen in Sultanpur National Park |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/130-species-of-migratory-birds-seen-in-sultanpur-national-park/articleshow/79960783.cms |access-date=5 September 2025 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Guide: Sultanpur National Park {{!}} Roundglass Sustain {{!}} Roundglass {{!}} Sustain |url=https://roundglasssustain.com/habitats/sultanpur-guide |access-date=5 September 2025 |website=roundglasssustain.com}}</ref> Main vegetation is thorn forest which includes [[Vachellia nilotica|babul]], [[Azadirachta indica|neem]], and [[Senegalia catechu|khair]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Places |first=Diptarka Ghosh 11 July 2021 in |date=11 July 2021 |title=Sultanpur National Park, India |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/national-parks/sultanpur-national-park-india.html |access-date=5 September 2025 |website=WorldAtlas}}</ref>

[[Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary]]: Asola is a [[Thorn forest|dry forest]] spanning [[South Delhi district|South Delhi]], [[Gurgaon district|Gurgaon]], and [[Faridabad district]] in Delhi and Haryana. It is located in the foothills of the [[Aravalli Range]]. The main vegetation is thorn forest which includes [[Vachellia nilotica|babul]], [[Terminalia pendula|dhok]], [[Butea monosperma|palash]], [[Prosopis cineraria|khejri]], and [[Senegalia catechu|khair]]. The primary fauna of this forest includes the [[Indian leopard]], [[Indian jackal|golden jackal]], [[jungle cat]], and [[striped hyena]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 February 2019 |title=Golden jackal numbers double in Asola |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/golden-jackal-numbers-double-in-asola/articleshow/68029020.cms |access-date=5 September 2025 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Asola Bhati Wildlife Santuary |url=https://abwls.eforest.delhi.gov.in/about.aspx |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250502091453/https://abwls.eforest.delhi.gov.in/about.aspx |archive-date=2 May 2025 |access-date=5 September 2025 |website=abwls.eforest.delhi.gov.in}}</ref>

==Places of interest==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Akshardham Delhi.jpg|thumb|[[Akshardham (Delhi)|Akshardham]] Temple, Delhi]]

===Nature===
The Indian [[Himalayas]], the [[Thar desert]] and the [[Indo-Gangetic plain]] dominate the natural scenery of North India. The region encompasses several of the most highly regarded hill destinations of India such as [[Srinagar]], [[Shimla]], [[Manali, Himachal Pradesh|Manali]], [[Nainital]], [[Mussoorie]], [[Kausani]] and [[Mount Abu]]. Several spots in the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh provide panoramic views of the snow-clad Himalayan range. The Himalayan region also provides ample opportunity for adventure sports such as mountaineering, trekking, river rafting and skiing. Camel or jeep safaris of the Thar desert are also popular in the state of Rajasthan. North India includes several national parks and reserve area such as the [[Pilibhit Tiger Reserve]], [[Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve]], [[Jim Corbett National Park]], [[Keoladeo National Park]]  [[Ranthambore National Park]], [[Sundarbans National Park]] and the [[Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary]].

===Pilgrimage===
North India encompasses several of the holiest pilgrimage centres of Hinduism ([[Varanasi]], [[Haridwar]], [[Allahabad]], [[Chota Char Dham|Char Dham]], [[Vaishno Devi]], [[Rishikesh]], [[Ayodhya]], [[Mathura]]/[[Vrindavan]], [[Pushkar]], [[Allahabad|Prayag]] and two of the twelve [[Jyotirlinga]] sites), the most sacred destinations of Buddhism ([[Bodh Gaya]], [[Sarnath]] and [[Kushinagar]]), the most regarded pilgrimage centres of Sikhism ([[Amritsar]] and [[Hemkund]]) and some of the highly regarded destinations in Sufi Islam ([[Ajmer]] and [[Delhi]]). The largest Hindu temple, [[Akshardham (Delhi)|Akshardham Temple]], the largest Buddhist temple in India, [[Mahabodhi Temple|Mahabodhi]], the largest mosque in India, [[Jama Masjid, Delhi|Jama Masjid]], and the largest Sikh shrine, [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]], are all in this region.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_Largest-Hindu-temple/blog/467129/7691.html |title=Largest Hindu Temple: Guinness World Records |access-date=10 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208012231/https://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_Largest-Hindu-temple/blog/467129/7691.html |archive-date=8 February 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.asiaexplorers.com/india/jama_masjid.htm|title=Jama Masjid, Delhi's biggest mosque, India|website=asiaexplorers.com|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref>

===Historical===
[[File:Taj Mahal, Agra, India.jpg|thumb|The [[Taj Mahal]] at [[Agra]]]]
[[File:Amberjpr.jpg|right|thumb|[[Amer Fort]] in [[Rajasthan]]]]
North India includes some highly regarded historical, architectural and archaeological treasures of India. The [[Taj Mahal]], an immense mausoleum of white marble in [[Agra]], is one of the universally admired buildings of world heritage.<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252 Taj Mahal] UNESCO " Culture " World Heritage Centre " World Heritage List</ref> Besides Agra, [[Fatehpur Sikri]] and [[Delhi]] also carry some great exhibits from the Mughal architecture. In Punjab, [[Patiala]] is known for being the city of royalty while [[Amritsar]] is a city known for its [[Sikh architecture]] and the [[Golden Temple]]. [[Lucknow]] has the famous Awadhi Nawab culture while [[Kanpur]] reflects Anglo-Indian architecture with monuments like [[Kanpur Memorial Church|All Souls Cathedral]], [[Kanpur Sangrahalaya|King Edward Memorial]], Police Quarters, [[British India Corporation|Cawnpore Woollen Mills]], [[Portuguese Cemetery, Kanpur|Cutchery Cemetery]] etc. [[Khajuraho|Khajuraho temples]] constitute another famous world heritage site. The state of Rajasthan is known for exquisite [[List of palaces in Rajasthan|palaces]] and [[Hill Forts of Rajasthan|forts]] of the [[Rajput]] clans. Historical sites and architecture from the ancient and medieval [[History of Hinduism|Hindu]] and [[History of Buddhism|Buddhist]] periods of Indian history, such as [[Jageshwar]], [[Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh|Deogarh]] and [[Sanchi]], as well as sites from the [[Bronze Age]] [[Indus Valley civilisation]], such as [[Manda, Jammu|Manda]] and [[Alamgirpur]], can be found scattered throughout northern India. [[Varanasi]], on the banks of the [[River Ganga]], is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the second oldest in India after [[Nalanda]]. [[Bhimbetka]] is an archaeological site of the [[Paleolithic]] era, exhibiting the earliest traces of human life on the Indian subcontinent.

==Economy==
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[File:Maruti img factory.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Maruti Suzuki]] plant in Haryana.|{{Deletable image-caption|1=Saturday, 21 June 2008|date=May 2012}}]] -->
{{Further|Economy of India}}
The economy of North India varies from agrarian in the northern plains to very industrialised in the [[National Capital Region]]. Northwest Indian plains have prospered as a consequence of the [[Green Revolution in India|Green Revolution]] in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, and have experienced both economic and social development.<ref name="ghonemy1986">[[Mohamad Riad El-Ghonemy]], "The Dynamics of Rural Poverty", Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1986. ''... Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh recorded spectacular production increases ...''</ref><ref name="rastyannikov1981">V. G. Rastyannikov, "Agrarian Evolution in a Multiform Structure Society: Experience of Independent India", Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981, {{ISBN|0-7100-0755-8}}.</ref><ref name="bhatia1985">B. M. Bhatia, "Food Security in South Asia", Oxford & IHB Pub. Co., 1985.</ref> The eastern areas of East Uttar Pradesh, however, have lagged<ref name="lucas1988">Robert E. B. Lucas, Gustav Fritz Papanek, "The Indian Economy: Recent Development and Future Prospects", Westview Press, 1988, {{ISBN|0-8133-7505-3}}.</ref><ref name="etienne1985">Gilbert Etienne, "Rural Development in Asia: Meetings With Peasants", Sage Publications, 1985, {{ISBN|0-8039-9495-8}}.</ref> and the resulting disparity has contributed to a demand for separate statehood in West Uttar Pradesh (the [[Harit Pradesh]] movement).<ref name="kudaisya2006">Gyanesh Kudaisya, "Region, Nation, Heartland: Uttar Pradesh in India's Body Politic", Sage Publications, 2006, {{ISBN|0-7619-3519-3}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070219/nation.htm#1 |title=RLD, BSP gear up as Mulayam exit looms |publisher=The Tribune, Chandigarh |date= 19 February 2007|access-date=18 October 2008}}</ref>

The major industrial regions in North India are the Gurugram-Delhi-Meerut Belt ([[National Capital Region (India)|NCR]]). North Indian state with highest GDP per capita in the Indian Union was [[Haryana]] in 2021. Other North Indian states which follow are [[Uttarakhand]] and [[Himachal Pradesh]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Ranade|first=Sudhanshu|date=19 August 2004 |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2004/08/19/stories/2004081900500500.htm|title=Maharashtra, richest State|work=Business Line|access-date=10 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415065855/https://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2004/08/19/stories/2004081900500500.htm|archive-date=15 April 2011}}</ref> Delhi has the highest per-capita State Domestic Product (SDP) of any Indian union territory.<ref name=mosapi>{{cite web |url=https://mospi.nic.in/cso_rept_pubn.htm |title=Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation – Publications |publisher=Government of India |access-date=18 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040901150627/https://mospi.nic.in/cso_rept_pubn.htm |archive-date=1 September 2004}}</ref> The National Capital Region of Delhi has emerged as an economic power house with rapid industrial growth.

According to a 2009–10 report, a large number of unskilled and skilled workers have moved to [[southern India]] and other nations because of the unavailability of jobs locally.<ref>{{cite news |last1=PTI |title=North India vs South India: Who is doing better? Report says South India |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/north-india-vs-south-india-who-is-doing-better-report-says-south-india-162101-2013-05-07 |access-date=7 April 2021 |work=India Today |date=23 September 2009}}</ref> The technology boom that occurred in the past three decades in southern India has helped many Indians from the northern region to find jobs and live prosperous lives in southern cities. An analysis by Multidimensional Poverty Index creators reveals that acute poverty prevails in eight Indian states including the northern states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{cite news |last1=PTI |title=West Bengal: 8 Indian states have more poor than 26 poorest African nations |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/8-Indian-states-have-more-poor-than-26-poorest-African-nations/articleshow/6158960.cms |access-date=7 April 2021 |work=The Times of India |date=12 June 2010}}</ref>

==Cuisine==

===Popular dishes===
The best-known<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crazymasalafood.com/top-20-delicious-and-irresistible-north-indian-food|title = Top 20 Delicious and Irresistible North Indian Food|access-date=15 April 2022|website=Crazymasalafood.com|date = 20 October 2017}}</ref> North-Indian food items are:
*[[Tandoori chicken]]
*[[Reshmi kabab]]
*[[Kadai paneer]]
*[[Chole bhature]]
*[[Aloo paratha]]
*[[Butter chicken]]

==See also==
* [[Northeast India]]
* [[South India]]
* [[Northern South Asia]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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== External links ==
{{Sister project links |wikt=North India |commons=Category:North India |b=no |n=no |q=no |s=no |v=no}}
{{Wikivoyage|Northern India}}
* [https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/419263/North-Indian-temple-architecture North Indian temple architecture]
* [https://www.geographia.com/india/ Geographia.com: India]
* [https://eragenx.com/2016/07/20/north-india-tourist-places-attractions/ Tourist places in North India]

{{clear}}
{{Geographic location
|width = auto
|Centre    = North India
|North     = [[Afghanistan]] <br /> ([[Badakhshan Province|Badakhshan]])
|Northeast = [[China]] <br /> ([[Xinjiang]] {{·}} [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]])
|East      = [[Nepal]]
|Southeast = [[East India]]
|South     = [[Central India]]
|Southwest = [[Western India]]
|West      = [[Pakistan]] <br /> ([[Sindh]] {{·}} [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]])
|Northwest = [[Pakistan]] <br /> ([[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]])
}}
{{Geography of India}}
{{Historical regions of North India}}

{{Coord missing|India}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Regions of India]]
[[Category:North India| ]]