Jharkhand

 state, invisible, first-level administrative division

Jharkhand ( झारखंड) is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar state on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east.

The industrial city of Ranchi is its capital. Some of the other major cities and industrial centers are Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Sindri, Gumla, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad.Major industries are steel, mining and forestry.

The name Jharkhand comes from the Sanskrit Jharikhanda which is the ancient name of the regions dense forest - Jharikhanda.

Jharkhand is famed for its mineral wealth and forestry products.

Jharkhand is now advancing economically much faster than its northern neighbor, Bihar. Jharkhand's poverty rate declined 2% per year from 1994-2002. Unlike some other Indian states, Jharkhand's reduction in poverty was faster in the rural areas than in the urban ones. Its percentage of immunized children grew from 9% in 1998-99 to nearly 50% now, according to UNICEF. Jharkhand has made primary education so accessible that 95% of children ages 6-11 are enrolled in school as opposed to 56% in 1993-94.
Capital: Ranchi