For other uses, see Sikkim (disambiguation).
'vbras mo ljongsའབྲས་མོ་ལྗོངས་Sikkim

GangtokLocation of 'vbras mo ljongsའབྲས་མོ་ལྗོངས་Sikkim
Coordinates
27°20′N 88°37′E / 27.33°N 88.62°E / 27.33; 88.62
Country
India
District(s)
4
Established
16 May 1975
Capital
Gangtok
Largest city
Gangtok
Governor
Balmiki Prasad Singh
Chief Minister
Pawan Chamling
[[Legislature of Sikkimसिक्किमLegislature]] (seats)
Unicameral (32)
Population• Density
540,493 (28th)• 76.17 /km2 (197 /sq mi)
Official languages
Nepali, Tibetan, Limbu, Bhutia, Lepcha
Time zone
IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
7,096 km2 (2,740 sq mi)
ISO 3166-2
IN-SK
Website
sikkim.gov.in/
Seal of 'vbras mo ljongsའབྲས་མོ་ལྗོངས་Sikkim
Sikkim (Limbu: Sikkim (help·info), Tibetan: འབྲས་ལྗོངས་, 'bras ljongs; Denzong[1]) is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India and the second-smallest in area after Goa.[2] The thumb-shaped state borders Nepal in the west, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and the east and Bhutan in the southeast. The Indian state of West Bengal borders Sikkim to its south.[3] Despite its small area of 7,096 square kilometers (2,740 sq mi), Sikkim is geographically diverse due to its location in the Himalayas. The climate ranges from subtropical to high alpine. Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak, is located on the border of Sikkim with Nepal.[4] Sikkim is a popular tourist destination owing to its culture, scenic beauty and biodiversity.
Legend has it that the Buddhist saint Guru Rinpoche visited Sikkim in the 9th century, introduced Buddhism and foretold the era of the monarchy. Accordingly, the Namgyal dynasty was established in 1642. Over the next 150 years, the kingdom witnessed frequent raids and territorial losses to Nepalese invaders. It allied itself with the British rulers of India but was soon annexed by them. Later, Sikkim became a British protectorate and was merged with India following a referendum in 1975.
The official language of the state is English, but there is a sizable population that converses in Nepali (the lingua franca of the state), Lepcha, Bhutia, and Limbu. It is the only state in India with an ethnic Nepalese majority. The predominant religions are Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism. Gangtok is the capital and the largest town. Sikkim has a booming economy dependent on agriculture and tourism.
Contents[hide]
1 Toponymy
2 History
3 Geography
3.1 Geology
3.2 Climate
4 Subdivisions
5 Flora and fauna
6 Economy
7 Transport
8 Demographics
9 Culture
10 Government and politics
11 Infrastructure
12 Media
13 Education
14 See also
15 Notes
16 References
17 External links
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