Tripura

Tripura /ˈtrɪpuːrə/ is a state in Northeast India. The third smallest state of the country, it occupies 10,491 km2 (4,051 sq mi). Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west; the Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to its east. A landlocked state, Tripura's geography is characterised by several north-south hill ranges with intervening valleys, and plain in the western part where the capital Agartala is located.

The area of the modern Tripura was part of an independent Tripuri kingdom that ruled for several centuries. It was a princely state during the British rule in India. The kingdom joined independent India in 1949 with the Tripura Merger Agreement. Ethnic strife between the tribes and Bengali population led to tension and scattered violence since its integration to India. Establishment of an autonomous tribal administrative agency and other strategies soothed such tensions to a great extent, and the state remained peaceful, as of 2011.

Tripura lies in a geographically disadvantageous location in India as only one major highway connects it with the rest of the country; this hinders the economic prospects of the state. Poverty and unemployment continue to plague the state that has limited yet improving infrastructural capacity. Most residents of Tripura are involved in agriculture and allied activities, although service sector is the largest contributor to the state's gross domestic product. Forests cover more than half the area, and provide remarkable biodiversity for a small state and also a source of livelihood for many tribes. Scheduled tribes are about 30% of the population in which Kokborok-speaking Tripuri people is the major tribe; Bengali people form the ethno-linguistic majority. The mainstream Indian cultural elements led by Bengali culture coexist with tribal traditional practices.