Orissa

Orissa, state in eastern India, bordered on the north by Jharkhand state and West Bengal state, on the east by the Bay of Bengal, on the south by Andhra Pradesh state, and on the west and northwest by Chhattisgarh state. The capital is Bhubaneshwar.

In 1568 Orissa lost its independence to the Afghan rulers of Bengal and then became part of the Mughal Empire. When the Mughal Empire declined in the 18th century, part of Orissa remained under the Bengal Nawabs, but the greater part passed to the Marathas.

Orissa's economy is predominantly agricultural with most of the population engaged in raising rice. Other agricultural products are pulses (legumes), cotton, tobacco, sugarcane, and turmeric. Among the livestock raised are buffalo and other cattle, sheep, and goats. Fish is largely exported.

Major industrial towns are Raurkela, Haldia, Kharagpur, Sambalpur, Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar.

Area 60,119 square miles (155,707 square km). Pop. (1991) 31,512,070.