Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh, state in northern India, bounded on the north by Nepal, Uttaranchal state, and Himachal Pradesh state; on the west by Haryana state and Rajasthan state; on the south by Madhya Pradesh state; on the southeast by Chhattisgarh state and Jharkhand state; and on the east by Bihar state.

The area of Uttar Pradesh formed part of the ancient country known as Madhyadesa. Later such great Hindu kings as Asoka and Samudra Gupta ruled the area. In the 16th century it came under the rule of the Mughal emperors.Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state with a population of 149,895,000 (1991). The population is 82 percent Hindu and 17 percent Muslim.

80 percent of the population of Uttar Pradesh works in agriculture. The state is India's largest producer of food grains, sugarcane, and oilseeds. About 10 million to 13 million hectares.Other potatoes, cotton, tobacco, and jute are also grown.

Major industrial towns are Lucknow, Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Meerut, Kanpur and Allahabad.

Area 113,673 square miles (294,411 square km). Population: (1991) 139,031,130.