Assam Geography for UPSC: Interactive Map, Rivers and Protected Areas
a state centred on the Brahmaputra valley, flanked by hills on both sides
12
Protected areas mapped
8
Rivers mapped
At a glance
Capital
Dispur
Language
Assamese
Dance
Bihu
Area
78,438 km²
Coastline
Landlocked
Highest peak
Dima Hasao hills · 1,960 m
Borders
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bhutan (international), Bangladesh (international)
Why UPSC asks about Assam
Assam is the Brahmaputra valley: the river's braided channels, Majuli (the world's largest river island), the Kaziranga and Manas World Heritage parks, and the tea and petroleum economy. UPSC tests Brahmaputra floods and course shifts, one-horned rhino conservation, and the Barak valley's separate drainage to Bangladesh.
Brahmaputra
Rises Angsi Glacier, Tibetan Plateau (as the Yarlung Tsangpo); enters India in Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang; flows to Joins the Padma (Ganga) in Bangladesh to form the Meghna estuary · 136 km
The river is braided and highly dynamic, constantly eroding and depositing sandbars (chars) that are home to dense riverine populations.
Subansiri
Rises Tibetan Himalaya; flows to Brahmaputra near North Lakhimpur · 163 km
The Brahmaputra's largest tributary; the Subansiri Lower HE project is on it.
Lohit
Rises Zayu county, Tibet; flows to joins the Brahmaputra at Sadiya · 103 km
Rises in Tibet and flows through eastern Arunachal into Assam's Sadiya plain.
Dibang
Rises Dibang valley, Arunachal Pradesh; flows to joins the Lohit at Sadiya · 33 km
Together with the Siang and Lohit it forms the Brahmaputra at Sadiya.
Barak
Rises Manipur hills; flows to Flows into Bangladesh, splitting into the Surma and Kushiyara (feeding the Meghna) · 50 km
The Barak rises in Manipur's hills and drains southern Assam to Bangladesh's Surma-Meghna system, outside the Brahmaputra basin.
Kopili
Rises Barail range on the Meghalaya plateau; flows to Brahmaputra near Jagiroad · 313 km
The Kopili drains the Karbi Anglong-Meghalaya hills; the Kopili HE project is on it.
Dhansiri
Rises Laisang peak, Nagaland; flows to Brahmaputra near Dhansirimukh · 356 km
A south-bank tributary draining the Karbi-Naga foothills.
Manas
Rises Bhutan Himalaya; flows to Brahmaputra at Jogighopa · 136 km
The Manas forms the Bhutan-Assam border corridor; Manas NP is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Deepor Beel
A permanent freshwater lake on the outskirts of Guwahati, designated a Ramsar site in 2002. It supports large congregations of migratory waterfowl and is a key part of the city's drainage, though threatened by urbanisation and waste.
Ramsar (2002); Guwahati's wetland of migratory waterfowl.
Manas Biosphere
A biosphere reserve spanning Manas NP on the Bhutan border and adjoining forests, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for the golden langur, pygmy hog, hispid hare and the Assam roofed turtle.
UNESCO site; golden langur, pygmy hog and hispid hare.
Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere
A biosphere reserve on the Brahmaputra-Dibru floodplains of Tinsukia, with grasslands, wetlands and semi-evergreen forests famous for feral horses and the white-winged wood duck.
Brahmaputra floodplain reserve; feral horses and white-winged wood duck.
Kaziranga NP
A Brahmaputra floodplain park in Golaghat and Nagaon districts and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its tall elephant grass and wetlands hold the world's largest population of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros, about two-thirds of the global total, along with tigers, wild buffalo and swamp deer.
World Heritage Site; holds about two-thirds of the world's one-horned rhinoceros.
Manas NP
A UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Bhutan border, forming a transboundary landscape with Royal Manas NP. Known for the golden langur, pygmy hog and Assam roofed turtle; a Project Tiger reserve that recovered after insurgency-era devastation.
UNESCO site; golden langur and pygmy hog; transboundary reserve with Bhutan.
Dibru-Saikhowa NP
A floodplain park in Tinsukia district on the Brahmaputra-Dibru river system, also a biosphere reserve, famous for its feral horses and the endangered white-winged wood duck.
Known for feral horses and the white-winged wood duck.
Nameri NP
A park in Sonitpur district on the Assam-Arunachal border along the Jia Bhoroli river, famous for the white-winged wood duck and forming the western end of the Kameng elephant landscape.
Jia Bhoroli river; white-winged wood duck habitat.
Rajiv Gandhi (Orang) NP
A small floodplain park on the Brahmaputra's north bank in Darrang and Sonitpur districts, often called 'mini Kaziranga' for its rhinoceros, tigers and wild buffalo.
Called 'mini Kaziranga' for its rhinos and tigers.
Raimona NP
Assam's newest national park (2021), in Kokrajhar district along the Bhutan border, protecting bhabar and riparian forests with golden langur and Asian elephant.
Assam's newest national park (2021); golden langur habitat.
Dehing Patkai NP
A park in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts protecting the lowland rainforests of the Patkai hills, the largest stretch of such forest in India, known for the white-winged wood duck and hoolock gibbon.
Protects India's largest stretch of lowland rainforest; hoolock gibbon habitat.
Pobitora WLS
A small sanctuary near Guwahati with the world's highest density of one-horned rhinoceros; rhinos are translocated from here to repopulate other reserves.
World's highest density of one-horned rhinos; source of rhino translocations.
Sonai Rupai WLS
A sanctuary in Sonitpur district along the Arunachal border, part of the Sonai-Rupai elephant corridor, known for elephants and leopards.
Part of the Sonai-Rupai elephant corridor.
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