Chattisgarh, a state in central India, formed when the sixteen southeastern districts of  Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on November 1, 2000. Raipur is its capital.It has borders on the northwest with Madhya Pradesh, on the west with Maharashtra, on the south with Andhra Pradesh, on the east with Orissa, on the northeast with Jharkhand and on the north with Uttar Pradesh.

It is known as the country's rice bowl because its agricultural production is very high. The state also has huge deposits of limestone, iron, copper, manganese, coal and bauxite, among other minerals. Diamonds have been found recently in Raipur district. Chhatisgarh produces 70 per cent of India's total output of tendu leaves used for making bidis. Its thick forest contributes valuable timber. Chhatisgarh has a large number of tribal communities including the Bhils and the Gonds.

The Chhattisgarhi language, part of the East-Central group of Indo-Aryan languages, predominates language in the region. The hill districts of the state serve as a home to the Gond peoples, who speak Dravidian languages.

Chhattisgarh  Fact File:
Area: 1,35,133 sq km
Population: 2,07,95,956
Capital: Raipur
Main Language: Hindi