SIKKIM AT A GLANCE

Location :

Located in the north east part of the country, Sikkim is the second smallest state in India , covering an area of 7096 Sq. Km in the Eastern Himalaya . It is bordered by the independent mountain kingdoms of Nepal to the west, Bhutan to the east, by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and north east, and the state of West Bengal to the south. Capital Gangtok is about 125 Km from the nearest airport at Bagdogra and 113 Km from the railhead at Siliguri both in West Bengal . Long a sovereign state, Sikkim become a protectorate of India in 1950 and a state in 1975. Because of its location, it has political and strategic importance out of proportion to its size. 

The state has four districts, north east, south and west. The north district covers about 60 per cent of the area of the state. The east district is most populated with nearly 45 per cent of the state’s population.( See more in PDF)