Jharkhand

Jharkhand
Etymology: "Forest Land"
Nickname: 
"Land of Forests"
Motto(s): 
Satyameva Jayate
(Truth alone triumphs)
Location of Jharkhand in India
Coordinates: 23°21′N 85°20′E / 23.35°N 85.33°E / 23.35; 85.33
CountryIndia
RegionEast India
Previously wasPart of Bihar
Formation15 November 2000
CapitalRanchi
Largest cityJamshedpur
Districts24 (5 divisions)
Government
  BodyGovernment of Jharkhand
  GovernorSantosh Gangwar
  Chief ministerHemant Soren (JMM)
State LegislatureUnicameral
  AssemblyJharkhand Legislative Assembly (81 seats)
National ParliamentParliament of India
  Rajya Sabha6 seats
  Lok Sabha14 seats
High CourtJharkhand High Court
Area
  Total
79,716 km2 (30,779 sq mi)
  Rank15th
Dimensions
  Length463 km (288 mi)
  Width380 km (240 mi)
Elevation
277 m (909 ft)
Highest elevation1,382 m (4,534 ft)
Population
 (2011)
  Total
32,988,134
  Rank14th
  Density414/km2 (1,070/sq mi)
  Urban
24.05%
  Rural
75.95%
DemonymsJharkhandi
Language
  OfficialHindi
  Additional official
  Official scriptDevanagari script
GDP
  Total (2025-26) 556,286 crore (US$66 billion)
  Rank19th
  Per capita 115,960 (US$1,400) (2025-26) (29th)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-JH
Vehicle registrationJH
HDI (2022) 0.600 Medium (35th)
Literacy (2024)76.7% (32nd)
Sex ratio (2021)948/1000 (26th)
Websitejharkhand.gov.in
Symbols of Jharkhand
BirdKoel
FlowerPalash
MammalIndian elephant
TreeSal
State highway mark
State highway of Jharkhand
JH SH1 - JH SH
List of Indian state symbols

Jharkhand (Hindi: Jhārakhaṇḍa, pronounced [d͡ʒʱäːɾᵊkʰəɳɖᵊ]; lit.'the land of forests') is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It is the 15th largest state by area, and the 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places; Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath, Dewri and Rajrappa are major religious sites. Jharkhand is primarily rural, with about 24% of its population living in cities as of 2011.

Jharkhand suffers from what is sometimes termed a resource curse: it accounts for more than 40% of India's mineral production but 39.1% of its population is below the poverty line and 19.6% of children under five years of age are malnourished.