Jharkhand is a new state which was formed in eastern India. Jharkhand was formerly a part of the state of Bihar and was formed on 15th November, 2000. Jharkhand is the 28th state of the Indian Union. Jharkhand is also popularly known as Vananchal which means the wooded area. Jharkhand shares its border with Bihar in the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the west, Orissa in the south and West Bengal in the east. There are 18 districts in Jharkhand. The industrial city of Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand. The other major cities in Jharkhand are Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Giridih, Palamu, Dhanbad, Sahibganj and Hazaribagh. The area of Jharkhand is mainly inhabited by tribes. Jharkhand is located on the Chhota Nagpur Plateau and Santhal Parganas and has evergreen forests, rolling hills and rocky plateaus with many places of keen beauty. Jharkhand can be visited throughout the year as the weather is cool in most of the parts of the state.

The new state of Jharkhand was formed on 15th November, 2000 and was earlier a part of Bihar. However, according to some historians there was already a distinct geo-political, cultural entity called Jharkhand even before the period of Magadha Empire. According to legend, Raja Jai Singh Deo of Orissa had declared himself as the ruler of Jharkhand in the 13th century. The local tribal heads had developed into barbaric dictators who could govern the province neither fairly nor justly. Consequently, the people of this state approached the more powerful rulers of Jharkhand's neighbouring states who were perceived to have a more fair and just governance. This became the turning point in the history of the region where rulers from Orissa moved in with their armies and created states that were governed for the benefit of the people and involved their participation, thus ending the barbarism that had marked the region for centuries. Later, during the Mughal period, the Jharkhand was known as Kukara. After 1765, it came under the control of the British Empire and was formally known as Jharkhand, the Land of forests and bushes. In post-Independence era, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha started a regular agitation which forced the government to establish the Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council in 1995 and finally as a full-fledged state. On 2nd August 2000, the Parliament of India passed the Bihar Reorganisation Bill to create the state of Jharkhand and thus 18 districts were carved out of Bihar to form Jharkhand on 15th November, 2000.

The state of Jharkhand mainly comprises of the forest tracks of Chhotanagpur plateau and Santhal Pargana. This area in and around the districts of Chotanagpur and Santhal Parganas was formerly Southern Bihar and is thickly wooded and consists of various hills. The Chotanagpur plateau is one of the most beautiful areas. This area is studded with hills of 300 to 900 m in altitude and covered with verdant virgin forests. This area comprises of rivers, lakes, meadows and valleys and rich in wildlife and is an ideal retreat of peace and beauty.

Jharkhand has always remained as a home of various tribes. About 32 tribes lives in some of the districts of Jharkhand. These tribes are the Asur, Baiga, Banjara, Bathudi, Bedia, Binjhia, Birhor, Birjia, Chero, Chick-Baraik, Gond, Gorait, Ho, Karmali, Kharwar, Khond, Kisan, Kora, Korwa, Lohra, Mahli, Mal-Paharia, Munda, Oraon, Parhaiya, Santal, Sauria-Paharia, Savar, Bhumij, Kol and Kanwar. These tribes have their own spiritual beliefs which are known as Sarna. During the colonization process, the tribal religious beliefs were looked down upon as pagan and inferior. Through various conversions and other influences, the Christian missionaries contributed towards the demolition of various Sarna beliefs.

Jharkhand is a home of various languages belonging to three major language families like Indo-Aryan, Munda and Dravidian. The Indo-Aryan languages include Angika, Nagpuri (Sadri), Hindi, Urdu, Oriya and Bengali. The Munda languages include Kurmali, Korku, Santhali, Mundari, Bhumij, Kharia and Ho, and the Dravidian languages includes Korwa, Oraon and Paharia. Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are the three main religions that are practiced in Jharkhand.

Jharkhand is known for its mineral wealth and forestry products together with its excellent human resources. Some of the country’s highly industrialized and mining cities in Jharkhand like Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Ranchi attracts people from all parts of India. The country's two biggest steel plants at Bokaro and Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) in Jamshedpur are located in Jharkhand. The other important industries are Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, Sriram Bearing, Usha Martin, Indian Tube Company, etc. The state is also abundantly rich in various minerals like copper, coal, iron, manganese, mica, limestone, china clay, fire clay, graphite, chromite, bauxite, gold and silver and has the potential of becoming one of the most prosperous states of India.

Jharkhand has a rich variety of flora and fauna. The various national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and the zoological gardens located in the state of Jharkhand present a panorama of this variety. Hazaribagh wildlife sanctuary, Lawalong wildlife sanctuary, Palamau National Park, Dalma wildlife sanctuary, Rajgir wildlife sanctuary and Gautam Buddha wildlife sanctuary are the famous wildlife sanctuaries in Jharkhand. These wildlife sanctuaries are set in a stunningly beautiful and remote scenery on the Chota Nagpur Plateau and can be easily reached from Ranchi.