Rajasthan is a state in the north-west of India,
bound on the west and north-west by Pakistan.
The Tropic of Cancer passes through its southern
tip in the Banswara district, close by the Jagpura
Project. A democratically elected Government
runs the state with a Chief Minister as its executive
head and the Governor as the head of the state.
The State has an area of 343,000 km2 and its
capital city is Jaipur, located in the central
north. The population at the 2001 census was
56.5 million and the literacy rate was 61%.
The Aravalli Range crosses the state from south-west
to north-east, separating flat, more arid terrain
in the north-west from that which is more fertile,
with a diversified topography, to the south-east.
The Great Indian (Thar) Desert borders Pakistan
and contains substantial oil and gas fields.
The climate of Rajasthan can be divided into:
summer (April to June), with temperatures ranging
from 32°C to 45°C; monsoon (July to
September), when 90% of the annual rainfall
occurs; the post-monsoon period (October to
November), with maximum temperatures 33°C
to 38°C; and winter (December to March),
with a marked variation in maximum and minimum
temperatures, with regional variations across
the state. January is the coolest month of
the year.
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