Meghalaya is a small state in northern India. Meghalaya means abode of the clouds. The south-facing slopes overlooking Bangladesh have had more rainfall in one year than any other place on earth.
Meghalaya is a compact and isolated state, bordered to the north by Assam and to the south by Bangladesh. Shillong is the state capital. The landscape is mostly rolling plateau. The state lies in a severe earthquake belt. An earthquake destroyed the entire town of Shillong in 1896.

Climate: The altitude and heavy cloud keep maximum temperatures in summer down to 23 °C, with minimum temperatures falling to 15 °C. In winter, the maximum temperature is 16 °C and the minimum, 4 °C. The annual rainfall is more than 200 centimetres in Shillong, most of it falling between June and September.
The south-facing slopes of Meghalaya are famous for their rain. Cherrapunji has been known to have more than 25 metres of rain in one year, while Mawsynram has an annual average of more than 10 metres.

Tourist centers: Meghalaya is a dream come true for the tourist. The charms of this land are many splendoured and unique. It is a happy land of magnificent beauty, undulating hills, roling grass lands, cascading waterfalls, snaking rivers, terraced slopes and thrilling wildlife.
Some of the important tourist spots are:

1. Uniam Lake by the side of the Shillong - Guwahati road provides a very fascinating view. Fishing is a great sport over here.
2. Kylland Rock, about 55 kilometers west of Shillong, is an interesting tourist spot. Rising out of the rolling grassy downs, it is an important dome of granite more than seven hundred feet in height.
3. Nohsngithiang falls at Mawsmai near Cherrapunji, over looking the hazy blue plains of Bangladesh, has an appeal unparalleled in the whole of India. And the Mawsmai caves are full of wonders to the eyes.
4. Nartiang, about ninety kilometers from Shillong, has a number of monoliths, the tallest being twenty seven feet high and 2.5 foot thick erected by the villagers of Nartiang between 1500 and 1835 A.D.

History. The Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia tribes of present-day Meghalaya have lived in this isolated region for thousands of years. Each tribe has handed down a different account of the early history of the area.

In the 1200's, the Ahom peoples moved into Assam and recorded in their chronicles the often hostile contacts they had with the tribal population of Meghalaya. The Meghalayans frequently raided Assam and Bengal. Later, the Meghalayans clashed with the Mughals but were not conquered by them. The British also were unable to conquer Meghalaya, despite sending military expeditions against it to stop continuing raids on Bengal.

Eventually, the British incorporated Meghalaya into Assam in 1835. The Meghalayans accepted overall British control in return for the freedom to pursue their own goals. However, the introduction of Western education caused major changes in the Meghalayans' way of life, and many of them also became converted to Christianity.

After Indian independence in 1947, Meghalaya remained part of Assam. In 1969, the Indian government made Meghalaya an autonomous (independent) region within Assam. Meghalaya was granted full statehood in 1972.