Bihar (state)

State of northeast India; area 99,199 sq km/38,301 sq mi; population (2001 est) 82,878,800. The capital is Patna. The River Ganges runs west–east in the north of the state, through intensely cultivated alluvial plains which are prone to drought and floods. The chief industries are copper, iron, and coal; Bihar accounts for 15% of India's mineral production. Three-quarters of the population live in the northern plains, and the majority are involved in agriculture, producing rice, jute, sugar cane, cereals, oilseed, tobacco, and potatoes. The languages spoken are Hindi and Bihari. As part of the Bihar Reorganization Act, the region was split in November 2000 to form the new state of Jharkhand.

The ancient kingdom of Magadha roughly corresponded to central Bihar and Jharkhand. Many Bihari people were massacred as a result of their protest at the establishment of Bangladesh in 1971. Elections were postponed and direct rule imposed after public disturbances in 1995.