Geography and Resources of Jharkhand

Location and size

• Coordinates: about 21°58′–25°18′ N and 83°20′–87°57′ E.
• Area: about 79,716 km² (15th in size).
• Borders: Bihar (north), West Bengal (east), Odisha (south), Chhattisgarh (west) and UP (north-west). It is landlocked and has no international border.
• Administration: 24 districts in 5 divisions: Palamu, North Chhotanagpur (Hazaribagh), South Chhotanagpur (Ranchi), Kolhan (Chaibasa) and Santhal Pargana (Dumka).
• Census 2011:
  • population 3.29 crore;
  • density 414 per km²;
  • sex ratio 948;
  • literacy 66.4%;
  • ST 26.2% and SC 12.1%;
  • urban share 24%.
• The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the state, including Ranchi district (near Kanke).

Physiography: the Chhotanagpur plateau

1. Pat region (west: Latehar, Gumla, Lohardaga): Netarhat (about 1,100 m), Jamira pat and Khamar pat.
2. Ranchi plateau (about 600 m): its edges have many waterfalls, formed where rivers drop off the plateau.
3. Hazaribagh plateau: upper and lower levels. Parasnath (about 1,365 m) is the highest peak.
4. Lower Chhotanagpur and Kolhan (the south and Singhbhum): Dalma hills and Saranda forest.
5. Rajmahal hills (north-east): basalt traps of the Jurassic age, with plant fossils at Mandro (Sahebganj).
6. The Ganga plain: a thin strip along Sahebganj, with the Sahebganj multimodal terminal and Udhwa Lake.

Rivers and waterfalls

River	Flows to	Notes
Damodar	Hooghly (West Bengal)	Rises at Chulhapani (Latehar); "Sorrow of Bengal"; DVC (1948); Barakar is its main tributary
Subarnarekha	Bay of Bengal (Odisha coast)	Rises at Nagri (Ranchi); Hundru falls; Kharkai joins at Jamshedpur
North Koel	Son, then Ganga	Palamu; Auranga and Amanat are its tributaries; Mandal dam (North Koel project)
South Koel	Brahmani (Odisha)	Joins the Sankh in Odisha
Sankh	Brahmani	Gumla; diamonds were once found here (Mughal times)
Ajay, Mayurakshi	West Bengal	Santhal Pargana; Massanjore dam (Mayurakshi, Dumka)
Gumani, Bansloi	Ganga	Rajmahal area

• Waterfalls:
  • Lodh (Budha Ghagh) on the Burha river (Latehar), about 143 m, the highest;
  • Hundru (Subarnarekha, about 98 m);
  • Dassam (Kanchi);
  • Jonha (Gautamdhara);
  • Hirni;
  • Panchghagh;
  • Usri (Giridih).
• Irrigation is low. Only about a fifth of the net sown area is irrigated, because of hard rocks, undulating land and rain-fed rivers. Check dams and ponds are the main methods.

Climate and soils

• Climate: tropical monsoon.
  • Rainfall is about 1,000–1,600 mm, with Netarhat among the wettest places.
  • Summers are hot, with hottest areas such as Daltonganj.
  • Ranchi is mild; it was the old summer capital of Bihar.
• Soils:
  • red soil (most of the plateau);
  • laterite (Pakur, Dumka, Ranchi uplands);
  • black soil (Rajmahal hills);
  • micaceous soil (Koderma, Hazaribagh);
  • alluvium (the Sahebganj strip).
• Problems: soil erosion and acidity. Fields are of three kinds: don (lowland rice), tanr (upland) and baid.

Forests and wildlife

• Forest cover: about 29–30% of the area (Forest Survey reports). Sal forests dominate, and mahua, kendu (tendu), palash and kusum are found. Jharkhand is a leading producer of lac and tasar silk.
• Saranda (West Singhbhum) is one of Asia's largest sal forests and lies over iron ore.
• Protected areas:
  • Palamau Tiger Reserve, with Betla National Park;
  • Dalma (elephants, near Jamshedpur);
  • Hazaribagh, Koderma, Topchanchi and Mahuadanr (a wolf sanctuary);
  • Udhwa Lake bird sanctuary (Sahebganj), Jharkhand's first Ramsar site (2025).
• State symbols:
  • animal: elephant;
  • bird: koel;
  • tree: sal;
  • flower: palash.

Minerals: the mineral store of India

• Jharkhand holds about 40% of India's mineral reserves. Its coal reserves are among the two largest in India, with Odisha's, about a quarter each, and it has most of India's coking coal.

Mineral	Main areas
Coal	Jharia (coking coal), Bokaro, Karanpura (North and South), Ramgarh, Giridih, Rajmahal, Daltonganj
Iron ore	Noamundi, Gua, Kiriburu–Meghahatuburu (Saranda, West Singhbhum)
Copper	Ghatshila, Mosabani, Rakha (East Singhbhum); Hindustan Copper
Uranium	Jaduguda, Turamdih, Bagjata, Narwapahar (UCIL)
Bauxite	Lohardaga, Gumla and Latehar (the pats)
Mica	Koderma, Giridih, Hazaribagh; Koderma was once called the "mica capital"
Others	Kyanite, limestone, china clay, graphite (Palamu), gold (Subarnarekha sands)

Industry

• Steel:
  • TISCO (Tata Steel), Jamshedpur (1907), India's first integrated steel plant;
  • Bokaro Steel Plant (SAIL, built with Soviet help, production from 1972).
• Engineering: Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC), Ranchi (1958); Tata Motors in Jamshedpur; the Adityapur industrial area.
• Others:
  • Sindri fertiliser (now HURL);
  • Coal India subsidiaries BCCL (Dhanbad) and CCL (Ranchi);
  • IIT (ISM) Dhanbad;
  • Hindalco Muri (alumina);
  • Patratu thermal plant;
  • DVC power stations;
  • cement.
• Problems: displacement, pollution (Jharia fires), weak local job links and Naxal violence. Mining income often does not reach mining areas, though the DMF (District Mineral Foundation) now aims to fix this.

Agriculture

• Mostly a single crop, rain-fed: rice on the don land, with maize, ragi (madua), pulses and oilseeds.
• Jharkhand is strong in:
  • vegetables;
  • lac (Khunti, Ranchi), where India's leading lac research institute (IINRG, Namkum, Ranchi) is located;
  • tasar silk, with Jharkhand among the top producers;
  • horticulture.
• Schemes:
  • Birsa Harit Gram Yojana (fruit orchards on MGNREGA land);
  • Mukhyamantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana (cash support per acre, from 2019);
  • irrigation through ponds and check dams.

Exam tip: JPSC often asks "which district" and "which river" questions. Learn the waterfalls with their rivers, the mineral table and the five divisions with their districts. Remember the Tropic of Cancer passes through Ranchi district.

See it on the map: explore every Jharkhand district on the District Atlas.