Uttaranchal Tourism Development Report J. Sanyal, IAS, Sr. Consultant and Member Core Group UP and UDR

Abstract

Uttaranchal has 13 districts. The 2001 census pegs the population at 8.5 million people in an area of 53484 Sq. Km.. Nearly 88 percent geographical area of Uttaranchal is hilly and remaining 12 percent area falls in the plains. The cultivable land in the state is 13.1 percent and the forest cover is 62 percent. The state is very rich in water and forest resources. Besides being home to many important places of religious interests and hill stations, the region has got immense potentialities of tourism development. These include national parks, sanctuaries, hot water springs, trekking trails, lakes and mountain peaks.