Sikkim

"Sikkim (en nepalí: ; bhutia: ) es un estado de la India ubicado en la cordillera Himalaya. Es el estado menos poblado de India, y el segundo más pequeño en superficie. Sikkim fue un estado independiente gobernado por la monarquía Chogyal hasta 1975, cuando se decidió por referendo convertirse en el vigésimo segundo estado de India. Este escarpado estado limita al oeste con Nepal, al norte y al este con el Tíbet, al sureste con Bhutan y al sur con el estado de Bengala Occidental. El idioma oficial es el nepalí y las religiones predominantes son el hinduismo y el budismo vajrayna. Gangtok es su capital y más grande ciudad. A pesar de su pequeño tamaño, Sikkim es geográficamente muy diverso, debido a su ubicación a los pies de los montes Himalaya. El terreno va de tropical en el sur a la tundra en el norte. En Sikkim se encuentra el pico Kanchenjunga, el tercero en altura en el mundo y el primero de India (aproximadamente 8598 metros sobre el nivel del mar). Sikkim se ha convertido en uno de los estados más visitados de India gracias a sus hermosos paisajes naturales y a su estabilidad política."

"Sikkim (/skm/) is a landlocked state of India, and the last to give up its monarchy and fully integrate into India in 1975. Located in the Himalayan mountains, the state is bordered by Nepal to the west, China's Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and northeast, and Bhutan to the east and the Indian state of West Bengal to the south. With 607,688 inhabitants as of the 2011 census, Sikkim is the least populous state in India and the second-smallest state after Goa in total area, covering approximately 7,096 km2 (2,740 sq mi). Sikkim is nonetheless geographically diverse due to its location in the Himalayas; the climate ranges from subtropical to high alpine, and Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak, is located on Sikkim's border with Nepal. Sikkim is a popular tourist destination, owing to its culture, scenery and biodiversity. It also has the only open land border between India and China. Sikkim's capital and largest city is Gangtok. Almost 25% of the state is covered by the Khangchendzonga National Park. According to legend, the Buddhist guru Padmasambhava visited Sikkim in the 8th century CE, introduced Buddhism and foretold the era of the Sikkimese monarchy. Sikkim's Namgyal dynasty was established in 1642. Over the next 150 years, the kingdom witnessed frequent raids and territorial losses to Nepalese invaders. In the 19th century, it allied itself with British India, eventually becoming a British protectorate. In 1975, a referendum abolished the Sikkimese monarchy, and the territory instead became part of India. Sikkim has 11 official languages: Nepali (which is its lingua franca), Sikkimese, Hindi, Lepcha, Tamang, Limbu, Newari, Rai, Gurung, Magar, Sunwar and English. English is taught in schools and used in government documents. The predominant religions are Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism. Sikkim's economy is largely dependent on agriculture and tourism, and as of 2014 the state had the third-smallest GDP among Indian states, although it is also among the fastest-growing. In 2015, Sikkim fully implemented organic farming statewide, becoming India's first "organic state", while in 2016, it restricted the usage of plastic water bottles (in government functions and meetings) and styrofoam products, becoming India's "cleanest state"."