Shillong

Shillong (English: , Khasi: [ʃɨlːɔːŋ]), the capital of Meghalaya, India, is a hill station and the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. It is the 330th most populous city in India, with a population of 143,229 according to the 2011 census. It is said that the rolling hills around the town reminded the British of Scotland. Hence, they would refer to it as the "Scotland of the East". Shillong has steadily grown in size since it was designated the civil station of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills by the British in 1864. In 1874, with the formation of Assam as the Chief Commissioner's Province, Shillong was chosen as the headquarters of the new administration due to its convenient location between the Brahmaputra and Surma valleys. Another reason was that the climate of Shillong was much cooler than that of tropical India. Shillong remained the capital of undivided Assam until the creation of the new state of Meghalaya on 21 January 1972, when Shillong became the Meghalaya's capital, and Assam moved its capital to Dispur in Guwahati.