Rajasthan is the largest state of India by area (342,239 square kilometers (132,193 square miles) or 10.4% of the total area of India). It is located on the western side of the country, comprising most of the wide and inhospitable Thar Desert (also known as the "Rajasthan Desert" and "Great Indian Desert") and shares a border with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab to the North West And Sindh to the west, along the valley of the river Sutlej-Indus. In other places it is surrounded by five other Indian states: Punjab to the north; Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast; Madhya Pradesh to the southeast; And Gujarat to the southwest.
Major features include the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization in Kalibanga; The Temples of Dilwara, a Jain pilgrimage site in the only Rajasthan mountain station, Mount Abu, in the ancient mountain range of Aravalli; And, in East Rajasthan, Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, a world heritage site known for its bird life. Rajasthan is also home to three national tiger reserves, Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur, Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar and Mukundra Hill Tiger Reserve in Kota.
The state was formed on March 30, 1949 when Rajputana - the name adopted by the British Raj for its dependencies in the region - was merged into the Dominion of India. Its capital and largest city is Jaipur, also known as Pink City, located on the eastern side of the state. Other major cities are Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Kota and Ajmer.
Major ISP and Telecom companies are present in Rajasthan, including Airtel, Data Infosys Limited, Reliance Limited, RAILTEL, India's Software Technology Parks (STPI), Tata Telecom, Vodafone. Data Infosys was the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) to bring the internet in Rajasthan in April 1999 and OASIS was the first privately owned mobile phone company, which was later acquired by Airtel.
Rajasthan's economy is mainly agricultural and pastoral. Wheat and barley are grown in large areas, as are legumes, sugar cane and oilseeds. Cotton and tobacco are the state's cash crops. Rajasthan is one of the largest producers of edible oils in India and the second largest producer of oilseeds. Rajasthan is also the largest producer of wool in India and the main producer and consumer of opium. There are mainly two growing seasons. Water for irrigation comes from wells and tanks. The Indira Gandhi Canal waters northwest of Rajasthan.
Rajasthan is the largest producer of barley, mustard, pearl millet, coriander, fenugreek and guar in India.Ramganj Mandi in the district of Kota is the largest mandi in Asia or the coriander market. Rajasthan produces more than 72% of the world's guar and 60% of barley in India. Rajasthan is the leading producer of aloe vera, amla, leading producer of oranges, peanut, oranges. Rajasthan is the second in the production of cumin, gram and third in the spices of the seed. [Enlightenment needed] The government of Rajasthan had initiated olive cultivation with the technical support of Israel. The current production of olives in the state is around 100-110 tons annually. Rajasthan is the second largest milk producer in India. Rajasthan has 13800 dairy cooperatives.