Capital : Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh, which has been the summer capital of the government of India during English rule.
Area : 55,673 Sq. Kms.
Population : 5.11 Millions (Male : 2.56 millions, Females : 2.55 millions)
Languages : English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and local dilects known as Pahari, are understood and spoken by different by different people in different places.
Literacy : 63.54%. More and more schools and colleges are coming up in the state. There is one University at Shimla. University for Horticulture and Forestry at Solan is one of the best in Asia. Another University of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry is located at Palampur in Kangra.
Time : India is 05.30 hrs ahead of GMT, 04.30 hrs behind Australian Eastern Standard Time. 10.30 hrs ahead of American Eastern Standard time.
Business Hours : Sunday is closed for offices, banks, and shops. Offices and banks function from 10.00 AM to 05.00 PM. On Saturdays banks exchange money only up to 12.00 PM. Some private banks remain open up to 05.00 PM. In some area shops remains open through out the month.
Restricted Area : Himachal has border with Ladakh and Tibet and some area like Spiti valleys as well as Kinnaur district which was restricted for foreigner until 1991 but now foreign tourists can visit these area with permission from District Magistrates at Shimla,(Kinnaur at Kalpa), Lahaul & Spiti at Keylong, Kullu and Chamba. Sub Divisional Magistrate at Shimla, Rampur, Nichar, Kalpa, Puh, Kaza, Udaipur, Killar, Tissa, Chamba and Bharmaur. It had broadly been decided that the inner line would run 40km to the west of the Tibet border Kaza the principal city of Spiti, would be treatedas out side the inner circle. How ever foreign tourists would not be allowed overnight stay at Puh – Khabo – Sumdo – Dankar – Gompa – Tabo and Moorang-dubling routes and could enter the area only in groups of four or more. The check posts set up at Lipakhad and Tabo to monitor the movement of foreign tourists.