Bihar is located in the eastern part of the country (between 83°-30' to 88°-00' longitude). It is an entirely land–locked state, although the outlet to the sea through the port of Kolkata is not far away. Bihar lies mid-way between the humid West Bengal in the east and the sub humid Uttar Pradesh in the west which provides it with a transitional position in respect of climate, economy and culture. It is bounded by Nepal in the north and by Jharkhand in the south. The Bihar plain is divided into two unequal halves by the river Ganga which flows through the middle from west to east.

Physical Features Latitude: 21°-58'-10" ~ 27°-31'-15" N Longitude: 82°-19'-50" ~ 88°-17'-40" E Rural Area: 92,257.51 sq. kms Urban Area: 1,095.49 sq. kms Total Area: 94,163.00 sq. kms Height above Sea-Level: 173 Feet Normal Rainfall: 1,205 mm Avg. Number of Rainy Days: 52.5 Days in a Year

Administrative Units Divisions: 9 Districts 38 Sub-Divisions 101 CD Blocks 534 Panchayats 8,471 Number of Revenue Villages 45,103 Number of Urban Agglomerations 9 Number of Towns 130 - Statutory Towns 125 - Non-Statutory Towns 5 Police Stations 853 - Civil Police Stations 813 - Railway Police Stations 40 Police Districts 43 - Civil Police District 39 - Railway Police District 4

Key Statistics - as per 2001 Census (Provisional) Population: 8,28,78,796 - Male: 4,31,53,964 - Female: 3,97,24,832 Population (0~6 Years Group) - In Absolute Numbers: 1,62,34,539 - Male: 83,75,532 - Female: 78,59,007 - Percentage of Total Population: 19.59% - Male: 19.41% - Female: 19.78% Literacy - In Absolute Numbers: 3,16,75,607 - Male: 2,09,78,955 - Female: 1,06,96,652 - Percentage of Total Population: 47.53% - Male: 60.32% - Female: 33.57% Decadal Population Growth: (1991-2001) 130 - Absolute: 1,83,48,242 - As Percentage; 28.43% Highest Decadal Growth at Sheohar Distric; (36.16%) Lowest Decadal Growth at Nalanda District: (18.64%) - Civil Police Stations: 813 - Railway Police Stations: 40 Density of Population: 880 per sq kms - Highest Density: Patna, 1471 per sq kms - Lowest Density: Kaimur, 382 per sq kms Sex Ratio (Females/Thousand Males) 921 - Highest Ratio: (Siwan) 1,033 - Lowest Ratio: (Patna) 873 Highest Literacy Rate: Patna, 63.82% Lowest Literacy Rate: Kishanganj, 31.02% Average Population of a District: 22,39,967