Abstract

Urbanization can be defined as a process whereby people leave countryside and move to cities and towns and thereby enhancing the urban areas to grow. It is a complex phenomenon. Although a lot of factors are responsible for growing urbanization in a country, rapid industrialization and economic development are considered as most significant among them. India is known as the ‘land of villages’ as majority of its population is living in villages. India is far behind in case of the level of urbanization in comparison to developed countries like U.K., U.S.A., Japan, Australia etc. The North Eastern Region (NER) of India comprises eight states namely Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim. It is known as the land of seven sisters and one brother. Geographically, this region stands in isolation from the rest of India.The process of urbanization and economic development is positively correlated. This region is one of the most backward regions of India. Therefore, urbanization in NER of India is relatively very low in comparison to mainstream India. The present study attempts to analyze the trend and pattern of urbanization in NER of India and tries to make a comparative analysis with all India level.