The moment we think of Rajasthan, a composite picture of Rajahs, forts, palaces and camels begins forming before our eyes. The state has an area of 3,42,274 sq km and is the second largest state of the Indian Union. It is bounded on the west by Pakistan, on the north by the states of Haryana and Punjab and the Union Territory of Delhi, on the east by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and on the south by Gujarat. The western frontier consists of the sands of the Thar or the Great Indian Desert. A line of the Aravallis crosses Rajasthan from south-west to north-east. This line starts from Champaner in Gujarat and stretches up to Delhi. According to Census 2001, the population of Rajasthan is 5,64,73,122 persons of which 2,93,81,657 are males and 2,70,91,465 are females. In other words, there are 922 females for every 1000 males. The literacy rate of the state is 61.03 per cent. The literacy rate for males is 76.46 per cent as compared to female literacy rate which is 44.34 per cent.

The climate of Rajasthan, on the whole, is extreme but the north-western Rajastan - Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer - is both hotter and colder than the north-eastern region. Hot south-westerly winds blow in the north-western region and make it very hot raising the temperature to about 48°C and in the interior of the desert, even to 52°C in some years. Due to sandy soil the temperature comes down rapidly after sunset and by midnight it drops by 5°C. The nights in this area are, therefore, quite cool and pleasant. The north-west region is sandy and barren but the area bordering Sind is comparatively fertile. Some tracts in Bikaner and large areas in Jodhpur are cultivable.

The old states of Udaipur and Jodhpur have several good lakes. Rajasamand in Udaipur is a very beautiful lake. Fifty-one km south-east of Udaipur lies Jaisamanda. It is one of the largest artificial sheets of water in the world. Fourteen km-long and
9.6 km-broad, the lake has a circumference of nearly 48 km. Udaisagar is another pretty lake about 13 km east of Udaipur. Constructed by Maharana Udai Singh between 1559 and 1565, it has an area of 5 sq km and drains about 479 sq km of the country. The Sambhar Lake is the largest natural salt lake in Rajasthan. When full, it covers an area of 230 sq km. The other salt lake in Jodhpur area is Deedwana Pachpadra. The artificial lakes in this area are Jaswant Sagar (in Bilada), Sardar Samand (in Pali), Edward Samand (in Jalore) and Bal Samand (in Kiyalana near Jodhpur city). Of these the largest is Jaswant Sagar. There are many more lakes dotting the length and breadth of the state.

The Aravalli range and the southern plateau receive good rainfall and, therefore, we find thick vegetation there. There are some inferior types of forests in this region. Rajasthan has about 44 lakh sq kms of forests. Teak is found over wide areas in the Banswara, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Baran and Jhalawar forest divisions. But it is of a poor quality. The height of trees ranges between 9 and 13 mtr. The chief forest produce consists of kattha, charcoal, bamboo, gum, grass and khas. The desert is the great menace to the state. Soil erosion is a great problem. The strong winds make seed germination very difficult. Scientists think that in the regions of Jodhpur and between Pali and Abu road the surface soil is gradually disappearing. The Government is, therefore, carrying on plantation and afforestation in these areas. Rajasthan possesses many kinds of birds like pea-fowl, blue pigeon, partridge, grouse, grey jungle fowl and water birds. Among the migratory birds are geese, ducks, snipes etc.

The generality of the people of Rajasthan is of the Indo-Aryan type. Their stature is mostly tall, complexion fair, eyes dark, head long and nose narrow and prominent. Over 80 per cent of the people of Rajasthan live in villages. Their chief occupation is agriculture. But about 30 per cent of them are landless labourers including village artisans like blacksmiths, carpenters, potters, shoemakers, leather dressers and petty shopkeepers. The peasants in the north-east Rajasthan lead an easy and leisurely life. The chief components of the economic structure of Rajasthan are agriculture and allied activities like animal husbandry. About 70 per cent of the people earn their livelihood from these sources; only about 3 per cent are engaged in trade and commerce and a little over 6 per cent in cottage industry. The main organised industries are food processing and textile goods. Next to agriculture, animal husbandry occupies an important place in the economy of the state. It is the main occupation of the rural population in the arid and semi-arid zones. The livestock of Rajasthan constitutes about 11 per cent of the all-India total. It has 56 per cent of the camel population of the country and 9 per cent of the sheep population.

Rajasthan processes a wide range of mineral deposits and for the past two decades systematic efforts are being made to develop them. Near Singhana, deposits of copper ore have been discovered and explorations have shown that about 30 million ton copper ore is available there. In Alwar district also, there are small deposits of copper. Among the industrial minerals, soapstone, gypsum, mica, garnet and glass sand are produced at several places in the state. Another industrial mineral of large importance is limestone for cement making. There are lignite-bearing formations at Falna and Khari in Bikaner area. Rajasthan produces the largest quantity of soapstone in the country. It is mainly produced in Bhilwara district. There are deposits of valuable marble at Makrana, Kishangarh, Bhainslana, Barr, Bhatana and Ropi. The salt is one of the large-scale industries in Rajasthan and contributes 10 per cent of the total salt produced in India. The major salt works are located at the Sambhar Salt Lake, Didwana and Pachapadra. There are a number of minor salt works at Phalodi, Kuchaman, Pokaran and Sujangarh. Of these, the Sambhar Lake is the largest and the most important single source in Rajasthan. The Sambhar Lake produces about 8.7 per cent of the total salt in India.

The shortage of adequate water supply is one of the most acute problems of this state. The rainfall in about one-third of the area of the state in the west and north-west is very scanty and sometimes for several years together there is no rain at all. The underground water table is very low going down generally to a depth of 90 metres and sometimes even to 270 metres. Where the water table is not too low, the underground water is brackish and unfit for drinking. People collect rain water in small tanks and cisterns, and it is not unusual that they get their daily supply from a distance of 15 to 25 kilometres. In years of draught, they have to migrate leaving their homes in thousands and suffering untold hardships.

The literature of Rajasthan is of three categories - Jain style, Charan style, and popular style. The Jain style dominates and uses a large variety of literary forms like ras, chaupai, prabandh, akhan phagu, beli, vivhala etc. Hundreds of stories written by Jain authors are available. Their contribution to the Rajasthani literature is the largest. The state is well known for its rich culture, beautiful forts, magnificent palaces, varied handicrafts, conventual wall paintings and peace-loving people. It has all the features for a tourist attraction. Mount Abu offers a salubrious climate for health-conscious visitors.