Assam is a state in Northeast India. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra Valley and the Barak Valley along with the Karbi Anglong andDima Hasao districts with an area of 30,285 square miles (78,440 km2). Assam is surrounded by Seven States: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bangal. Geographically Assam and these states are connected to the rest of India via a 22 kilometres (14 mi) strip of land in West Bengal called the Siliguri Corridor or “Chicken’s Neck”. Assam shares international border with Bhutan and Bangladesh; and culture, people and climate is similar to that of South-East Asia – bringing the elements in India’s Look East policy. Assam became a part of British India after the British East India Company occupied the region following the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824–1826.