Punjab is a state in northwest India, part of a larger Punjab region. Neighbouring regions are Punjab, Pakistan to the west, Jammu and Kashmir to the north, Himachal Pradesh to the northeast, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest. Total area is 50,362 square kilometres (19,445 square miles). The population is 24,000,000 (2,000 CE).

The word Punjab is a combination of the words 'Punj', meaning five & 'Aab', meaning water. Punjab is a region of five rivers, the Setluj, Bias, Ravi, Chenab & Jehlam. After partition, the western half of the region went to Pakistan and the eastern half to India. Punjab is an agricultural state, with land fertility unparalleled in the world. The largest crop is wheat. Other important crops are cotton, sugarcane, millet, barley and fruit. Textiles and flour milling are the major industries. Road, rail and river transportation links are extensive throughout the region.

Sikhism is the main religion of the Indian Punjab, with about 60% of the population. Amritsar is the site of the Golden Temple, the main place of worship. The Jains also consider Amritsar to be an important city.

The language of the people is Punjabi on both sides of the border, although the alphabet used is different (Arabic on Pakistani side and Gurumukhi on the Indian side). The state capital of Punjab is Chandigarh. Other major cities include Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala.