Bihar is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. Its capital is Patna.To Bihar's north is the country of Nepal. On its other three sides Bihar is surrounded by the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the west, Jharkhand to the south and West Bengal to the east. Bihar lies in the very fertile Indo-Gangetic Plain.

Economy
Bihar is among the least developed states of India and has a per capita income of $94 a year against India's average of $255. A total of 42.6% live below the poverty line against India's average of 22.15%. The blame for this stems from many factors: grossly discriminatory central government policies, viz. Freight equalisation scheme, lack of vision of the political classes, and inadequate investments in agriculture, infrastructure and education. Some people[citation needed] believe that mis-rule, caste-dominated politics and rampant corruption by politicians & bureaucrats have been the cause of the lack of development of the state. Saibal Gupta of Asian Development Research Institute has blamed the absence of a sub-national identity which has allowed the Central Government to get away with its neglect. Mohan Guruswamy of Centre of Policy Alternatives has done a detailed study of the continued neglect of Bihar by the central government and how it has resulted in its downslide.

Divisions
Bhagalpur: Banka | Bhagalpur
Darbhanga: Begusarai | Darbhanga | Madhubani | Samastipur
Kosi: Madhepura | Saharsa | Supaul
Magadh: Arwal | Aurangabad | Gaya | Jehanabad | Nawada
Munger: Jamui | Khagaria | Munger | Lakhisarai | Sheikhpura
Patna: Bhojpur | Buxar | Kaimur | Patna | Rohtas | Nalanda
Purnia: Araria | Katihar | Kishanganj | Purnia
Saran: Gopalganj | Saran | Siwan
Tirhut: East Champaran | Muzaffarpur | Sheohar | Sitamarhi | Vaishali | West Champaran