Dibrugarh is a city and is the headquarters of the Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam in India. Well known as the Tea City of India, Dibrugarh is considered to be a major city in eastern India in line with Guwahati and Bhubaneswar and is the emerging communication and industrial hub of North East India. Dibrugarh is also one of the two main cities in the state of Assam to receive urban development aid from the Asian Development Bank and is the nerve centre of industry, communication and healthcare of the upper Assam region. Dibrugarh is located 439 km (273 miles) east of Guwahati, the largest city of the Indian state of Assam. Dibrugarh is well connected to the rest of India by rail, road and air transport and thus serves as a gateway to eastern Assam and also parts of Arunachal Pradesh. Moreover, there has also been a consistent demand, particularly from the industrial sectors, for starting international flights from Dibrugarh to Bangkok and Singapore. Mega projects like Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited, India's longest rail cum road bridge Bogibeel bridge and other upcoming modern urban infrastructure are transforming Dibrugarh into a vibrant city. Of late, the city of Dibrugarh is emerging as a popular destination for business and leisure trips for tourists from India and abroad and the 9th edition of the North East Business Summit was held in the city with the theme 'Building bridges with South East Asia', where representatives from South East Asian nations and business leaders of the country pledged to contribute substantially for the socio-economic growth of the North East. Dibrugarh is also a centre of education and research and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) organized the 18th National Space Science Symposium in the city in January–February, 2014. The city Master Plan area of Dibrugarh is 66.14 sq. kilometres and population is 186,214. The British arrived in Assam in the year 1824, following the Yandaboo Accord. They selected Dibrugarh as an administrative and commercial center in Upper Assam, making Dibrugarh a hub of activity in this region of north-eastern India. In the year 1842, Dibrugarh was announced as the headquarters of Lakhimpur District. During World War II, the town was the principal military base and was used as a transit camp for the evacuees from Burma. In 1971 the Dibrugarh Sub-Division itself became a full-fledged district. Later, the Tinsukia Sub-Division separated as a District in 1989 from Dibrugarh District. Today Dibrugarh is a separate district, with the District Headquarters in Dibrugarh. Buridihing, a tributary of Brahmaputra, divides the district from east-to-west. Buridihing flows through Naharkatia and Khowang, and at a later stage in its course, Buridihing acts as a divider between Dibrugarh and Sivasagar districts. The region is flat with a gradual slope from the East Arunachal hills to the west. The soil of the district is mostly fertile, alluvial soil. It is the gateway to the three tea-producing districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Sivasagar. These three areas account for approximately 50% of India's Assam tea crop, and this gives Dibrugarh its rightly earned sobriquet as the "Tea City of India". Oil and timber are the other two big industries in and around Dibrugarh. In 1950, the Medog earthquake, measuring over 8.6 on the Richter Scale, changed the course of the Brahmaputra River, and this caused the destruction of more than three-quarters of the town. It has since then been rebuilt, though the River is a constant reminder to the people who live in its shadow, of its turbulence and all-encompassing journey to the sea. Dibrugarh has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa) with extremely wet summers and relatively dry winters. Dibrugarh district boasts of the highest amount of tea production in India. There are several tea gardens dating back to the British era. The first garden was at Chabua, a place 20 miles (32 km) away from Dibrugarh, owned by Maniram Devaan.[23] Today, the headquarters of the Directorate of Development of Small Tea Growers in India is functioning from Dibrugarh,[24] besides a Regional Office of the Tea Board of India headed by a Deputy Director of Tea Development (Plantation) is also located in the city. The Zone I of the Assam Branch Indian Tea Association(ABITA) is located at Dibrugarh. Rail, road and air connectivity coupled with the presence of large number of tourist spots in and around Dibrugarh city has seen impressive growth of tourism industry in this part of India in recent part. Dibrugarh has also become an important destination as well as a major transit point for tourists from both India and abrod. Such tourist circuits include - Dibrugarh - Roing - Mayudia - Anini Tourist Circuit, Dibrugarh - Guwahati river cruise besides 'Tea Tourism' for tourists who prefer serenity and novelty to the hustle-bustle of established tourist destinations. Mohanbari Airport, which is located around 15 km from the . Airlines operating from the airport are Air India, IndiGo, Jet Airways and Pawan Hans Ltd. IndiGo Airlines connects Dibrugarh daily with Delhi via Kolkata and another non-stop to Delhi while in return via Guwahati. Jet Airways connects Dibrugarh daily with Delhi via Guwahati. The Airports Authority of India is planning to make Mohanbari Airport an air hub for the northeastern region, along with Guwahati and Agartala. In 2013, Dibrugarh airport was provided with night landing facility. Commercial operation of aerobridges have also started in this airport. Dibrugarh airport is the third airport in entire Eastern India after Kolkata and Guwahati to have the facility of boarding in and disembarking from aircraft through aerobridges. Dibrugarh holds a prominent place in the history of Indian Railways with the first railway services of the entire North-East India starting from here. On 1 May 1882, the first train rolled down the tracks from Streamerghat at Dibrugarh. On 15 May 1882, it was extended up to Dinjan. On 23 December that year goods train up to Chabua was introduced. On 18 February 1884, at 7:20 am, the then Chief Commissioner of Assam Sir Charles Illiot flagged off the first passenger train from Reehabari rail station (now Dibrugarh Town Railway station) to Ledo with 400 European and Indian passengers. As per the Centenary Souvenir of the Assam Railways and Trading Company Limited published in 1991, the said company, being the pioneer in building Dibru-Sadiya railways, described the entire history of railway development from Dibrugarh. Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express standing at Dibrugarh Town railway station. Dibrugarh Town and Dibrugarh are two railway stations of the city and also two of the important Easternmost railway stations on the map of the Indian Railways connected to some of the important Indian cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Trivandrum, Kolkata, Delhi, Kanyakumari etc. through the railways network. The new Dibrugarh railway station has been developed on the outskirts of the city at Banipur. It lies on the Lumding-Dibrugarh section of Tinsukia railway division. It is the biggest railway station in the entire north east spreading over 400 bighas of land and it is 2 km in length. One goods yard is also being developed for loading and unloading of goods along with a truck shed, which can accommodate 25 trucks at a time. Dibrugarh is also the only non-capital city in India to have the Rajdhani Express originating from and terminating in it daily. Twenty Rajdhani Express trains (10 from Dibrugarh and 10 from New Delhi) connect Dibrugarh with the national capital of New Delhi on a weekly basis. Moreover, the Vivek Express, named after Swami Vivekanda, which connects Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari, is now the longest train service in India, covering a distance of 4278 km in five days. Important trains that run from Dibrugarh are Vivek Express, Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express, Kamrup Express, Avadh Assam Express, Brahmaputra Mail, Dibrugarh - Chennai Egmore Express, New Tinsukia - Bengaluru Weekly Express, Amritsar-Dibrugarh Express, Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express, Dibrugarh - Kolkata Express etc. The Bogibeel Bridge, a 5-km long megastructure 17 km from Dibrugarh, being built at a cost of more than Rs 32.30 billion (original estimate Rs 17.67 billion), will finally be complete by December 2015, late by more than five years. Comprising a double-track broad gauge rail line on the lower deck and a four-lane expressway on the upper deck, the bridge will be a lifeline to the region as it creates a vital crossing point across the Brahmaputra in the Upper Assam Valley. Dibrugarh city will benefit directly from the bridge as its railway station is being expanded to become the biggest in the region. City roads in Dibrugarh are smooth and well lit up with street lights. However, due to rapid urbanization the roads capacity are reaching it limit and in need of upgrade. There are two flyovers in the city. one at the intersection of Convoy Road with N.H. 37 and the other at the intersection of L.B.T. Road with N.H. 37 at Lahowal. As part of the city frequently get inundated in flash floods during the monsoon season mainly in the months of June, July and August, city roads are being constructed with concrete. It is said that Dibrugarh is the first city in the Northeast to have introduced city bus service more than half a century back sometime in 1956.[35] Up till the mid-1990s, City Buses and cycle rickshaws were the main modes of urban transporrt. Later, 'Vikram', 'Minidor', 'Champion' etc. three-wheelers were also introduced as means of urban transport. Dibrugarh has three bus terminus. ASTC bus terminus at Chowkidinghee, Muralidhar Jalan Bus Terminus at Malakhubasa and AMCH bus terminus at Borbari near the AMCH gate. For inter-city testingjourney, luxury buses including Volvo buses plying between important destinations within Assam and other neighbouring states at frequent interval are available. National Highways Authority of India is proposing to make Dibrugarh, a NHAI hub after the completion of Bogibeel bridge. Dibrugarh is connected to the rest of India by NH-37. After the completion of Bogibeel bridge, it will be connected to northern bank of the Brahmaputra by NH-52(B). A new bypass is being constructed to ease traffic movement within the city area near Jameera. A new flyover has also come up along the NH-37 over the newly developed Dibrugarh-Moran rail line near Dibrugarh University. Dibrugarh also possesses a developed waterway transportation system along and across the Brahmaputra river, known as the National Waterway 2 which extends from Bangladesh Border to Sadiya. Ferry services link Dibrugarh with Sengajan (Dhemaji District), Panbari ( Dhemaji) & Oiram Ghat (near Jonai Dhemaji). From Bogibeel IWT Ghat there are regular ferry Services to Kareng Chapori & Sisi Mukh. Moreover, luxury cruise services are also available from Dibrugarh to Guwahati. The cruise to Dibrugarh passes through Tezpur and the Kaziranga National Park. Dibrugarh and adjoining areas offer its tourists a unique blend of tourist attractions ranging from the ecstasies of the tea estates and their heritage to wildlife and culture, also touching the heart of someone with a religious fervour, all in the backdrop of a vibrant city. Dibrugarh has rich flora and fauna in the surrounding wildlife sanctuaries and rainforests.