Himachal Pradesh is divided into 12 districts namely, Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Bilaspur, Una, Chamba, Lahul and Spiti, Sirmaur, Kinnaur, Kullu, Solan & Shimla. The state capital is Shimla which was formerly British India's summer capital under the name Simla.

A district of Himachal Pradesh is an administrative geographical unit, headed by a Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service. The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Himachal Administrative Service and other Himachal state services. Each district is subdivided into Sub-Divisions, governed by a sub-divisional magistrate, and again into Blocks. Blocks consists of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities. A Superintendent of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Himachal Police Service and other Himachal Police officials.
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Culture
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Main article: Culture of Himachal Pradesh

Himachal was one of the few states that had remained largely untouched by external customs, largely due to its difficult terrain. With the technological advancements the state has changed very rapidly. It is a multireligional, multicultural as well as multilingual state like other Indian states. Some of the most commonly spoken languages includes Hindi, Pahari, Dogri, Mandeali Kangri, Gojri, Punjabi and Kinnauri.The caste communities residing in Himachal include the Brahmins, Rajputs, Gujjars, Gaddis, "Grith (choudhary)," Kannets (come under RAJPUTS), Rathis and Kolis.There are also tribal population in the state which mainly comprise, Kinnars, Pangawals, Sulehria, and Lahaulis.The state is well known for its handicrafts. The carpets, leather works, shawls, metalware, woodwork and paintings are worth appreciating. Pashmina shawl is one of the product which is highly in demand not only in Himachal but all over the country. Himachali caps are also famous art work of the people. Extreme cold winters of Himachal necessitated wool weaving. Nearly every household in Himachal owns a pit-loom. Wool is also considered as pure and is used as a ritual cloth. The well known woven object is the shawl, ranging from fine pashmina to the coarse desar. Kullu is famous for its shawls with striking patterns and vibrant colours. Kangra and Dharamshala are famous for Kangra miniature paintings.

Local music and dance reflects the cultural identity of the state. Through their dance and music, they entreat their gods during local festivals and other special occasions. Apart from the fairs and festivals that are celebrated all over India, there are number of other fairs and festivals also that are of great significance to Himachal Pradesh.

Shimla, the state capital is home to Asia's only natural ice skating rink.
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Must See Places
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• Dalhousie is a world-famous hill station, located in the western part of Himachal Pradesh. Dalhousie is basically built on five different hills called Balun, Tehra, Kathlog, Patreyn and Bakrota, and covers an area of 14 sq. Km. Dalhousie is named after one of the British Governor Generals, Lord Dalhousie. Dalhousie has many beautiful churches and charming colonial architecture.
• Kullu Valley is very well known as Valley of Gods. It is situated on the Beas river bank in the lower reaches of Himalayas. Rudyard Kipling has written: "Surely the Gods live here; this is no place for men". Kullu is very well known for its ancient temples, festivals and apple orchards. This place is also famous for its handicraft work and woollen work of puhla, shawls, patoos, caps and namdas. The best time to visit Kullu is during Dusshera in the month of October.
• Spiti Valley is also known as the Little Tibet due to its vegetation, terrain and climate which are similar to Tibet. Spiti also means Middle Country.
• Lahul Valley is green compared to Spiti Valley. It is covered with snow for most of the year. Roads are closed from late October to early May. Its main attractions are Patten Valley and Sri Trilokinath Temple, as well as lots of monasteries.

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State Profile
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State Symbols State animal     Snow leopard
State bird     Jujurana
State tree    Deodar
State flower     Rhododendron

Source: Department of Information and Public Relations.
Area     55673 km2
Total Population     68,56,509
Males     34,73,892
Females     33,82,617
Population Density     109
Sex Ratio     974
Rural Population     61,67,805
Urban Population     6,88,704
Scheduled Caste Population     1,502,171
Scheduled Tribe Population     244,587
Literacy Rate     83.78%
Male Literacy     90.83%
Female Literacy     76.60%
Districts     12
Sub-Division     52
Tehsils     75
Sub-Tehsils     34
Developmental Block     75
Towns     59
Panchayats     3,243
Panchayat Smities     75
Zila Parishad     12
Urban Local Bodies     53
Nagar Nigam     1
Nagar Parishad     20
Nagar Panchayats     32
Census Villages     20,690
Inhabited Villages     17,495
Health Institutions     3,835
Educational Institutions     17,000
Motorable Roads     30,000 km
National Highways     8
Identified Hydroelectric Potential     20,787 MW in five rivers basins i.e. (Yamuna, Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Himurja)
Potential harnessed     6353.12MW
Food grain production     16.69 lakh tonnes
Vegetable production     9 lakh tonnes
Fruit Production     6.95 lakh tonnes
Per Capita Income     . 36,783 (2006–2007) Expected
Social security Pension     237,250 Persons, Annual Expenditure: Over . 60 Crore
Investment in Industrial Area     . 27,380/- crore, Employment Opportunities: Over 337,391
Employment generated in Government Sector     80,000