Why Meghalaya is called the land of clouds?

Carved out of the former state of Assam, Meghalaya is one of the seven sister states of the North Eastern region, bordered by Assam in the north, and Bangladesh in the south. It is geographically known as the ‘Meghalaya Plateau’, or the ‘Shillong Plateau’. The area is made of the oldest rock-formations. Meghalaya consists of the Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia Hills, along with the Assam ranges. The Meghalaya Plateau’s elevation varies between 150 metres to 1961 metres above sea level. The Plateau is highly dissected, and has an irregular terrain in the western and northern side. Rivers form an important part of the geography of Meghalaya. In the Garo Hills, the major rivers are the Ringgi, Kalu, Ajagar, Sanda, Daring, and Simsan. In the eastern and central parts of the Meghalaya Plateau, the major rivers are Digaru, Umkhri, Kynchiang and Myntdu. The word Meghalaya means the ‘land of clouds’ in Sanskrit, and the name is most appropriate for this land of hills and plateau that seem to touch clouds.