(Hindu, “five rivers”), historic region, NW portion of the subcontinent of India, now divided into the province of Punjab in Pakistan and the states of Punjab and Haryana in India. The extreme NE part of the Punjab region lies in the Himalayan foothills, but most of the territory is a level plain sloping from an elevation of about 490 m (about 1600 ft) in the N to less than 61 m (200 ft) in the extreme SW. The region's name is derived from the five great rivers that traverse it: the Indus R. and its tributaries and the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers. The chief cities include Amritsar and Chandigarh, in India, and Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, and Sialkot, in Pakistan.

Most of the inhabitants are engaged in agriculture; the Punjab is the most important wheat-growing region of the subcontinent. The soil is very fertile, but much of it requires extensive irrigation. Punjabi industry is known for the products of native artisans, such as handloomed carpets, shawls, and rugs; work in gold, silver, brass, and copper; glazed tiles and pottery.

The climate of the plains is excessively hot and dry between April and August, with temperatures as high as 49° C (120° F). The rains of the monsoon season begin at the end of June. Winters are cool with some frosts. Annual rainfall ranges from about 915 mm (about 36 in) in the N to 102 mm (4 in) in the S.

In the Indian portion of the Punjab region about 65% of the population is Hindu, 30% Sikh, and 2% Muslim. In the Pakistani portion, about 97% is Muslim.

Punjab proper was annexed by Great Britain in 1849; for details on the early history of the Punjab, see Sikhs. Under the terms of the Indian Independence Act of 1947, the Punjab was divided into the East Punjab province of the Union of India and the West Punjab province of Pakistan. The area allotted to India was 96,809 sq km (37,378 sq mi), with a population of about 12,650,000, and the area given to Pakistan was 160,610 sq km (62,012 sq mi), with a population of about 18,800,000. The partition line followed the course of the Ravi and Sutlej rivers, allotting parts of Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan divisions to Pakistan and the remainder of the region to India.

In addition to Punjab proper, the Punjab region included 34 Indian, or Native, states, known as the Punjab States, with an area of 98,798 sq km (38,146 sq mi) and a population (1941) of 5,503,554. Following the partition, most Indian states joined the Union of India.

Rioting and civil strife among Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs began even before the 1947 partition, and in August, when the Punjabi partition was effected, open warfare erupted. The partition cut the Sikh community in half, and the Sikhs attempted to eliminate local Muslims, massacring many of them. As a result of the communal fighting, large numbers of Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs abandoned their homes in the Punjab and immigrated to friendly territory.

The Pakistani portion of the Punjab region was amalgamated in 1955 into the province of West Pakistan; in 1970 it was reconstituted as Punjab province. In 1956 the Indian portion was merged with other provinces to form the present state of Punjab; for subsequent history, see Punjab (state of India).