Spider Bites Cause Panic in Northern India

Let’s start with the Brahmaputra River. It’s one of Asia’s major rivers. The 2000 mile long Brahmaputra is a a trans-boundary river meaning it crosses international borders.

It forms in southern Tibet, and flows southwest passing through the Himalayas. Then it crosses one of India’s northeastern states, exactly the one we want you to name.

This northeast Indian state is said to be one of the most beautiful regions of India with many forests, tea plantations, rice paddies, and temples. Tea is key: this Indian state is one of the world’s largest tea growing regions. It produces a well known, brisk, black tea. Various blends of it show up as English Breakfast tea, or Irish Breakfast tea.

So can you name this Indian state that straddles the Brahmaputra River?

Just the thought of a large biting spider is enough to make some people cringe. But in remote parts of one state in northeast India it’s more than just the thought.

The state is Assam – and that’s the answer to our Geo Quiz.

Large, hairy, biting spiders have been turning up there, crawling into huts, and biting villagers.

Journalist Wasbir Hussain is based in Assam state in the city of Guwahati. Hussain tells The World how a remote rice farming community in Assam in on edge after a spate of incidents involving tarantula-like spiders.