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What is the Punjab?

By Kallie Szczepanski, About.com

Definition:

Punjab: A region on the border between India and Pakistan. Each of those nations also has a state called Punjab.

The name "Punjab" means "Land of the Five Rivers." It is derived from the Persian panj, meaning "five," and ap meaning "water."

The five Indus River tributaries for which the region is named are: the Jhelum, Chenab, Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi Rivers.

Pronunciation: "puhn-JAHB" or "PUHN-jahb"
Alternate Spellings: Panjab
Examples:

"The Punjab region was settled by Indo-Aryan peoples around 1500 B.C., and has been ruled by more than a dozen different groups in the millennia since."

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