The Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary is located in which state of India?

Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on Indian wildlife geography, specifically the location of the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary. Protected areas such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves are common topics in competitive examinations because they combine ecological knowledge with state-wise mapping. Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary is an important high-altitude protected area in the eastern Himalayas.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The name of the protected area is Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary.
- The task is to identify the Indian state where it is located.
- The options include states from different regions of India: south, north, northeast and west.
- We assume standard government notifications regarding protected areas as our reference.

Concept / Approach:
The sanctuary is named after the Dibang Valley and the Dibang River, which lie in the eastern Himalayan region of Arunachal Pradesh. Many sanctuaries and national parks carry the names of local rivers or valleys, giving a hint about their location. Arunachal Pradesh, known for its rich biodiversity and remote high-altitude landscapes, contains several wildlife sanctuaries, including Dibang. The approach is to match the name Dibang with the Dibang Valley region and thereby recall that it lies in Arunachal Pradesh, not in plains or peninsular states like Kerala, Haryana or Maharashtra.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Dibang Valley is a district in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.Step 2: Note that many Indian wildlife sanctuaries are named after the river or valley where they are located; therefore, Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary logically lies in the same region.Step 3: Examine the options: Kerala is a southern coastal state; Haryana and Maharashtra are in northern and western India respectively, none associated with the Dibang Valley.Step 4: Arunachal Pradesh is a northeastern Himalayan state that indeed contains the Upper Dibang Valley district.Step 5: Therefore, select Arunachal Pradesh as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by recalling maps of protected areas in India that mark high-altitude sanctuaries such as Namdapha National Park, Mouling National Park and Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. Some exam preparation books list wildlife sanctuaries state-wise; in those tables, Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary always appears under Arunachal Pradesh. Cross-checking with such lists confirms that the sanctuary is not in Kerala, Haryana, Maharashtra or Assam.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Kerala: Famous for Periyar, Silent Valley and Eravikulam, but not for Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary.
Haryana: Has small protected areas near the Aravallis but no sanctuary named Dibang.
Maharashtra: Known for Tadoba and other reserves; Dibang does not belong here.
Assam: A biodiversity hotspot with Kaziranga and Manas, yet Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary is located further north in Arunachal Pradesh.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes guess Assam because they associate the name Dibang with rivers of the Brahmaputra basin and do not clearly distinguish state boundaries in the northeastern region. Another pitfall is mixing up similarly named protected areas or assuming that any sanctuary with a river name must be in a well-known wildlife state like Kerala. Strengthening mental maps of Northeast India and revising state-wise lists of important sanctuaries helps avoid such confusion.

Final Answer:
Arunachal Pradesh