The people of Meghalaya belong to some of the earliest communities on the Indian subcontinent, with their own tradition and customs; the Achiks (popularly known as Garos), and the Hynniewtrep (or Khasi and Jaintias). They are among the few communities in the world that observe the matribneal line of descent in the family, in which lineage and ancestral property passes down from mother to daughter. The people of Meghalaya are both hardworkship and fun-loving, fond of music as well as colourful ritual, respectful to tradition yet open to new ideas.

Meghalaya is endowed vath a rich variety of beauty in nature. Of the 17,000 species of orchids in the world, about, 1,250 exist in India, of which nearly 300 are found in Meghalaya. The Khasi Hills specially boasts of the age-old sacred forests, many of which are preserved to this day by traditional religious sanction. The Mawphlang Sacred Forest, 20 kms from Shillong represents the pristine glory and wisdom. of the elders of yore in preserving the ecological system. In 1854, the renowned botanist, Sir Joseph Hooker transplanted the Blue Vanda (vanda ceorudea) at the Kew Royal gardens in London, all the way from Jaintia Hills. Today the Blue Vanda, Lady's Slippers (paphlopedilum in- signe) and other rare varieties of orchids adorn many a flower garden, specially in the capital city of Shillong.
The forests, meadows and orchards of Meghalaya are the habitat of a thousand types of moths and butterflies. Meghalaya is also rich in wildlife. It is the home of a variety of animals and birds, the best known of them being elephants, tigers, golden cats, binturongs, slow loris, monkeys of different types and interesting birds including hornbills, patridges, teals, snipes and quails. The State has two National Parks, the Nokrek National Park and the Balpakram National Park, and two Wildlife Sanctuaries, the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary and Siju Wildlife Sanctuary.