The decades following independence saw the shrinkage of Assam out of which was carved out Nagaland in 1963, Meghalaya in 1972, Mizoram in 1987, Arunachal Pradesh in 1987.Manipur and Tripura remained as Union Territories of India between 1956 until 1972 when they attained full statehood. Collectively they are called the Seven Sister states. Sikkim joined as the eighth North Eastern Council state in 2002. The North eastern region of India thus comprises of eight states, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.