Lower Assam division

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Lower Assam Division
Rangia night view of the sky.jpg
Rangia is the important and most developed city in Lower Assam division
Divisions of Assam.svg
The five divisions of Assam
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Assam
Capital Rangia
Largest City Guwahati
Area
  Total22,024 km2 (8,504 sq mi)
Population
 (2011 census)
  Total11,252,365
  Density510/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+05:30 (IST)

Lower Assam division is one of the 5 administrative divisions of Assam in India. It was formed in 1874, consisting of the undivided Kamrup district of Western Assam, undivided Darrang and Nagaon districts of Central Assam and Khasi & Jaintia hills of Meghalaya, created for revenue purposes. [1] The division is under the jurisdiction of a Commissioner, who is stationed at Guwahati. The division currently covers the Western Brahmaputa Valley.[ citation needed ] Shri Jayant Narlikar, IAS is the current Commissioner of Lower Assam division.

Contents

History

Most parts of Lower Assam was under the Kingdom of Bhutan before the 1865 Duar War Southern border of Bhutan1985.jpg
Most parts of Lower Assam was under the Kingdom of Bhutan before the 1865 Duar War

Most parts of Lower assam districts till the 19th century were under the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Districts

Lower Assam division contains 12 districts, namely Dhubri, South Salamara, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Barpeta, Bajali, Nalbari, Baksa, Kamrup and Kamrup metropolitan. [2] Among these, 3 districts namely Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa lie within Bodoland. [3]

Code [4] DistrictHeadquarterPopulation (2011) [5] Area (km²)Density (/km²)
BK Baksa # Mushalpur 950,0752,457387
- Bajali Pathsala 253,816600423
BP Barpeta Barpeta 1,439,8062,645 [6] 544
BO Bongaigaon Bongaigaon 738,8041,093676
CH Chirang # Kajalgaon 482,1621,170412
DU Dhubri Dhubri 1,394,1441,608867
GP Goalpara Goalpara 1,008,1831,824553
KM Kamrup Metropolitan Guwahati 1,253,9381,528821
KU Kamrup Rangia 1,517,5423,105489
KJ Kokrajhar # Kokrajhar 887,1423,169280
NB Nalbari Nalbari 771,6392,257342
SSM South Salmara-Mankachar Hatsingimari [7] 555,114568977
Total121,12,52,36522,024511

# Districts within the Bodoland Territorial Region

Demographics

As per 2011 census, Lower Assam division has a population of 11,252,365 people.

Languages

Languages spoken in Lower Assam Division (2011) [8]

   Assamese (52.98%)
   Bengali (30.90%)
   Boro (7.73%)
   Hindi (2.83%)
  Others (5.56%)

According to 2011 census, the total number of Assamese speakers in the division were 59,61,583, Bengali speakers were 34,76,953, Boro speakers were 8,70,198 and Hindi speakers were 3,17,958. Although the Bengali speaking population was 30.9% as per the 2011 census language report, but Lower Assam Division is home to a large Muslim population of Bengali origin, most of whom now identify as Assamese speakers in the census. [9] [10]

Muslims are around 49.5% of the total lower Assam population at the time of the 2011 Census.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodoland Territorial Region</span> Autonomous Administrative Region in Assam, India

The Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) is an autonomous division in Assam, India, and a proposed state in Northeast India. It is made up of five districts on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River below the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. It is administered by an elected body known as the Bodoland Territorial Council which came into existence under the terms of a peace agreement signed in February 2003 and its autonomy was further extended by an agreement signed in January 2020. The region covers an area of over nine thousand square kilometres and is predominantly inhabited by the Bodo people and other indigenous communities of Assam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barpeta district</span> District of Assam in India

Barpeta district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Barpeta. The district occupies an area of 3,245 km2 (1,253 sq mi) and has a population of 1,642,420.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bongaigaon district</span> District of Assam in India

Bongaigaon district (Prpn:ˈbɒŋgaɪˌgãʊ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in northeastern India. The district headquarters are located at Bongaigaon. The district occupies an area of 1,093 km2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goalpara district</span> District of Assam in India

Goalpara district is an administrative district of the Indian state of Assam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kokrajhar district</span> Administrative district of Assam, India

Kokrajhar district is an administrative district in Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam. It is predominantly inhabited by the Boro tribe. The district has its headquarters located at Kokrajhar Town and occupies an area of 3,169.22 km2 (1,223.64 sq mi). It has two civil sub-divisions namely Parbatjhora and Gossaigaon and five revenue circles namely Kokrajhar, Dotma, Bhaoraguri, Gossaigaon and Bagribarilll

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamrup district</span> District of Assam in India

Kamrup Rural district, or simply Kamrup district, is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India formed by dividing the old Kamrup district into two in the year 2003; other being Kamrup Metropolitan district, named after the region it constitutes. This district, along with Nalbari, Barpeta, Kamrup Metropolitan, Bajali and Baksa districts has been created from the Undivided Kamrup district. Rangiya is the Sub-District of Kamrup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nalbari district</span> District of Assam in India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barpeta</span> City in Assam, India

Barpeta is a major city in Barpeta district of the state of Assam in India and is district headquarters. The city is located 90 kilometres (56 mi) north west of Guwahati and is one of the major cities in Western Assam. It is also called Satra Nagari of Assam due to the presence of various Vaishnavite Satras in the vicinity.

Kokrajhar is a town in the Bodoland Territorial Region, an autonomous territory in Assam, one of the North Eastern states of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chirang district</span> District of Assam in India

Chirang District is an administrative district in the Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam state in the North-East of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabha people</span> Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group in northeast India

The Rabha people are a Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group who live mostly in the Northeast Indian state of Assam, with a lesser population in the adjacent state of West Bengal. They primarily inhabit the plains of Lower Assam and the Dooars, while some are found in the Garo Hills. Most of the Rabhas of Dooars refer to themselves as Rabha, but some of them often declare themselves as Kocha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baksa district</span> District of Assam in India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Assam Division</span> Division of Assam in India

North Assam is an administrative division of Assam under the jurisdiction of a Commissioner, who is officially stationed at Tezpur. It consists of the following districts: Udalguri, Darrang, Sonitpur and Biswanath. Shri Rakesh Kumar, IAS is the current Commissioner of this division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May 2014 Assam violence</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Assam</span> Islam in the Indian state of Assam

Islam is the second largest and fastest-growing religion in Assam. The Muslim population was approximately 10.68 million, constituting over 34.22% of the total population of the state as of the 2011 census, giving Assam, the second-largest Muslim percentage in the country after Jammu and Kashmir (state). After Jammu and Kashmir became Union Territory, Assam became the state with largest Muslim percentage in the country. Islam reached the region in the 13th century and Muslims are a majority in almost eleven districts of Assam and highly concentrated in four districts. In 2021, estimations have predicted that the Muslim population in the state has reached 40%, numbering 14 million, out of total population of 35 million.

Assam – 16th largest, 15th most populous and 26th most literate state of the 28 states of the democratic Republic of India. Assam is at 14th position in life expectancy and 8th in female-to-male sex ratio. Assam is the 21st most media exposed states in India. The Economy of Assam is largely agriculture based with 69% of the population engaged in it. Growth rate of Assam's income has not kept pace with that of India's during the Post-British Era; differences increased rapidly since the 1970s. While the Indian economy grew at 6 percent per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000, the same of Assam's grew only by 3.3 percent.

The Miya people, alternatively identified as Na-Asamiya by themselves, denote the progeny of Bengali Muslim migrants originating from the contemporary Mymensingh, Rangpur, and Rajshahi Divisions. These individuals established residence in the Brahmaputra Valley during the 20th century, coinciding with the period of British colonial rule in Assam. The migration of the Miya people was actively promoted by the Colonial British Government from the Bengal Province, spanning the years 1757 to 1942. This migratory trend persisted until the year 1947. Presently, the term "Miya" is employed as a discriminatory label.

The population of Assam consist of tribal ethnic groups and linguistic groups such as Assamese, Bengali, Hindi speakers, Nepali and Odia speakers.

References

  1. Bose, Manilal (1985). Development of Administration in Assam: With Special Reference to Land. Concept Publishing Company.
  2. "Divisions | General Administration | Government of Assam, India".
  3. "Bodoland.in".
  4. ISO 3166
  5. "District Census 2011".
  6. "District Profile | Barpeta District | Government of Assam, India".
  7. "South Salmara-Mankachar dist inaugurated". Assam Tribune. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  8. "C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Assam". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  9. Saikia, Arunabh. "A new generation of 'Miya' Muslims in Assam may vote for Congress-AIUDF – but only out of compulsion". Scroll.in. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  10. X, Samrat. "National Register of Citizens: Identity issue haunts Assam, again". Newslaundry. Retrieved 16 July 2021.