Namchi district

Namchi district
District of Sikkim
Mountain view at Ravangla in Namchi district, Sikkim
Namchi district Location in Sikkim
Coordinates: 27°10′N88°22′E / 27.167°N 88.367°E / 27.167; 88.367
Country	India
State	Sikkim
Headquarters	Namchi
Government
• District Collector (DC)	Shri M. Bharani Kumar [1]
Area
• Total	750 km2 (290 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	146,850
• Density	200/km2 (510/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 code	IN-SK
Vehicle registration	SK-04, SK-05
Website	namchi.nic.in

Namchi District ^[2] is a district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its headquarters is at Namchi.

Geography

Namchi district lies at an altitude of 400 to 2000 metres and has a temperate climate for most of the year. Major urban centres include Namchi, Ravangla, Jorethang and Melli.

Assembly Constituencies

The district was previously divided into eight assembly constituencies.

• Barfung (BL)
• Poklok-Kamrang
• Namchi-Singhithang
• Melli
• Namthang-Rateypani
• Temi-Namphing
• Rangang-Yangang
• Tumen-Lingi (BL)

National protected area

• Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary

Economy

South Sikkim is the most industrialised district in the state, owing to the availability of flat land. Since the geology is stable the roads are in good condition as compared to other parts of the state which suffer from landslides. The district is also known for Sikkim tea, which is grown near Namchi.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Namchi district has a population of 146,850, ^[3] roughly equal to the nation of Saint Lucia. ^[4] This gives it a ranking of 600th in India (out of a total of 640). ^[3] The district has a population density of 196 inhabitants per square kilometre (510/sq mi). ^[3] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 11.57%. ^[3] and has a sex ratio of 914 females for every 1000 males, ^[3] and a literacy rate of 82.06%. 14.44% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 4.12% and 28.19% of the population respectively. ^[3]

Namchi is one of the least populated regions of the state. The people are mainly of Nepali descent. Other ethnic groups include the Lepcha and Bhutia communities. Nepali is the most widely spoken language in the district. The district was under the occupation of the Nepalese for 30 years in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Religion

Religion in Namchi district (2011) [5]
Hinduism			57.60%
Buddhism			23.87%
Christianity			14.61%
Other (mainly Kirat Mundhum )			2.16%
Islam			1.29%
Other or not stated			0.47%

Hinduism is followed by majority of the people in the South Sikkim district. Buddhism is followed by a considerable population. ^[5]

Languages

Languages of Namchi district (2011)

1. Nepali (72.7%)
2. Bhotia (3.88%)
3. Lepcha (3.61%)
4. Limbu (3.57%)
5. Hindi (3.25%)
6. Sherpa (3.19%)
7. Tamang (2.46%)
8. Rai (1.65%)
9. Bhojpuri (1.26%)
10. Others (4.47%)

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 72.66% of the population in the district spoke Nepali, 3.88% Sikkimese, 3.61% Lepcha, 3.57% Limbu, 3.25% Hindi, 3.19% Sherpa, 2.46% Tamang, 1.65% Rai, 1.26% Bhojpuri, 0.88% Tibetan and 0.83% Bengali as their first language. ^[6]

Flora and fauna

The Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1987. It has an area of 35 km² (13.5 sq mi). ^[7]

Divisions

A clickable map of South Sikkim exhibiting its two subdivisions.

Administrative divisions

Padmasambhava, the patron saint of Sikkim

Tea garden

Scenes from the district

Namchi district is divided into two sub-divisions: ^[8]

Name	Headquarters	Number of villages [9]	Location
Namchi	Namchi
Ravangla	Ravangla

Villages

• Melli Dara
• Perbing

References

1. "District Collectors". sikkim.gov.in.
2. "thetelegraph.com".
3. "District Census Hand Book – Sikkim" (PDF). Census of India . Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
4. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Saint Lucia 161,557 July 2011 est.
5. "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Sikkim". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
6. "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Sikkim". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
7. Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Sikkim". Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
8. Sikkim Administrative Divisions (PDF) (Map). The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, New Delhi, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
9. "MDDS e-Governance Code (Sikkim Rural)" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.

External links

• Official district government website
• South Sikkim travel guide from Wikivoyage