Idukki (district)
| Idukki district | |
|---|---|
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| State | Kerala |
| Administrative headquarters : | Painavu |
| Area : | 4,358 km² |
| Residents : | 1,107,453 (2011) |
| Population density : | 254 inhabitants / km² |
| Website : | idukki.nic.in |
The Idukki District ( Malayalam : ഇടുക്കി ജില്ല Iṭukki jilla [ ˈiɖukːi ˈdʒilːa ]) is a district in the southern Indian state of Kerala . The administrative seat is the city of Painavu .
geography
The Idukki district is located in the central part of Kerala inland at the foot of the Western Ghats , which form the natural border with the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu . With an area of 4,358 square kilometers, it is the second largest district of Kerala after the Palakkad district. Neighboring districts of Idukki district are Pathanamthitta in the south, Kottayam and Ernakulam in the west, Thrissur in the northwest (all Kerala) and in Tamil Nadu Coimbatore and Tiruppur in the north, Dindigul in the northeast, Theni in the east and Virudhunagar and Tirunelveli in the southeast. The Idukki district is divided into the four taluks Devikulam, Thodupuzha, Udumbanchola and Peermade.
The area of the Idukki District is mountainous and includes the Cardamom Mountains , part of the Western Ghats. In the Idukki district lies the Anamudi , with an altitude of 2695 meters the highest peak in the Western Ghats and the highest Indian mountain south of the Himalayas . There are a total of 14 two-thousanders in the Idukki district. More than half of the district area is forested. The Periyar , the longest river in Kerala, flows through the Idukki district and is dammed into a reservoir by the Idukki Dam .
The climate in Idukki district varies depending on the altitude. While the lower-lying areas in the west have a hot climate, it can get very cool in the higher areas. Due to its location in the Western Ghats, the district receives high amounts of precipitation. The annual precipitation varies between around 1500 millimeters in the comparatively dry areas in the east and northeast to around 5000 millimeters in the rainy area around Devikulam .
history
The remote area of today's Idukki district was barely developed for a long time and was populated by tribal peoples. During the British colonial period , the area belonged to the princely state of Travancore . In 1877 the Briton John Daniel Munro bought large areas of land in what is now the Idukki District from a local prince and founded the North Travancore Land Planting and Agricultural Society , which planted a large number of plantations. As a result, the area experienced a wave of immigration of workers from other parts of Kerala and from Tamil Nadu.
After Indian independence, Travancore united with Cochin to form the Travancore-Cochin Federation and in 1949 joined the Indian Union. In the course of the reorganization of the Indian states according to language borders through the States Reorganization Act , the area of Idukki came to the newly founded state of Kerala in 1956 , which was created by the merger of Travancore-Cochin and the Malabar district of the state of Madras . The neighboring state of Madras (now Tamil Nadu ) raised a claim to the Taluks Devikulam and Peermade of today's Idukki district because of its high Tamil population . Ultimately, however, the area came to Kerala.
Idukki has existed as an independent district since 1972. It was created from three taluks from the Kottayam district and one taluk from the Ernakulam district. In 1982 parts of the Idukki district were again added to the newly founded Pathanamthitta district.
population
The Idukki district is relatively sparsely populated because of its mountainous terrain. According to the 2011 census, its population is 1,107,453. In terms of population, Idukki is the second smallest district of Kerala after Wayanad . With 254 inhabitants per square kilometer, Idukki has the lowest population density of any district in Kerala. Idukki is one of the few regions in India with a declining population: Between 2001 and 2011, the population shrank by 1.9%. At 92.2%, the literacy rate is just below the Kerala mean, but well above the overall Indian average of 74.0%.
Due to the immigration of plantation workers from neighboring Tamil Nadu from the 19th century onwards, there is a not inconsiderable Tamil population in the Idukki district . In addition, the remote mountain areas of the Idukki district are among the Adivasi retreats . The 2001 Indian census classifies 4.5% of the district's population as scheduled tribes . The main religions in Idukki District are Hinduism and Christianity . According to the 2001 census, 50.2% of the district's population are Hindus and 42.5% profess Christianity. This means that the Idukki district has the second highest Christian population in the Kerala districts. Muslims are a smaller minority at 7.2%.
Economy and Infrastructure
The main industry in Idukki District is agriculture. Products that thrive at high altitudes are grown, primarily spices ( cardamom , pepper ), rubber , tea and coffee . The availability of pastureland and the temperate climate also offer good conditions for cattle breeding. Due to the Periyar National Park , which is mostly in the area of the Idukki district, and the mountain town of Munnar , which is especially popular with local tourists, tourism also plays an important role as an economic factor.
National Highway 49 runs through Idukki from Kochi via Madurai to Rameswaram . The Idukki district is not connected to the railway network. The nearest train stations are in Kottayam or Ernakulam .
Cities
| city | Population (2001) |
|---|---|
| Idukki Township | 11,014 |
| Thodupuzha | 46.226 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Census of India 2011: Provisional Population Totals India, Kerala State and Districts. (PDF; 37 kB)
- ^ See Report of the States Reorganization Commission, Delhi: Government of India Press 1955, pp. 84 ff.
- ^ Census of India 2001: Basic Data Sheet: District Idukki (09), Kerala (32). (PDF; 54 kB)
- ↑ Census of India 2001: Population, population in the age group 0-6 and literates by sex - Cities / Towns (in alphabetic order) ( Memento from June 16, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
