West Siang district

West Siang district
District of Arunachal Pradesh
Siyom River near Aalo
Siyom River near Aalo
West Siang district
Location in Arunachal Pradesh
Country India
StateArunachal Pradesh
HeadquartersAalo
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total58,182
Demographics
 • Literacy67.6%[1]
 • Sex ratio916[1]
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Websitewestsiang.nic.in

West Siang district (Pron:/ˈsjæŋ or ˈsɪæŋ/) is an administrative district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India.

History

In 1989, territory was given from West Siang to the East Siang district.[2] Since 1999, this territory has been in the new Upper Siang district.[2] Archaeological finds from Malinithan in West Siang are on display at the Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar.[3] It was once a part of the Chutiya kingdom.[4] West Siang was divided into Upper Siang and Lower Siang. West Siang district was bifurcated on 9 December 2018 when northern areas along China border were made a separate Shi Yomi district.

Geography

The district headquarters is located at Aalo. West Siang district occupies an area of 8,325 square kilometres (3,214 sq mi),[5] comparatively equivalent to Crete.[6]

Transport

The 2,000-kilometre-long (1,200 mi) proposed Mago-Thingbu to Vijaynagar Arunachal Pradesh Frontier Highway along the McMahon Line[7][8][9][10] will intersect with the proposed East-West Industrial Corridor Highway and will pass through this district, alignment map of which can be seen here and here.[11]

Divisions

There are seven Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Liromoba, Likabali, Basar, Along West, Along East, Rumgong, and Mechuka. The first six are part of Arunachal West Lok Sabha constituency, while Mechuka is part of Arunachal East Lok Sabha constituency.[12]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
196142,222—    
197153,779+2.45%
198168,320+2.42%
199189,936+2.79%
2001103,918+1.46%
2011112,274+0.78%
source:[13]

Population

According to the 2011 Census, West Siang district has a population of 112,274,[14] roughly equal to the nation of Grenada.[15] This gives it a ranking of 612th in India (out of a total of 640).[14] The district has a population density of 13 inhabitants per square kilometre (34/sq mi).[14] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 8.04%.[14] West Siang has a sex ratio of 916 females for every 1000 males,[14] and a literacy rate of 67.62%.[14]

After bifurcation the residual West Siang district has a population of 58,182. Scheduled Tribes make up 46,204 (79.41%).[1]

Religions in West Siang district (2011)[16]
Religion Per cent
Donyi-Polo
 
 58.99%
Christianity
 
 19.78%
Hinduism
 
 17.25%
Islam
 
 2.77%
Buddhism
 
 0.81%
Other or not stated
 
 0.40%

Various tribal groups of the Adi, Memba, and Khamba tribes live in the district. The Adi generally follow Donyi-Polo, although some have embraced Baptist Christianity in recent years. The Memba and Khamba are followers of Tibetan Buddhism.

Languages

Languages spoken include Adi, a Sino-Tibetan tongue with approximately 140 000 speakers, written in both the Tibetan and Latin scripts;[17] and Galo, an endangered language with 30 000 speakers, also in the Sino-Tibetan language family.[18]

70.41% of the population spoke Galo, 6.65% Hindi, 3.18% Nepali, 2.75% Adi, 2.63% Bengali, 2.34% Assamese, 2.17% Bhojpuri and 1.68% Miniyong as their first language.[19]

Flora and fauna

The district is rich in wildlife. Rare mammals such as Mishmi takin, Snow leopards, Red pandas, and Musk deer occur while among birds there is the rare Blyth's Tragopan.[20] A flying squirrel, new to science, has been recently discovered from this district. It has been named as Mechuka Giant Flying Squirrel.[21]

In 1991, West Siang became home to the Kane Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 55 km2 (21.2 sq mi).[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "West Siang" (PDF). 2011 Census of India. District Census Handbooks - Arunachal Pradesh. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.
  2. ^ a b Law, Gwillim (25 September 2011). "Districts of India". Statoids. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  3. ^ "Historical Monuments of Arunachal Pradesh | PDF | Religion And Belief". Scribd. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ "History | District Shi Yomi, Government of Arunachal Pradesh | India". Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ^ Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.) (2010). "States and Union Territories: Arunachal Pradesh: Government". India 2010: A Reference Annual (54th ed.). New Delhi, India: Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India. p. 1113. ISBN 978-81-230-1617-7. {cite book}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 18 February 1998. Retrieved 11 October 2011. Crete 8,350km2
  7. ^ Dipak Kumar Dash. "Top officials to meet to expedite road building along China border". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Narendra Modi government to provide funds for restoration of damaged highways". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Indian Government Plans Highway Along Disputed China Border". Ankit Panda. thediplomat.com. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Govt planning road along McMohan line in Arunachal Pradesh: Kiren Rijiju". Live Mint. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  11. ^ "China warns India against paving road in Arunachal". Ajay Banerjee. tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Assembly Constituencies allocation w.r.t District and Parliamentary Constituencies". Chief Electoral Officer, Arunachal Pradesh website. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  13. ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  14. ^ a b c d e f "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  15. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Grenada 108,419 July 2011 est.
  16. ^ "C-16 Population By Religion – Arunachal Pradesh". census.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.
  17. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "Adi: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  18. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "Galo: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  19. ^ 2011 Census of India, Population By Mother Tongue
  20. ^ Choudhury, Anwaruddin (2008) Survey of mammals and birds in Dihang-Dibang biosphere reserve, Arunachal Pradesh. Final report to Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India. The Rhino Foundation for Nature in NE India, Guwahati, India. 70pp.
  21. ^ Choudhury, Anwaruddin (2007).A new flying squirrel of the genus Petaurista Link from Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India. The Newsletter and Journal of the RhinoFoundation for nat. in NE India 7: 26–34, plates.
  22. ^ Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Arunachal Pradesh". Retrieved 25 September 2011.

External links

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28°24′N 94°33′E / 28.400°N 94.550°E / 28.400; 94.550