Nicobar district

Nicobar district is one of three districts in the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The district's administrative territory encompasses all of the Nicobar Islands, which are located in the Indian Ocean, between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The headquarters of the district is the village of Malacca, located on the island of Car Nicobar.

Nicobar district
district of India
Coordinates: 9.157343°N 92.761087°E / 9.157343; 92.761087
Country India
Union territory Andaman and Nicobar Islands
CapitalMalacca
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
744301
Telephone code03192
Sex ratio1.2♂/♀
Literacy84.4%
Websitewww.and.nic.in
Nicobar Islands
Nicobar Islands
Location in the Bay of Bengal.
Geography
LocationBay of Bengal
ArchipelagoNicobar Islands
Adjacent bodies of waterIndian Ocean
Total islands30
Major islands
Area1,648.13 km2 (636.35 sq mi)[1]
Highest elevation642 m (2106 ft)
Demographics
Population36,842 (2011)
Pop. density22.3/km2 (57.8/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsHindu, Nicobarese
Additional information
Avg. summer temperature30.2 °C (86.4 °F)
Avg. winter temperature23.0 °C (73.4 °F)
Census Code35.638.0001
Official LanguagesHindi, English,
Car (regional)

The district administration is headed by a Deputy Commissioner, who in turn reports into the Lt. Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

It is the fifth least populous district in the country (out of 640).[2]

Etymology

Falling on the sea route between South India / Sri Lanka and South East Asia, the sailors referred it as “land of the naked” i.e. Nakkavar which is perhaps the direct precursor of the current name “Nicobar’. The medieval Arabic name ‘Lankhabatus’ is a mere mistranscription and misapprehension of “Nankakar or Nakkavar”.

History

The district was created on August 1, 1974, when it was separated off from Andaman district.[3]

Geography

Nicobar district occupies an area of 1,648 square kilometres (636 sq mi),[4] comparatively equivalent to Mauritius.[5]

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Nicobar district has a population of 36,842,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Liechtenstein.[6] This gives it a ranking of 636th in India (out of a total of 640).[2] The district has a population density of 20 inhabitants per square kilometre (52/sq mi) .[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was -12.48%.[2] Nicobars has a sex ratio of 778 females for every 1000 males,[2] and a literacy rate of 77.5%.[2]

The district is designated as an Integrated Tribal District and is home to significant numbers of indigenous peoples (namely, the Nicobarese and the Shompen, classified as Scheduled Tribes according to the Constitution of India), who form the majority of the district's population. Because of its status as a tribal area, travel to the district is restricted to Indian nationals, and special permit restrictions apply.

The district was severely affected by the tsunami that was caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which led to many deaths and damaged infrastructure.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
19016,511—    
19118,818+3.08%
19219,272+0.50%
193110,240+1.00%
194112,452+1.98%
195112,009−0.36%
196114,563+1.95%
197121,665+4.05%
198130,454+3.46%
199139,208+2.56%
200142,068+0.71%
201136,842−1.32%
source:[7]

Languages of Nicobar Islands district in 2011 census

  Nicobarese (65.98%)
  Hindi (9.83%)
  Tamil (6.10%)
  Telugu (4.05%)
  Bengali (3.90%)
  Kurukh (3.31%)
  Malayalam (1.79%)
  Others (5.01%)

Nicobarese, of the Austroasiatic language family are the most spoken language in Nicobar Islands. As of 2011 census, Nicobarese is spoken as the first language by 65.98 per cent of the district's population followed by Hindi (9.83%), Tamil (6.10%), Telugu (4.05%), Bengali (3.90%), Kurukh (3.31%), Malayalam (1.79%) and others.[8]

Administrative divisions

As of 2016, The Nicobar district is divided into 3 sub-divisions and 7 taluks (tehsils).

References
  1. "Islandwise Area and Population - 2011 Census" (PDF). Government of Andaman. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
  2. "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  3. Law, Gwillim (2011-09-25). "Districts of India". Statoids. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  4. Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.) (2010). "States and Union Territories: Andaman Islands: 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. 1208. ISBN 978-81-230-1617-7.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  5. "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 1998-02-18. Retrieved 2011-10-11. Mauritius 1,836km2
  6. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 2011-10-01. 212 Liechtenstein 35,236 July 2011 est.
  7. Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  8. "C-16 Population By Mother Tongue". Census of India 2011. Office of the Registrar General.
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