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West Siang district

Coordinates: 28°24′N 94°33′E / 28.400°N 94.550°E / 28.400; 94.550
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West Siang district
District of Arunachal Pradesh
Siyom River near Aalo
Siyom River near Aalo
Map
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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

Languages

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Languages spoken include Galo, 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

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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

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  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.
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