land&people

Land and People

Sonitpur district is spread over an area of 5324 sq. kms. on north bank of Brahmaputra river. In terms of area Sonitpur is the second largest district of Assam after Karbi Anglong district.

The population of Sonitpur district is 16,77,874 as per 2001 Census. In terms of population it ranks third in Assam after Kamrup and Nagaon districts.

The people here are not a homogeneous lot. Rather, they are a mosaic of ethnic groups, an admixture of diverse types of people.

                   Boundaries |   Physiography   | Climate | Population Data | Demography


                                                                           Boundaries

North: The state of Arunachal Pradesh.

South: Morigaon, Nagaon, Jorhat and Golaghat districts.

East: Lakhimpur District.

West: Darrang District.
( Pachnai river serves as the boundary)

The District lies between 26° 30’N and 27° 01’N latitude and between 92° 16’E and 93° 43’E longitude.

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                                                               Physiography

Located between mighty Brahmaputra River and Himalayan foothills of Arunachal Pradesh, the district is largely plain with some hills.

Rivers

Brahmaputra River forms the south boundary of the district. A number of rivers which originate in the Himalayan foothills flow southwards and ultimately fall in Brahmaputra River.

In the Tezpur Sadar sub-division:

Pachnai , Belsiri, Gabharu (and its sub-tributary Sonai-Rupai)
Bhorali (and its sub-tributaries Upper Dikorai and Bor Dikorai)

In the Biswanath Chariali sub-division:

Ghiladhari (serving as the sub-divisional boundary)
Burhigang
Borgang
Bihali

In the Gohpur sub-division:

Buroi (serving as the sub-divisional boundary)
Kharoi
Balijan
Morno

Chars

There are number of river island in Brahmaputra River, known as Chars in local parlance. They are generally sandy. Some Chars are large enough and fit for habitation and cultivation.

Lakes & Ponds

Water bodies are in abundance in the District. There are lakes and ponds dotting every part of the District. The major lakes are~ Rowmari, Dighali, Borsola, Rongapani and Dhandi.

These water bodies along with the rivers and rivulets provide a lot of vistas for fishing in the District. Tourists can also do angling for pleasure, especially over the Bharali river at Bhalukpung.

The Main Plain

The central and southern portion of the main plain is dotted with hills and hillocks, especially near the Brahmaputra river. Important hills include the Agnigarh and the Bhomuraguri. The region has trees and tea-plantations and paddy fields.

The northern portion is made up of Forest Reserves and sparsely populated forest-villages. The region abounds in bio-diversity with evergreen and deciduous trees of several types. There is a National Park (Nameri), a few Wildlife sanctuaries (Sonai-Rupai & Bor-Dikorai), and a number of reserve forests (e.g. Chariduar, Balipara reserve-forest). In the extreme north of the region (Bhalukpung, Sijushah, Pabhoi, etc.), are hills and hillocks marking the starting of the Himalayan foothills.

The main-plain is slightly sloping from east to west, and is at an average altitude of 1800 feet from the mean sea level.

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                                                                 Climate

Sonitpur District falls in the Sub-Tropical climatic region, and enjoys Monsoon type of climate.

Summers are hot and humid, with an average temperature of 29° C. The highest temperature is recorded just prior to the onset of Monsoon (around May-early June). Summer rain is heavy, and is principally caused from late June to early September by the moisture-laden South-West Monsoon, on striking the Himalayan foothills of the north. Such rain is both a boon and a bane for the people. A boon, for it provides natural irrigation to the fields; and a bane, as it causes the rivers to overflow their banks and cause floods.

Autumns are dry, and warm. It gets cooler as the months progress.

Winters extend from the month of October to February, and are cold and generally dry, with an average temperature of 16° C. It gets quite chilling in late December and early January, on account of snowfall in the upper reaches of Arunachal Pradesh.

Springs are cool and pleasant, occurring in the months of late March and April. Of course, during these months, flash rains and thunderstorms are at times caused by cyclonic winds, known in local parlance as Bordoichila.

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                                                    Population Data

According to the 2001 Census, the Sonitpur District has a population of 16,77,874, with a density of 315 persons per sq. km.

The people here are not a homogeneous lot. Rather, they are a mosaic of ethnic groups, an admixture of diverse types of people.

**Gender(2001 Census)Þ

Males: 8,64,125

Females: 8,13,749

Total: 16,77,874

Sex-Ratio: 942

**Literacy (2001 Census)Þ

Literates: 8,52,201
Literacy Rate: 50.79%

Male Literates: 4,94,298.
Male Literacy Rate: 57.20%

Female Literates: 3,57,903.
Female Literacy Rate: 43.98%

**Language

Majority of the people have Assamese language as their mother tongue; and the others also use it, as a lingua franca. Other languages spoken are Bodo, Nepali, Bengali and Hindi.

**Religion (1991 Census)Þ

           Religion             Male                 Female                Total                 % age
            _______________________________________________________
            Hindu              599610               542318              1141928            80.18%
            _______________________________________________________
            Muslim              98176                 91683                189859            13.33%
            _______________________________________________________
            Christian           43419                 42008                 85427              5.99 %
            ________________________________________________________
            Buddhist             1622                   1577                   3199              0.22 %
           ________________________________________________________
            Jain                     676                     836                   1512                  0.11%
         _________________________________________________
            Sikh                     574                     472                   1046               0.07%
          _________________________________________________
            Other                   390                     387                    777                   0.06%
            religions
          ________________________________________________________
           Religion not         311                     228                    539                0.04 %
           Stated
          ________________________________________________________

**Urban & Rural Characteristics (1991 Census)Þ

Total Urban Population- 103.91 thousand

Total Rural Population – 1320.38 thousand

Urban Population as a %age of Total – 7.30%

Rural Population as a %age of Total – 92.70%

Literacy

Rural Literates – 480.46 thousand
Rural Literacy Rate- 36.39%

Urban Literates – 73.28 thousand
Urban Literacy Rate- 70.52%

**Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Characteristics (1991 Census)Þ

Total S.C Population – 81.00 thousand
S.C population as a %age of the Total – 5.69 %

Total S.T Population – 152.50 thousand
S.T population as a %age of the Total – 10.71%

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Demographic Pattern

The major communities inhabiting the District are:

The Assamese

The majority people inhabiting the District are Assamese. They are among the original inhabitants of the place, and the typical culture of the place grew with them.

Language~ Assamese.

Religion~ While a majority of them follow Hindu religion, a significant portion of them are also Muslims. A few of them are also adherents of Sikhism, Christianity, and Buddhism.

Caste~ Prominent castes among the Assamese include Brahmins, Kalitas, Baishya, Koch, Ahoms, Yogis, the Scheduled Castes, et al.

The Nepalis

The Nepali community is fairly dominant in the central and southern part of the District, especially in the Biswanath Chariali and Gohpur sub-divisions.

Language~ They speak Nepali, a language of the Indo-Aryan family. Of course, they use Assamese as a lingua franca.

Religion~ While a majority of them follow Hindu religion, a significant portion of them, especially the tribes, are Buddhists.

The Bengalis

The Bengali community came from erstwhile undivided Bengal, as officials and clerks of the British administration and the Tea Industry; and stayed back. Later, on account of the partition of India, people coming as refugees added significantly to the community. Language~ They speak Bengali, a language of the Indo-Aryan family. Of course, they use Assamese as a lingua franca.

Religion~ They follow the Hindu religion.

The Adivasis ( Tea-Tribes)

The Adivasi people were brought by the British from Chotanagpur area and Orissa to serve as labourers in the Tea Gardens. In course of time, they assimilated themseves in the greater Assamese society, while retaining their basic cultural traits. The Jhumur dance is their contribution to the culture of Assam.

Language~ They have adopted Assamese as their language, but have retained the language of their forefathers.

Religion~ They are Hindus and Christians.

Muslims

The district has a considerable Muslim population. Majority of muslims have immigrated from erstwhile East Bengal (present Bangladesh). They fill up a large portion of riverine areas of the district.

Language~ Over the years they have adopted Assamese language.

                                                            Tribes
              1. Mishings

The Mishing people live in a scattered manner in the northern part of the Naduar and Biswanath Circles, i.e. east of the Bhorali River; and form a significant portion of the population of Gohpur sub-division.

Language~ They generally speak the Mishing language, belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family. But a lot of them also speak the Assamese language as a lingua franca.

Religion~ A majority of them follows the Hindu religion along with its variant forms.

They have their own distinct culture, but many of them have also adopted Assamese ways.

2. The Bodos

The Bodo dominated areas include the northern part of Dhekiajuli, Chariduar, Naduar, Helem and Gohpur (Sadar) Circles.

Language~ They generally speak the Bodo language, belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family. But the Assamese language is the lingua franca for them.

Religion~ While a majority of them follows Hindu religion along with its variant forms, a certain portion of them follow Christianity. The Bodos perform Bathow puja.

They have their own distinct culture, but many of them have also adopted Assamese ways.

Other Tribes

Other major tribes of the District include the Rabhas, Mechs, Nyishis, Garos, Adis, Apatanis, Lamas etc. Their population is sparse, and mainly confined to the foothills of the Himalayas near Arunachal Pradesh.

Language~ They speak either their tribal language, or their variant of Assamese. Of course, they use Assamese as a lingua franca.

Religion~ The Rabhas and Mechs follow Hindu religion; Lamas and Nyishis are Buddhists; Garos are Christians; Adis and Apatanis either follow their traditional form of religion .
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