Namchi district

Namchi district
Namchi district
District of Sikkim
	Mountain view at Ravangla in Namchi district, Sikkim
	Location in Sikkim
	Coordinates: 27°10′N 88°22′E
Country	India
State	Sikkim
Headquarters	Namchi
Government
• District Collector (DC)	Shri M. Bharani Kumar
Area
• Total	750 km2 (290 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	146,850
• Density	200/km2 (510/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 code	IN-SK
Vehicle registration	SK-04, SK-05
Website	namchi.nic.in

Namchi District is a district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its headquarters is at Namchi.

Geography

Namchi district lies at an altitude of 400 to 2000 metres and has a temperate climate for most of the year. Major urban centres include Namchi, Ravangla, Jorethang and Melli.

Assembly Constituencies

The district was previously divided into eight assembly constituencies.

National protected area

Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary

Economy

South Sikkim is the most industrialised district in the state, owing to the availability of flat land. Since the geology is stable the roads are in good condition as compared to other parts of the state which suffer from landslides. The district is also known for Sikkim tea, which is grown near Namchi.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Namchi district has a population of 146,850, roughly equal to the nation of Saint Lucia. This gives it a ranking of 600th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 196 inhabitants per square kilometre (510/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 11.57%. and has a sex ratio of 914 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 82.06%.

Namchi is one of the least populated regions of the state. The people are mainly of Nepali descent. Other ethnic groups include the Lepcha and Bhutia communities. Nepali is the most widely spoken language in the district. The district was under the occupation of the Nepalese for 30 years in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Religion

Religion in Namchi district (2011)

Hinduism			57.60%
Buddhism			23.87%
Christianity			14.61%
Islam			1.29%
Other or not stated			2.52%

Hinduism is followed by majority of the people in the South Sikkim district. Buddhism is followed by a considerable population.

Languages

Languages of South Sikkim (2011)

Nepali (72.66%)

Bhotia (3.88%)

Lepcha (3.61%)

Limbu (3.57%)

Hindi (3.25%)

Sherpa (3.19%)

Tamang (2.46%)

Rai (1.65%)

Bhojpuri (1.26%)

Others (4.47%)

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 72.66% of the population in the district spoke Nepali, 3.88% Sikkimese, 3.61% Lepcha, 3.57% Limbu, 3.25% Hindi, 3.19% Sherpa, 2.46% Tamang, 1.65% Rai, 1.26% Bhojpuri, 0.88% Tibetan and 0.83% Bengali as their first language.