Kanker district
The district Kanker (also: North Bastar Kanker, Bastar Kanker Uttar ) is a district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Administrative center is the eponymous town of Kanker.
Geography and Agriculture
The district Kanker is located in the southern half Chhattisgarhs and extends over an area of 6506 km ² between 19 ° 09 'and 20 ° 06 ' North and 80 ° 30 ' to 81 ° 15 ' East. It is bordered by the districts of Rajnandgaon and Durg in the north, Dhamtari in the northeast, Bastar in the southeast, Narayanpur in the south and Gadchiroli in the West. The latter already belongs to the neighboring federal state of Maharashtra.
The hilly district is still heavily forested. It is dominated by teak ( Tectona grandis), Sal ( Shorea robusta), Sirsa ( Dalbergia latifolia ) and other tree species. However, the region is for the logging of little importance. As useful trees the Palmyra palm ( Borassus flabifeller ) is most common, there are also used date palms, mostly Phoenix sylvestris and P. farinifera.
The proportion of irrigated fields is low. However, wet rice, with an average yield of 984 kg / ha ( ø 1981-1991 ) is the most important soil fertility. There is virtually no industry. However, exploitation decent iron ore deposits were discovered, which are degraded only to a small extent. In 2001, of 1074 kilometers of roads paved only 387 km. In the district there are no railways.
By draining east region flow five rivers: Mahanadi, Doodh, Hatkul, Sindur and Turu. Exposure to arsenic is natural reasons both in ground and surface water dangerously high, though not as bad as in the neighboring district Rajnandgaon.
Population
The 2001 census showed 650 934 inhabitants. This corresponds to a population density of 100 inhabitants per square kilometer. 95 % of the population lives in the countryside. The majority of the inhabitants of the district belongs to the tribal population ( Adivasis ) to provide around 365,000 inhabitants are the scheduled tribes attributed, they make 56.1 % of the total population. The Gond form the largest group, with around 320,000. Also numerically strong are the tribes of the Halba (approx. 40,000 ) and Oraon ( 2500 ). Members of scheduled castes ( Dalits ) accounted for 4.2% of the inhabitants of the district.
For the decade to 2001, the population growth of 18.4 % was high. The inhabitants, with its 127 294 households spread over the administrative headquarters Kanker as the only town ( 24 478 inhabitants) and 1068 villages, of which about 88 % have a primary school. The literacy rate is 73 % (men 83%, women: 63%). There are 93 medical facilities. Access to clean drinking water is in 1007 villages ( 94.3 %).
A large part of the population ( 97.4 % ) is committed to Hinduism. The rest are small minorities of Muslims and animistic tribal religions.
History
Kanker was until 1999 part of the district of Bastar. At the time of colonial rule, the area was part of the independent princely state of Kanker.
See also Bastar (District) # History