Thoothukudi district

The district Thoothukudi (Tamil: தூத்துக்குடி மாவட்டம்; formerly Tuticorin ) is a district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Administrative center is the eponymous town of Thoothukudi.

Geography

The district Thoothukudi is situated in southern Tamil Nadu, near the southern tip of the subcontinent on the coast of the Gulf of Mannar. The coastline is 135 kilometers. The area of ​​the district is 4,599 square kilometers. Neighboring districts are in the west of Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram in the north to the northeast.

The area of the district of Thoothukudi is part of the southern coastal plain of Tamil Nadu. The terrain is flat and without any special landscape features. Due to its location in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats, the climate is semiarid: Annual rainfall in Thoothukudi, with 655 mm only half as high as in Chennai

The district Thoothukudi is divided into the eight taluks Kovilpatti, Ettayapuram, Vilathikulam, Ottapidaram, Thoothukudi, Srivaikuntam, Tiruchendur and Sathankulam.

History

The area of present-day district came in the 16th century under the influence of European colonial powers: the Portuguese founded in 1540 a base in Thoothukudi. 1658 the Dutch conquered the city. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries Thoothukudi was fought between the Dutch and the British, and changed hands several times before it finally became a part of British India in 1825.

During the British colonial period, the area of Thoothukudi as part of the district of Tirunelveli ( Tinnevelly ) was incorporated into the province of Madras. After Indian independence, the area came in 1956 to the newly formed State of Madras (now Tamil Nadu ). As an independent district Thoothukudi has existed since 1986, when the District of Tirunelveli was divided into two districts of Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi today.

Population

According to the Indian census of 2011, the district Thoothukudi has 1,738,376 inhabitants. Compared to the last census in 2001 the population had grown by 9.1 percent and thus slower than the average for Tamil Nadu ( 15.5 per cent). The population density is 378 inhabitants per square kilometer below the mean of the state ( 555 inhabitants per square kilometer). The degree of urbanization is 50.2 percent slightly higher than the average of Tamil Nadu ( 48.5 per cent). The literacy rate is one with 86.5 percent the highest in the state and is well above the average of Tamil Nadu ( 80.3 per cent).

The population of the district of Thoothukudi make Hindus according to the 2001 census, 78.6 percent majority. This also includes many supporters of the resultant in the 19th century Ayyavali - belief, which has its focus in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. In official statistics, the Ayyavali trailers are counted among the Hindus, therefore, there are no accurate information as to their number. There are also in the district of Thoothukudi a significant Christian minority of 16.7 percent. To profess Islam 4.6 percent of the population.

Economy

The district capital Thoothukudi is an industrial center and home to one of the twelve largest seaports of India. Traditionally, the pearl fisheries of the main livelihood of the population in the coastal area at Thoothukudi. Today oysters are industrially grown in pearl farms. In addition, salt is produced on a large scale: 30 % of the salt produced in India comes from the district of Thoothukudi.

Attractions

In the district of Thoothukudi Tiruchendur is located with one of six places of pilgrimage ( Arupadaividu ) of the Hindu god Murugan. According to the myth Murugan is supposed to have defeated at this point the demon Surapadman. Located directly on the sea of Tiruchendur Murugan temple is a major pilgrimage site and attracts mainly during the Skanda Sasti festival in the Tamil month Aippasi (October-November ) to many of the faithful.

At the colonial past of the district Thoothukudi remember several churches from the time of Portuguese rule. In Thoothukudi itself contains the basilica was built in 1718 Our Lady of Snow ( Panimaya Matha ). The Church in the fishing village Manapad goes back to the year 1542 and is to house a fragment of the Holy Cross.

Cities

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