Tuensang district

Tuensang district
District
A woman from Tuensang district
Tuensang district's location in Nagaland
Coordinates: 26°14′N 94°49′E / 26.233°N 94.817°ECoordinates: 26°14′N 94°49′E / 26.233°N 94.817°E
State	Nagaland
Country	India
Seat	Tuensang
Population (2011)
• Total	196,801
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
ISO 3166 code	IN-NL-TU
Website	http://tuensang.nic.in/

Tuensang District (Pron:/ˌtjuːənˈsæŋ/) is the largest and the eastern most district of Nagaland, a state in North-East India. Its headquarters is Tuensang.

History

Tuensang is one of the original three districts, along with Mokokchung district and Kohima district formed at the time the state was created. Over the decades, the district has gradually diminished in size with the carving out of Mon, Longleng and Kiphire districts from it.

Special Provision in Indian Constitution

Owing to extreme backwardness of this district, there was a special provision for administration of Tuensang in the Indian Constitution. According to the provision, no act passed by the Parliament pertaining to religious and social practices of Nagas, their customary law and procedure or ownership or transfer of land shall have any effect in Tuensang unless it is agreed upon by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly by a resolution. The Governor of Nagaland was given special powers on many important matters for the sake of good governance and development of the region. No act of legislature passed by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly had any effect unless it was approved by the Governor on the recommendation of the regional council. There was a special Ministry for Tuensang Affairs in Nagaland Government. The members to the Legislative Assembly were not elected directly by the people, but by a regional council. The council was formed by the Governor to look after the administration of the region. These provisions were meant to be in effect for a period of 10 years from the formation of Nagaland.^[1] These provisions were removed in 1973 after 10 years of their introduction.

Geography

The district shares a long and porous international border with Myanmar all along its eastern sector. It is bounded by Mon in the north east, Longleng in the North, Mokokchung and Zunheboto in the West and Kiphire in the South. Nagaland's highest peak, Mount Saramati (3840 metres) is located in this district. Dikhu and Tizu are the main rivers of the district.

Economy

Likhimro Hydro project was commissioned in 2001.

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Tuensang one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).^[2] It is one of the three districts in Nagaland currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).^[2]

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Tuensang district has a population of 196,801,^[3] roughly equal to the nation of Samoa.^[4] This gives it a ranking of 590th in India (out of a total of 640).^[3] Tuensang has a sex ratio of 930 females for every 1000 males,^[3] and a literacy rate of 73.7%.^[3]

Changs, Sangtams, Yimchunger and Khiamniungans are the main indigenous tribes of this district. Besides, Aos and Semas form a small part of the district's population. Christianity is the main religion though animistic beliefs are still practised by a small minority specially along the Myanmar border.

Languages

• Angami–Pochuri languages
  • Sema language
• Ao languages
  • Sangtam language
  • Yimchungrü language
• Konyak languages
  • Phom language
  • Khiamniungan language
  • Chang language

Flora and fauna

In 1984 Tuensang district became home to the Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 6.4 km² (2.5 sq mi).^[5]

References

1. "Constitution of India".
2. Ministry of Panchayati Raj (September 8, 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
3. "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
4. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 2011-10-01. Samoa 193,161 line feed character in |quote= at position 6 (help)
5. Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: Nagaland". Retrieved September 25, 2011.

External links

• Official government site