Kutch
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Kutch (also Cutch or Kachh) is a district of Gujarat state in western India. It is the largest district of the state of Gujarat and the second largest district in India covering an area of 45,612 km2. The name Kutch apparently comes from the shape of the area which is shaped like a tortoise Kaachbo in Kutchi and Gujarati languages.
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Geography
The administrative headquarters of Kutch district is Bhuj.
Kutch is bounded by the Pakistan to the north, the Arabian Sea to the west, and the Gulf of Kutch, which separates Kutch from the Kathiawar peninsula, to the south and southeast. Kutch includes the Rann of Kutch, a huge wetland that forms the northern and eastern part of the region, south of the border between India and Pakistan. The northeastern border with Pakistan along Sir creek is the subject of a border dispute.
Administrative divisions
There are 950 villages in Kutch.
Talukas of Kutch
Language
The languages spoken predominantly in Kutch are Kutchi and Gujarati. The main tribe of people living in kutch are known as 'kanbis', although other tribes exist. A large portion of the kanbis from kutch migrated to Africa in the early 1960's and therafter to the United Kingdom.
History
Kutch was formerly an independent state, founded in 1270. In 1815, Kutch became a British protectorate, and ultimately a princely state whose local ruler acknowledged British sovereignty in return for local autonomy. After Indian independence in 1947, Kutch became a province of India.
The earliest earthquake recorded in Kutch dates back to June 16, 1819.
After the 1947 partition, Sindh province and the port of Karachi ended up in Pakistan, and the Indian Government constructed a modern port at Kandla in Kutch to serve as the main port for western India in lieu of Karachi.
It became an Indian state in 1950. On November 1, 1956, Kutch became part of Bombay state, which in 1960 was divided into the new linguistic states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The epicenter of 2001 Gujarat Earthquake was in this state. It was the most severe earthquake (out of more than 90 earthquakes) to hit Kutch in 185 years.
External links
- Comprehensive information about Kutch on panjokutch.com (http://www.panjokutch.com/geography/Intro.htm)