Uttara Kannada
|
|
Uttara Kannada is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is sometimes called North Canara, or North Kanara. It is bounded on the northwest by the state of Goa, on the north by Belgaum district, on the northeast by Dharwad district, on the east by Haveri district, on the southeast by Shimoga district, on the south by Udupi district, and on the west by the Arabian Sea. The district has an area of 10291 sq. km., and a population of 1,353,299 (2001 census), a 10.90% increase since the 1991 census. The town of Karwar is the administrative headquarters of the district.
| Contents |
Geography
The main geographic feature of the district is the Western Ghats or Sayadhri range, which runs from north to south through the district. Between the Sayadhris and the sea is a narrow coastal strip, known as the Payanghat, which varies from 8 to 24 km. in width. Behind the coastal plain are flat-topped hills from 60 to 100 meters in height, and behind the hills are the ridges and peaks of the Sayadhris. East of the Sayadhris is the Balaghat upland, part of the vast Deccan plateau.
Moisture-bearing winds come from the west, and yearly rainfall averages 3000 mm. on the coast, and as high as 5000 mm on the west-facing slopes of the Sayadhris. East of the crest is the rain shadow of the Sayadhris, which receive as little as 1000 mm annually. Much of the rain falls in the June-September monsoon.
Four principal rivers drain westwards from the crest of the Sayadhris to the sea; from north to south they are the Kali, Gungawali, Tadri and Sharavati. These rivers form numerous waterfalls, the most famous of which is Jog falls, on upper reaches of the Sharavati in neighboring Shimoga district. Other famous waterfalls include Lushington falls, where the river Aghanashini drops 116 meters, Magod falls, where the Bedti river plunges 180 meters in two leaps, Shivganga falls, where the river Souda drops 74 meters, and Lalguli and Mailmane falls on the river Kali. In the lowlands, these rivers form wide estuaries, extending several kilometers inland from the coast.
Ecology
The district's high rainfall supports lush forests, which cover approximately 70% of the district. The North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests cover the Sayadhris below 1000 meters elevation. Many trees lose their leaves in the drier months. In pockets above 1000 meters elevation lie the evergreen North Western Ghats montane rain forests. Anshi National Park, near Dandeli, preserves approximately 250 sq km of semi-evergreen forest, which is home to tiger, black panther, leopard cat, gaur, Indian elephant, sambar and a range of birds and reptiles. Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary protects 834 sq. km. of semi-evergreen and bamboo forest in the watershed of the Kali river and its tributaries, the Kaneri and Nagajhari.
The district is also home to patches of savanna and degraded scrub jungles, which are often the result of over-use for logging or grazing. Much of the lowland has been cleared for agriculture.
Mangrove forests can be found in the river estuaries, and the sandy beaches are home to groves of Calophyllum inophyllum, coconut and screw pine (Pandanus spp.).
Agriculture
The chief crops of the district are rice and sugarcane, along with a great diversity of other crops. Tree crops include coconut, arecanut, cocoa, cashew, mango, banana, pineapple, Garcinia, and sapota; vegetables include onion, radish, cucumber, cauliflower, sweet potato, brinjal, and amaranth; spices include pepper, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg. Millet and cotton are grown in the drier portion of the district east of the Ghats.
In addition to agriculture, forestry and fisheries are also important.
People
The people of Uttara Kannada are primarily Dravidian in origin. The chief language of the district is Kannada, with minorities of Konkani, Marathi, and Tulu speakers. The population is predominantly Hindu, comprising of many communities like Naiks, Namdharis nd Vanis.
History
Uttara Kannada was part of the Maratha empire from the eighteenth to the early nineteenth centuries, and was ceded to the British at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. The British established North Kanara district as part of Bombay Presidency. After India's independence in 1947, Bombay Presidency was reconstituted as Bombay state. In 1956 the southern, Kannada-speaking portion of Bombay state was added to Mysore state, which was renamed Karnataka in 1972.