West Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India, located just 60 km (37 mi) west of Birgunj. It is the largest district in Bihar with an area of 5,228 km2(2,019sq mi). It is a part of Tirhut Division.[1] The district headquarters are located in Bettiah. The district is known for its open border with Nepal. One of the major location in West Champaran is Kumar Bagh for SAIL Special Processing Unit and Bhitiharwa where Mahatma Gandhi started Satyagrah Aandolan.
West Champaran district | |
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Coordinates (Bettiah): 26°48′N 84°30′E / 26.800°N 84.500°E | |
Country | India |
State | Bihar |
Division | Tirhut |
Headquarters | Bettiah |
Tehsils | 18 |
Government | |
• Lok Sabha constituencies | Paschim Champaran, Valmiki Nagar |
• Vidhan Sabha constituencies | Valmiki Nagar, Ramnagar, Narkatiaganj, Bagaha, Lauriya, Nautan, Chanpatia, Bettiah, Sikta |
Area | |
• Total | 5,228 km2 (2,019 sq mi) |
• Rank | 1 (in bihar) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 3,935,042 |
• Density | 750/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
Demographics | |
• Literacy | 58.06 per cent |
• Sex ratio | 906 |
Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
PIN Code | 8454XX |
Major highways | NH 28B |
Website | http://westchamparan.bih.nic.in/ |
West Champaran is the largest sugarcane producing district of Bihar in 2022.[2]
West Champaran district occupies an area of 5,228 square kilometres (2,019 sq mi),[3] comparatively equivalent to Canada's Amund Ringnes Island.[4]
In 1989 West Champaran district became home to Valmiki National Park, which has an area of 336 km2 (129.7 sq mi). It is also home to two wildlife sanctuaries: Valmiki (adjacent to its namesake national park) and Udaypur Wildlife Sanctuary.[5] Fauna include the Bengal tiger.[6][7]
The West Champaran district is divided into 3 Tehsil (sub-division):
The West Champaran district is divided into 18 Blocks Bettiah, Sikta, Mainatand, Chanpattia, Bairia, Lauria, Bagaha - 1, Bagaha - 2, Madhubani, Gaunaha, Narkatiaganj, Manjhaulia, Nautan, Jogapatti, Ramnagar, Thakraha, Bhitaha, Piprasi
The district is well connected by roads and railways to all major cities.
Lok Sabha constituencies in the district are Paschim Champaran, Valmiki Nagar.
Vidhan Sabha constituencies in the district are Valmiki Nagar, Ramnagar, Narkatiaganj, Bagaha, Lauriya, Nautan, Chanpatia, Bettiah, Sikta
District | No. | Constituency | Name | Party | Alliance | Remarks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West Champaran | 1 | Valmiki Nagar | Dhirendra Pratap Singh | JD(U) | NDA | |||
2 | Ramnagar | Bhagirathi Devi | BJP | NDA | ||||
3 | Narkatiaganj | Rashmi Varma | BJP | NDA | ||||
4 | Bagaha | Ram Singh | BJP | NDA | ||||
5 | Lauriya | Vinay Bihari | BJP | NDA | ||||
6 | Nautan | Narayan Prasad | BJP | NDA | ||||
7 | Chanpatia | Umakant Singh | BJP | NDA | ||||
8 | Bettiah | Renu Devi | BJP | NDA | ||||
9 | Sikta | Birendra Prasad Gupta | CPI(ML)L | MGB |
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1901 | 762,628 | — |
1911 | 812,855 | +0.64% |
1921 | 826,679 | +0.17% |
1931 | 913,931 | +1.01% |
1941 | 1,021,217 | +1.12% |
1951 | 1,071,382 | +0.48% |
1961 | 1,325,122 | +2.15% |
1971 | 1,587,019 | +1.82% |
1981 | 1,972,610 | +2.20% |
1991 | 2,333,666 | +1.70% |
2001 | 3,043,466 | +2.69% |
2011 | 3,935,042 | +2.60% |
source:[8] |
According to the 2011 census West Champaran district has a population of 3,935,042,[10] roughly equal to the nation of Liberia[11] or the US state of Oregon.[12] This gives it a ranking of 63rd in India (out of a total of 640).[10] The district has a population density of 750 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,900/sq mi).[10] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 28.89%.[10] Pashchim Champaran has a sex ratio of 906 females for every 1000 males,[10] and a literacy rate of 58.06%. 9.99% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Tribes made up 14.08% and 6.35% of the population respectively.[10]
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 91.86% of the population in the district spoke Bhojpuri, 3.32% Hindi and 2.97% Urdu as their first language.[13]
Languages include Bhojpuri, a tongue in the Bihari language group with almost 51,000,000 speakers, written in both the Devanagari and Kaithi scripts.[14]
The city is the birthplace of poet Gopal Singh Nepali. Mahatma Gandhi started the Champaran Satyagraha movement from here in 1917 along with nationalists Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Sinha and Brajkishore Prasad.
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Amund Ringnes Island 5,255km2
Liberia 3,786,764 July 2011 est.
Oregon 3,831,074