Nagaland
Map of Nagaland
Nagaland,
the smallest hilly state situated at the extreme northeastern end of India,
lies between 25° 6' and 27° 4' latitude, North of Equator and between the
Longitudinal line 93° 20’ E and 95° 15’E. The state shares its boundary with
Assam on the West, Myanmar on the East, Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Assam on
the North and Manipur on the South.
Nagaland is noted for its rich incomparable traditional and cultural
heritage, folklore, traditional handicrafts, exquisitely picturesque
landscapes, flora & fauna, and historic monuments. The economy of the
people is fully dependent on Agriculture. The state has inadequate
socioeconomic development because of relative isolation, the difficult terrain,
inaccessibility to the rest of the world and continued insurgency. These
factors handicap the State’s endeavors towards industrial and entrepreneurial
development, private sector partnership in spearheading development initiatives
and all round regional planning. Remoteness and inaccessibility are also the
predominant cause for regional disparities in the State. An Index for Social
and Economic Infrastructure by the Eleventh Finance Commission, during 1999,
ranked Nagaland, with an index of 76.14, as the seventh most remote State in the
country. Nevertheless, owing to its strategic location, the State has the
potential to develop into an international trade centre in the East Asian
region.
Districts
The eleven districts of Nagaland state are:
Fairs
and Festivals in Nagaland
The
popularity of Nagaland in and outside India is mainly due to the co existence
of a number of colorful tribes and ethnic cultures that are prevalent there.
Due to the existence of a number of different kinds of tribes, their distinct
cultures and customs, life in Nagaland is one long festival. The rich and
exclusive traditional heritage here gives way to a number of fairs and
festivals in Nagaland that add a rejuvenating touch to the already beautiful
and fresh mountain air of Nagaland. These tribal festivals of Nagaland are
celebrated throughout the year.
Administration
The state covers an area of 16,527 Sq. Km.,
which is approximately 0.5% of the total Indian land mass. Administratively,
the State is divided into eleven Districts and the Districts are further
divided into EAC Headquarters for effective administration. Nagaland has 11
(eleven) districts and 93 (ninety three) circles. Mokokchung town is not
included in any of the circle and hence treated as a separate unit.
Geology
Facing the Himalayan ranges across the
Brahmaputra valley and stretching NE- SW along the eastern margin of Northeast
India, bordering Myanmar, lies the Naga Hills. It represents the northern
extension of the Indo- Burma Ranges (IBR) linking the Arunachal Himalaya to the
north and Andaman-Nicobar Islands to the south. The N-S trending Patkai, Barail
and associated ranges with their varied structural styles impart youthful
geomorphology to the Naga Hills. The Cenozoic sedimentary cover in Nagaland
accounts for nearly 95 percent of the area whereas the rest is being occupied
by igneous and crystalline rocks of Mesozoic- Cenozoic age. These exhibit a
general trend of NNE-SSW with moderate to steep dips towards NW and SE. Based
on the morphotectonic elements, the Naga Hills has been longitudinally divided,
from west to east, into three distinct units, namely- the Schuppen Belt, the
Inner Fold Belt and the Ophiolite Belt. The Schuppen Belt has been defined as a
narrow linear belt of imbricate thrust slices which follows the boundary of
Assam valley alluvium for a distance of 350 Km. along the flank of Naga- Patkai
hill ranges. It is postulated that this belt comprises of eight or possibly
more overthrusts along which the Naga Hills have moved northwestwards relative
to the Foreland spur. The total horizontal movement of all the thrusts together
is estimated to be over 200 km. The Schuppen belt is delineated on the east by
Halflong- Disang thrust and on the west by the Naga thrust which has an
end-echelon disposition. Sediments ranging in age between Eocene
Oligocene
and Plio-Pleistocene along with total absence of Disang rocks together
characterize the Schuppen Belt. The Inner Fold Belt occupies the central part
of Naga Hills and extends up to Pangsu pass in Arunachal Pradesh. A large
spread of Disang rocks with isolated covers of Barail as well as Disang- Barail
Transition sequences characterizes the geological setting of this belt. The
Palaeogene rocks have been folded into series of anticlines and synclines and
are confined within two major tectonic zones viz. Haflong- Disang thrust to the
west and the Ophiolite Disang thrust to the east. The Inner Fold Belt is
occupied by two major synclinoria, namely the Kohima synclinorium to the south
and Patkai synclinorium to the north, the Mokokchung and adjoining areas being
the culmination point of the two. In Kohima synclinorium the younger Surma
rocks are developed in its core. The NE- SW trending Ophiolite belt of Naga
Hills extends along the eastern margin of the Nagaland state for nearly 200 Km
bordering Myanmar. It is characterized by dismembered tectonic slices of
serpentinites, cumulates and volcanics. The associated pelagic sediments
include mainly chert and limestones that are often interbedded with the
volcanics. Cherts are usually bedded and contain radiolarians. The fossil
assemblages from the limestone interbands have suggested an Upper Cretaceous to
Lower Eocene age for the Ophiolites. These Ophiolite suit of rocks are
unconformably overlain by an ophiolite derived volcaniclastic and open marine
to paralic sedimentary cover which have been designated as Phokphur Formation.
Topography/Physiography
Nagaland consists of a narrow strip
of hilly country running North-east to South-west and facing the Assam plains
to its North and North-west. The Barail range enters the state at the South-
west corner and runs in a North-easterly direction almost up to Kohima. Near
Kohima the Barail range merges with the mountain ranges which have extended to
Manipur and the main range assumes a much more northerly trend. This range is
considerably higher than the Barail, with peaks like Saramati (3826.15 m) and
Mataung Kien (3420 m) at its extreme east. Between Mao and Kohima, there are
several very high peaks including Japvo. North of Kohima the main range
declines in height, and as far north as Mokokchung district, the Japukong range
attains an average elevation of 750m. In general, 94% area falls under hilly
and rugged terrain and only 6% land is plain, especially those bordering Assam
plains along western boundary of the state. The State has a rolling landscape
with low hills covered with very dense vegetation. 1.5 Soil
The soils of Nagaland belong to 4
orders, 7 sub-orders, 10 great groups, 14 sub groups and 72 soil families. The
4 orders found in Nagaland are (i) Alfisols (ii) Entisols (iii) Inceptisols and
(iv) Ultisols. Inceptisols dominate the soils of the State with 66% followed by
Ultisols 23.8%, Entisols 7.3% and Alfisols 2.9% of the total 16.6 million
Hectares of the State Geographical area.
Rainfall
Climate of Nagaland is typical of a
tropical country with heavy rain fall. The average rainfall of the area is
about 2000mm to 2500mm. Rainfall is high during the monsoon from May to
September/October; whereas during winter it is scanty. In summer the
temperature ranges from 31oC to 16oC while during winter the same varies
between 24oC to 4oC. Spring is warm and humid. On the whole the climatic
condition of the state is cool and bracing.
Agro-climatic
Zones
The climate of Nagaland to a large
extent is controlled by its undulating topographical terrain features. It is
hot to warm sub-tropical in area with elevation of 1000-1200m above MSL. The
foothill plains, sheltered valleys and the ranges are marked with climatic
contrasts. The year is divided into four seasons viz., winter
(December-February), Pre-monsoon (March-April), Monsoon (May-September) and
retreating monsoon (October-November).
The beginning of winter is marked by a steep fall in temperature during
December. January is the coldest month. In February the temperature starts
rising gradually. The winter winds are generally weak and variable. The average
annual temperature ranges from 18°C-20°C to 23°C25°C respectively in the higher
and lower elevation. The monsoon lasts for five months from May to September
with June, July and August being the wettest months. The following agroclimatic
zones in Nagaland are divided into four zones:
Hot per-humid climate Hot
moist sub-humid climate Warm humid
climate Warm per-humid climate 1.8
Socio Economic Profile6 Nagaland is called so, because the people residing
there are called Nagas. Its population is widely diverse, and has 16 tribes
living in the state. The mostly Christian population of Nagaland draws its
culture from many other neighboring regions. The state of Nagaland is one of
the least populated states of India, and ranks 25th population wise, owing to
its population of less than 20 lacs. The population of Nagaland is spread over
an area of over 15000 kilometer square, with a population density of just over
100 in one kilometer square of area, as shown by the Nagaland census 2011. What
really sets the state apart from others in India is the growth rate of
population
in Nagaland. Where, many other
states have fallen prey to the population explosion, Nagaland has not only
reduced the previous growth rate of above 60%, but it has also brought it to
less than zero. This negative growth rate has greatly helped control the
population in Nagaland. The growth rate is still above 60 in the urban areas,
and far too less in the rural areas.
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