Noamundi

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?Noamundi Jharkhand • India
Noamundi
Coordinates: 22°09′N 85°32′E / 22.15, 85.53
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 487 m (1,598 ft)
District(s)	Pashchimi Singhbhum
Population	16,228 (2001)

Coordinates: 22°09′N 85°32′E / 22.15, 85.53 Noamundi is a census town in Pashchimi Singhbhum district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.It is also an administrative 'block'^[1] . It is a small mining town in close to the Orissa border. It lies about 125 km from Jamshedpur and 64 km from Chaibasa. Nearby towns include Padapahar, Barajamda, Kharsawan, Gua and Kiriburu.

The major produce of this mine is iron ore (including blue dust). The mines are run by the Tata Steel and most of the residents of this town are employed by this company.In the recent past a lot of private mine-owners have also set up shop in and around the town. A Pelletizing Plant of Tata Steel to convert blue dust to pellets , suitable for use in blast furnace functioned here from 1972 to 1986 but was closed down because it was not economically viable . The town is the right on the border of Jharkhand and Orissa with some of the iron-mines spanning the two states.The portion of iron mining area of Noamundi in the state of Orissa is called Katamati.

Legend has it that when the first iron ore explorers came to this region, they were amazed to find the local tribal population (Adivasis) using iron axes. When the explorers asked the tribals where they had found the ore, they pointed to a hill nearby and called it Noamundi, which literally means 'that hill' in their language. The native tribals are known as Ho people and their language is also known by the same name - Ho.

[edit] Geography

Noamundi is located at 22.15° N 85.53° E^[2]. It has an average elevation of 487 metres (1597 feet). Noamundi is located in the heart of Saranda forest, which is the densest deciduous forest of Asia. 'Saranda' in the local tribal language means 'The land of 700 hills'.The administrative boundary of the Saranda reserve forest ,however,lie a few kilometers away.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[3], Noamundi had a population of 16,228. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Noamundi has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 53%. In Noamundi, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.