Daman and Diu

Daman and Diu
दमण आणि दीव
Damão e Diu
દમણ અને દીવ
Union Territory

Vrinda kunda

Seal of Daman and Diu
Daman and Diu
Coordinates: 20°25′N 72°50′E / 20.42°N 72.83°ECoordinates: 20°25′N 72°50′E / 20.42°N 72.83°E
Country India
Union territory Daman and Diu
Established 30 May 1987
Capital Daman
Government
  Member of Parliament Lalubhai Patel
  Administrator Ashish Kundra, IAS
Area
  Total 102 km2 (39 sq mi)
Area rank 5th (among u.t.)
Population (2011)
  Total 242,911
  Rank 6th (among union territories)
  Density 2,400/km2 (6,200/sq mi)
Languages
  Official language English,
Gujarati,
Hindi,
Marathi
  Spoken languages Portuguese
(inc. Daman Portuguese)
Konkani
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
ISO 3166 code IN-DD
No. of districts 2
HDI Increase 0.754 (2005)
HDI Category high
Sex ratio 1.61 /

Daman and Diu /dəˈmɑːn/ & /ˈd/ ( locally ) is a union territory in India.

History

St. Paul's Church in Diu

For over 450 years, the coastal exclaves of Daman and Diu on the Arabian Sea coast were part of Portuguese India, along with Goa, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli. Goa, Daman, and Diu were incorporated into the Republic of India on December 19, 1961 by military conquest. Portugal did not recognise the Indian annexation of these territories until 1974.

The territory of "Goa, Daman, and Diu" were administered as a single union territory until 1987, when Goa was granted statehood, leaving Daman and Diu as a separate union territory. Each enclave constitutes one of the union territory's two districts. Daman and Diu are approximately 650 kilometres away from each other by road.

It was also the smuggling base of former Don Sukkar Naran Bakhia, also known as Seth, for the territory and India in general.

Languages

Gujarati, Marathi, English, and Hindi are the official languages used in the territory.[1][2][3] English is increasingly accepted for official purposes. As well, the Warli and Agri dialects of Konkani are also used.

The use of Portuguese is in decline and relegated to home use or as a liturgical language as it is no longer taught in schools. It is also no longer used by the media and it is neither endorsed by the government. Standard Portuguese existing in a post-creole continuum with Daman and Diu Portuguese is spoken by about 10–12,000 people in Daman.


Administration

According to the Constitution of India, Administration of Daman and Diu is carried out by an Administrator appointed by the President of India. An Administrator is an agent of the President, not a head of state or a governor. Previously, this post was held by Shri B. S. Bhalla, IAS officer (1990 batch). He was assisted by a number of other officers in carrying out his duty. Currently, this post is held by Ashish Kundra.

Districts

International Relations

Daman is a twin town of the city of Coimbra, Portugal.[5] And Diu Island is twinned with the city of Loures, also in Portugal.[6]

Economy

Daman and Diu's gross state domestic product for 2005 was estimated at US $156 million in current prices.

Education

In Daman the most popular schools are: Institute of Our Lady of Fátima located in Moti Daman; Coast Guard Public School in Nani Daman; Sarvajanik Vidyalaya in Nani Daman; Shri Macchi Mahajan High School in Nani Daman; and other government institutions. There is also Daman College which has most of the educational facilities.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the lowest female to male ratio in India (618 females per thousand males) was recorded in Daman and Diu.[7] The Daman district, with a female to male ratio of 533, is among the lowest of all the districts in India.

Transportation

Daman & Diu are well connected by roads, and are 12 km from Vapi, 125 km from Surat, and 150 km from Mumbai. Daman isn't actually connected by railway but Vapi is, with all major cities. Nearest airport is Mumbai. Diu Airport has commercial air services, while Daman has an Indian Navy air base.

Media and communications

Print media

Gujarati

English

Marathi

Hindi

Telecommunications

See also

References

  1. Notification. india.gov.in
  2. Daman and Diu. Tourism of India. Retrieved on 2014-05-08.
  3. Daman & Diu. Whereincity.com (1961-12-16). Retrieved on 2014-05-08.
  4. "Census Population" (PDF). Census of India. Ministry of Finance India. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  5. "Damão, Índia". coimbra.pt (in Portuguese). Coimbra, Portugual: Câmara Municipal de Coimbra. 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  6. "Município - Cooperação externa - Diu". cm-loures.pt (in Portuguese). Loures, Portugual: Câmara Municipal de Loures. 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
  7. "Ranking of States and Union territories by population size : 1991 and 2001" (PDF). Government of India (2001). Census of India. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 2012-05-12.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Daman and Diu.