Latehar

Latehar
city
Latehar

Location in Jharkhand, India

Coordinates: 23°45′N 84°30′E / 23.75°N 84.50°E / 23.75; 84.50Coordinates: 23°45′N 84°30′E / 23.75°N 84.50°E / 23.75; 84.50
Country  India
State Jharkhand
District Latehar
Elevation 387 m (1,270 ft)
Population (2001)
  Total 19,067
Languages
  Official Hindi, Santali
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Website latehar.nic.in

Latehar is a town which is also headquarters of Latehar district of Jharkhand state, India. It is located 105 km north-west of the state capital, Ranchi.

Geography

Latehar is located at 23°45′N 84°30′E / 23.75°N 84.50°E / 23.75; 84.50.[1] It has an average elevation of 327 m (1,073 ft).

Economy

The economy of the people revolves round the forest, agriculture and minerals.

(a) Agriculture: - A large number of people are engaged in agricultural activities. Cultivation of paddy, maize, cereals, wheat, oil seeds etc. are common. The people are either working as agricultural labourers or cultivators. Kharif and Rabbi are the main agricultural seasons. Karma festival is celebrated for good production of crops.

(b) Forest: - Out of total geographical area of 4211-2508 km2, forest area covers nearly 2010.2245 km2 The tribal economy revolves around using forest products, by products and minor products. Kendu leaves, Bamboo and its manufactured products, Mahua, fruits, leaves (used is the making of dona, pattal), lac etc. play an important role in the economic activity of the people. People also hunt animals for food and ‘Jani shikar’ festival is related to this hunting habit.

(c) Mines and Minerals: - The geological reports say that the district is very rich in various mineral deposits. There is abundance of deposit of Coal, Bauxite, Laterite, Dolomite, and Graphite etc. Granite, Quartz, Fireclay, Felspar etc. The excavation and exploration of these minerals have provided job opportunities to the inhabitants of this hinterland to some extent because these minerals have not been fully explored at large scale and there are no mineral based industries in the district.

(d) Animal Husbandry: -The quality of livestock is very poor. Cow, goats etc. are of local variety and the average milk yield is very less. There is a vast scope in the field of animal husbandry in Latehar.

(e) Trade and commerce: - In place of old Mahajans and landlords, various banks are operating their branches is the district but it is a matter of fact that most of the villages are so scattered that the system of primary trade in the hands of vyaparis and village sahukars still continues. Paddy thrashing, dona pattal making, bamboo basket making, selling of mahua flowers. Lacs, kendu leaves and other minor forest produces are main components of trading activities. In the absence of major industries and employment opportunities, the options of economic development are limited. Animal husbandry, piggery and fisheries etc. have good potential, but this sector has still remained unexplored.

Betla National Park

Main article: Betla National Park

Situated in the district of Latehar,8 km awyfrom Barwadih is spread over an area of 979sq. km. The core area of 232 km2 of the sanctuary was declared as Betla National park in September1989. The park occupies the western parts of the Chotanagpur plateau and was constituted in 1960 as an extension of the Hazaribagh National park. BARWADIH has the distinction of being the forest where the world's first tiger census was enumerated in 1932. The park became one of the earliest 9 tiger reserves in India under 'Project Tiger' in 1974.

The forests of the park have a vast range of vegetation consisting of tropical wet evergreen forests in the lower reaches, mixed (moist and dry) deciduous forests in the middle and temperate alpine forests in the upper reaches including Sal and bamboo as the major components along with a number of medicinal plants. The river Koel and its tributaries run through the northern portion of the park. There are grasslands in the river flowing area. It has waterfalls and hot springs too. Once the seat of Chero kings, there are two historical forts, one of them belonging to the 16th century deep inside the forest. The main sentinel of the old fort is visible high up on the hill with defences in three directions and three main gates.

Adventure Tourism

District is one of popular destination for Adventure Tourism in Jharkhand along with Khandoli Dam at Giridih.[2]

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,[3] Latehar had a population of 19,067. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Latehar has an average literacy rate of 61%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 70%, and female literacy is 51%. In Latehar, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

See also

References

  1. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Latehar
  2. "Adventure tourism in Jharkhand". Official Website of Dept. of Tourism, Government of Jharkhand. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  3. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.

External links

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