DISTRICT PROFILE
Dakshina Kannada (Mangalore)
The district Dakshina Kannada is situated on the western coast of India, about half way between Bombay and Cape Comorin. From North to South, it is a long narrow strip of territory and from east to west it is a broken low plateau, which spreads from the Western Ghats to the Arabian Sea. The major part of its length lies along the seaboard. The area is intersected by many rivers and streams and presents a varied and most picturesque scenery.
The district spreading from the Western Ghats towards the Arabian Sea to the west, is bounded by Udupi district in the North, Shimoga, Chickmagalur and Hassan districts in the East, Kasaragod taluk of Kerala state and Coorg districts in the south and Arabian Sea in the west.
The district can be divided into 3 belts, the coastal strip, the
middle belt and the Western ghat section. An interesting feature of the
coastal strip and the middle belt is that, it is not a plain but a series
of estuarine low lands separated by numerous hill ranges projecting the
Western Ghats. The coastal tract is the most thickly populate part of the
district, as it is fertile and trading facilities. The middle belt
consists of hills and dales and forms into an undulating terrain. The
valleys are fertile and boast of several gardens of arecanut and coconut,
and paddy fields, which are the main crops of the district. The Western Ghats form the eastern boundary of the
district consisting of evergreen forests with patches of paddy fields and
arecanut gardens scattered here and there surrounded by forests.
The climate of the district shares the wider climatic pattern of
the other West Coast districts of India. It is characterized by excessive
humidity(78%) during the greater part of the year. There are four seasons
viz., 1) Four wet months of June, July, August and September, when the
district encounters strong winds, high humidity, heavy showers and a
slight fall in temperature. 2) Two warm and damp months of October and
November when south west monsoon is retreating. 3) Three cool months of
December, January and February when generally dry conditions prevail and
4) Three hot months of March, April and May which is the period of rising
temperature. Climate in the district is generally equable. However, it is
colder in the interior than in the coast.
The important rivers of Dakshina Kannada District are
Suvarnanadi, Shambavi (Mulki), Gurpur River, Nethravathi, Pavanje, Nandini besides there there are many other rivers with perennial flow of water and a
number of streams, all running from east to west.
The district can be divided into two agro-climatic regions as coastal region and Malnad region. The coastal region consists of Mangalore and the Malnad region consists of Belthangady, Puttur, Sullia and Buntwal taluks.
General Information
| Total Geographical Area in Hectares | 477149 |
| Total Male Population | 9,38,434 |
| Total Female Population | 9,59,296 |
| Total Population | 18,97,730 |
| Total SC Male Population | 65,818 |
| Total SC Female Population | 65,342 |
| Total SC Population | 1,31,160 |
| Total ST Male Population | 31,579 |
| Total ST Female Population | 31,357 |
| Total ST Population | 62,396 |
| Sex Ratio | 1022 |
| No. of Households | 3,62,216 |
| Literacy Rate | 83.4% |
Source:2001Census
NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE DISTRICT : The District is gifted with bountiful gifts of the nature viz., land, forest, water, livestock, flora and fauna.
Land Resources : The most important natural resources is land which is the base for agricultural production. The land surface is fixed while population grows and the land is subject to law of diminishing returns. Increase in population also leads to withdrawal of land for building houses and development of communications such as roads and railways, establishment of Industries etc. Out of this fixed land surface, only certain portion is available for cultivation.