GEOGRAPHY OF ASSAM
Q . Fill in the blank:
Assam is bounded by seven Indian states and two foreign countries.
Q. Write the boundary of Assam.
Ans: On the North - Arunachal Pradesh , Bhutan.
On the South - Mizoram and Meghalaya
On the East - Nagaland and Manipur.
On the West - West Bengal, Tripura and Bangladesh.
Q. Why is Assam known as the gateway of North - East India?
Ans: The entire north - eastern region is connected with India through the narrow landmass of Assam.It is linked with the state of West Bengal as well as the Indian landmass through a 50 km narrow land corridor on the west .And so, Assam is called the gateway of North - East India.
Q. What is the geographical extension of Assam ?
Ans: Assam extends from 24°09′ N to 27°58' N latitudes and 89°42' E to 96°01′ E longitudes . It covers 2.4 per cent of India's total area, i.e., about 78,438 km². According to Census of India, 2011 about 2.6 per cent population of India live in Assam. Total population of Assam is 312.05 lakh and out of which 159.39 lakh are male and 152.66 lakh female. Literacy rate in the state was 63.25 per cent in 2001 and it increased to 72.19 per cent in 2011 . Sex ratio (number of female per 1000 male) indicates that in 2001 sex ratio was 935, which increased to 958 in 2011.
* Some characteristics of Assam's Population (2001 - 2011)
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Q.What percent population of Assam lived in villages , according to 2001 census?
Ans:87 percent.
Q. What percent population of Assam lived in villages , according to 2011 census?
Ans: 85.90.
Q. What is the percent of urban population in Assam , according to 2001 census?
Ans: 12.90 percent.
Q.What is the percent of urban population in Assam , according to 2011 census?
Ans:14.09 percent.
Q. What is the cause of growing population in urban area?
Ans: Migration of people from village to town is the cause of growing population in urban area.
Q. What is the cause of decreasing of population in rural area?
Ans: Migration of people from village to town is the cause of decreasing of population in rural area.
Q.According to 2011 census, how many first class towns in Assam?
Ans: Seven.
Q.According to 2011 census how many second class towns in Assam?
Ans: Six.
* Population of class - I and Class - II towns of Assam (2011)
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Q. How does the growth and change of population takes place?
Ans: The growth and change of population takes place by three ways : birth rate ,death rate and migration.
* Trend of Population Growth in Assam ( 1901 - 2011)
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20.40 |
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34.98 |
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Q.What was the population density of Assam in 1901?
Ans: 42 persons per sq km.
Q. Which is the most populous district of Assam?
Ans: Nagaon district.
Q. Which is the least populous district of Assam?
Ans: Dima Hasao.
Q.Which district has the lowest density of population?
Ans: Dima Hasao ( 44 persons per sq. km )
Q.Which district has the highest density of population?
Ans: Kamrup ( Metro).
Q. What are the causes of population growth of Assam?
Ans: The causes of population growth of Assam are -
a) the natural growth of population
b) migration.
Q.What are reasons for human stream to Assam?
Ans:Different ethnic and linguistic groups of people have been migrating to the North-East as well as Assam from its northern, eastern, southern and western sides since ancient times till today due to its peculiar geographical location. The charming natural environment, plentiful water resources, fertile soils of the river valleys, high rainfall and presence of varied species of plants and animals of Assam naturally attracted the migrants. Thus various groups of people migrated to Assam in different times.
Q. Briefly discuss about different human streams of Assam.
Ans:Different ethnic and linguistic groups of people have been migrating to the North-East as well as Assam from its northern, eastern, southern and western sides since ancient times till today due to its peculiar geographical location.
Each flow of migration to Assam taking place from different regions can be recognised as a human stream. The social scientists have the opinion that the first human stream migrated to Assam was probably the Austric group of people. They came from South-East Asia. The Khasis and Jaintias widely inhabited in Meghalaya state belong to this Austric group. Some of these people are found to live in the areas of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao bordering Meghalaya. Some Jaintia people also live in Cachar district along the Meghalaya border.
The second human stream coming to Assam after the Austric group was the Tibeto- Burman language speaking Mongoloid people. These people came across the Himalayas from Central Asia and settled in different parts of Assam. Almost all the tribes except the Khasis presently residing in Assam are basically of Mongoloid origin. The different tribes of Mongoloid living in the hills and plains of Assam mainly include the Bodo, Mishing, Rabha, Tiwa, Deori, Sonowal Kachari, Mech, Barmans of Cachar, Karbi, Dimasa Kachari, Garo, Kuki, Hmar, Hajong, Rengma Naga and Zeme Naga. Among these tribes the Bodo, Mishing, Rabha, Tiwa Deori, Sonowal Kachari, Mech and Barmans of Cachar are recognised as plain tribes, while the Karbi, Dimasa Kachari, Garo, Kuki, Hmar, Hajong, Rengma and Zeme Naga are recognised as hill tribes.
Most probably, the Indo-Aryan language speaking group of people migrated to Assam from the Gangetic Plain just after the flow of the Mongoloid people. They were originally of Caucasoid racial stock. First of all, they migrated to Assam under the patronage of the local kings or administrators and subsequently at their own and also being attracted by the economic resources of the Brahmaputra and Barak Valley they came to the state. This process of migration is still going on. Most of the nontribal groups of people presently living in Assam belong to the Caucasoid stock. The Brahmins, Kayasthas, Kalitas, Nath-Jogis, Koibartas etc. are the people of this racial group which is represented by a large section of Hindu population of the state. These people have expanded their settlements in the Brahmaputra and Barak Valley and laid the foundation of Vaidic civilization and culture.
In the early part of 13th Century another group of Islamic people (soldiers) of Indo-Aryan origin came to Assam under Mahammad Bin Bakhtiar Khiliji, a Muslim General of Kutubuddin on their way to Tibet. In subsequent period, there were several invasions undertaken by the Muslim soldiers under the patronage of the Mugal kings of Northern India. In most of the invasions, some Muslim soldiers along with their fellow members having different skills were either kept as prisoners or engaged by the local kings and the people in various works. In this way, some muslims settled in Assam and they grew in numbers over time. Later on, they expanded their settlements gradually and established Muslim society and culture in the Brahmaputra and Barak Valley. Now, the Muslim community has emerged as one of the important ethnic groups in Assam.
Another important ethnic group who migrated to Assam was the Ahoms. The Ahoms basically belong to the Mongoloid stock. They came to Myanmar from China and then'in 1228 under the leadership of SeuKa-Pha the Ahoms came across the Patkai hills from the Shan plateau of northern Myanmar. They settled first in upper Assam and established the Ahom kingdom. Later on, they brought almost the entire Brahmaputra Valley under their rule. The Ahoms ruled for about six hundred years and made substantial contributions to the society and culture of Assam. Presently, the Ahoms have their settlements mainly in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh,Sibsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji district of upper Assam region and also in Morigaon, Nagaon and Sonitpur district of middle Assam region.
The Koch-Rajbongshis are another notable ethnic group in Assam.Under the leadership of Koch king Bisva Singha, the Koches established kingdom on the western part of Assam and later on extended it upto the Barnadi of Lower Assam. After his death, his sons king Naranarayan and Chilarai became most powerful and expanded their kingdom from Lower Assam to Upper Assam. Gosain Kamal, brother of king Naranarayan took the lead to construct the 'Gohain Kamal Ali', a road extending from Koch Bihar to Narayanpur of Lakhimpur district, which still signifies the glory of the Koch kingdom. The contributions of the Koches to socio-cultural and religious fields of Assam are specially significant. Presently, the KochRajbongshi people are found distributed mainly in the districts of Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Chirang, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamrup, Baksa, Udalguri, Kamrup (Metro), Darrang, Morigaon, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Golaghat.
After the annexation of Assam by the British, the British needed some educated and skilled persons for carrying out their administrative, economic and commercial activities. For this purpose they brought some skilled persons from Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan etc. Even some Nepali people were brought to be employed in military services. Subsequently many other Nepalies came to the State in search of livelihood. They engaged themselves mainly in agriculture and livestock rearing. Later on, when the British started tea cultivation in Assam, there was the need for labourers. But the local people.. of Assam did not show their interests to work in tea cultivation. So, the British brought the tribal people of Chotanagpur plateau of Central India to Assam to work in the tea gardens. These tribals are Austric in origin speaking the Mundari group of language. Now, these people are mostly concentrated in the tea cultivated districts of upper and middle Assam region. Tea tribes are one of the important ethnic groups of Assam. They have significantly contributed to the field of colourful cultures of Assam.
An important human stream to Assam was the migration of the landless Muslim peasants from the then East Bengal (Now Bangladesh). This migration continued from about the last decade of 19th century to just before the Independence. At first under the patronage of the landlords of the undivided Goalpara district and later on in the interests of the administrators the landless peasants of the East Bengal migrated to Assam and settled in the vast fertile lands and sparsely populated regions. Subsequently, a large number of Hindu refugees migrated from the then East Pakistan to India during partition at the time of Independence. Some of them also migrated to Assam and settled there. The migrated Muslim peasants occupied the river side fertile plains and floodplains, while the Hindu migrants selected and occupied the areas near railway stations, market centres, towns and places convenient for business activities. It is a notable fact that the migration from Bangladesh is still continuing and the migrants mostly settle down in the floodplains and char areas of the Brahmaputra and Barak river. On the other hand, the internal migration process among the states of India is usually going on. This inter- state migration continues, especially due to social, economic and educational reasons. As a result of such migration, a large number of people have migrated state to Assam from different states, mainly Rajasthan, Punjab, Bihar, West Bengal, Manipur etc. and they have also permanently settled here.
In this way as mentioned above, the people of various ethnic groups have been migrating to Assam from different places since ancient period to the present. As a result, the demography of Assam has largely changed.
Q. Write briefly about the second human stream.
Ans:The second human stream coming to Assam after the Austric group was the Tibeto- Burman language speaking Mongoloid people. These people came across the Himalayas from Central Asia and settled in different parts of Assam. Almost all the tribes except the Khasis presently residing in Assam are basically of Mongoloid origin. The different tribes of Mongoloid living in the hills and plains of Assam mainly include the Bodo, Mishing, Rabha, Tiwa, Deori, Sonowal Kachari, Mech, Barmans of Cachar, Karbi, Dimasa Kachari, Garo, Kuki, Hmar, Hajong, Rengma Naga and Zeme Naga. Among these tribes the Bodo, Mishing, Rabha, Tiwa Deori, Sonowal Kachari, Mech and Barmans of Cachar are recognised as plain tribes, while the Karbi, Dimasa Kachari, Garo, Kuki, Hmar, Hajong, Rengma and Zeme Naga are recognised as hill tribes.
However, the Koch-Rajbongshis residing in Assam basically are of Mongoloid origin. The distribution of Mongoloid people in the state reveals that they generally live in the plains and near the river banks, foothills and hill slopes. Among all these tribes, the Bodos form the largest tribal group on the basis of population size. Although the Bodes are distributed more or less in all parts of the state, their concentrations are mainly confined to the north bank of the Brahmaputra, especially in Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri districts and the northern parts of Darrang and Sonitpur districts. On the basis of population size, the Mishing tribe is the second largest tribal group in Assam. The Mishings generally prefer to settle along the river side and they are mostly found in the riverine tracts of Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Jorhat and Sonitpur districts. The Rabhas, in general have their scattered distribution in Assam. But they are concentrated mostly in Goalpara, Kamrup and Darrang districts. Tiwa (Lalung) are mostly concentrated in Morigaon and Nagaon districts of middle Assam and also in Sonapur region of Kamrup district, Dhemaji region of Dhemaji district and Titabor region of Jorhat district. The Deories are found mostly in Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar and Jorhat districts. The Sonowal Kacharis are found to settle in Upper Assam region, especially in Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Jorhat and Golaghat districts. The Mech have their less population and they are confined to South Salmara of Goalpara district, Khowang of Dibrugarh district and Parokhowa of Karbi Anglong district. The Barmans of Cachar mostly live in the Barak Valley and some of them are scattered in Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts. On the other hand, the whole Karbi Anglong district is the home of the Karbis. On the basis of population size, the Karbi tribe is the third largest tribe in Assam. Besides Karbi Anglong, some Karbi people are also found to live in Kamrup, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Dima Hasao districts. Similarly, besides living in the whole of Dima Hasao district, the Dimasa Kachari are also found in some parts of Karbi Anglong and Cachar district. The Garos have their settlements along the southern parts of Dhubri, Goalpara and Kamrup district bordering the Garo Hills of Meghalaya. The Kukis have settled in Dima Hasao district and they are one of the important tribes in the district from the point of their population size. The Hmar people are less in number and they are mostly confined to Dima Hasao district. The Hajongs mostly live in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao district. However, some settlements of the Hajongs are found in Goalpara district along the Meghalaya border. The Rengma Naga people have their limited numbers as well as settlements. They are, especially found to settle in the hilly region between Chokihola in the north and Barpathar in the south of Karbi Anglong district. On the other hand, the Zeme Nagas have their settlements in north-earter part and south Mibong area of Dima Hasao district.
Q.Write a short note on transport system of Assam.
Ans: Presently, transport is an essential component of economic development.We know that Assam is the gateway of North East India.
Transport system of Assam:
1. Road transport: There are all total seven types of roads in the roads transport system of Assam, which are - Surfaced road, Unsurfaced road, National Highway, State Highway, Major district road, Rural road and Urban road. Taking all these roads together Assam has a total road length of 48,725 km in 2015-16. It is seen that the surfaced roads (Excluding National Highways) have been constructed in the state by about two and half times in length during 200708 and 2015-16. During the same period, the lengths of National Highways, rural roads and urban roads have been increased. But the lengths of unsurfaced roads have decreased indicating that some portions of these roads are converted to surfaced roads. However, the lengths of state roads and Major district roads have remained same suggesting no further construction of such roads.
The National Highways and other roads have their active role to play in the development of inland water transport systems of the state. Moreover, the National Highways have paved the way for development by connecting Assam and the other states of North-East India with the different states of the country.
2. Railway transport:
The railway transport system of Assam comes under the railway zone known as Nort-East Frontier Railway. The Head Quater of this zone is located at Maligaon, Guwahati. According to data available with the North-East Frontier Railway zone, the total length of rail lines in Assam was 2458.93 km during 2012-13. Out of this total length, Broad Gauge line extends for 1,470.06 km and Metre Gauge line extends for 988.87 km. Presently almost all the districts of Assam are connected by railways.
3. Water transport:
The water transport system of Assam is basically the inland water transport system. Assam is a land of rivers. The Brahmaputra and Barak river and their numerous tributaries, which account for 32 per cent of the total water resources of India are serving as the waterways of the state. The 891 km. long course of the Brahmaputra from Sadiya to Dhubri and 121 km. long course of the Barak are navigable. The navigable waterway of the Brahmaputra (891 km. long) was declared in 1988 as the second National Waterway of the country. This waterway has been contributing much to the economic development of entire North-East India including Assam. On the other hand, the 121 km. long waterway of the Barak river extending from Lakhipur to Bhanga was declared by the central government in 2013 as the 6th National Waterway of the country. This waterway is expected to be helpful in enhancing the economic development of the entire NorthEast India, especially Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh by transporting goods through ships at cheaper rate. There are two government agencies which are engaged in promoting the water transport system of Assam. These two agencies are the E Central Inland Waterways Corporation and the Directorate of Inland Water Transport (IWT). The main responsibilities of these two agencies are the effective utilization of water resources in water transport, transportation of goods and passengers using waterways as the cheapest mode of transport, proper use of the waterways of the region on commercial basis etc. There are a number of river ports including Pandu along the Brahmaputra river. In addition to these, there are more than 30 pairs of ferry ghats on the Brahmaputra for transporting both passengers and cargo. At present, as many as 96 ferry services are operating on the river Barak, Brahmaputra and its tributaries under the three divisions of the Inland Water Transport. Besides, the IWT department has introduced 61 numbers of cargo cum passenger services in the state connecting the interrior places where road communications are not available. Moreover, large number of ferry and bhoot-bhooty services of private owners are also operating under unorganised sector for transporting goods and passengers.
4. Air transport:
Air transport is an integral component of the modern transport system. At present the air transport sector of Assam has made some developments. Assam now stays connected with different places of India through air transport. The air transport of the state is in operation. through the civil airports located at Guwahati, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, North Lakhimpur and Silchar. In addition, one more civil airport located at Rupshi, Dhubri is lying closed for long time. All the major airlines under private sectors are operating regular flights to and from Guwahati.
Besides these, some private compaines and agencies are also operating helicopter services within the state or connecting the interior places of the states of North-East India.
The airport located at Borjhar (Guwahati) is known as the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. This is the only international airport in whole of North-East.
Q. What are the advantages of road transport?
Ans:The main advantages of road transport are -
(a) Road transport is convenient, fast and reliable,
(b) It can easily make linkages and connections with the small and interior places,
(c) It can nicely provide communications among the hills, plateaus and plains,
(d) In transporting the agricultural and industrial products, road transport system is especially useful,
(e) In the case of repairement, construction etc. The road transport system involves less expenditure as compared to some other transport systems,
(f) Road transport system has directly helped in the development of tourism industry of the state by connecting the tourist spots by roads.
Q. What are the advantages of railway transport?
Ans: The advantages of railway transport are -
(a) Railway transport is convenient and reliable in carrying passengers and goods for longer distance,
(b) In the case of transport of necessary resources essential for infrastructural and industrial development along with the economic development of Assam, the railway transport system has been playing a vital role,
(c) Employment opportunities are created due to expansion of railway transport in the state,
(d) This transport system has enhanced national unity by connecting Assam with the distant states of the country and
(e) Railway transport has become auxiliary to the development of road transport system.
Q. What are the advantages of water transport?
Ans: The advantages of the inland water transport of Assam are -
(a) There are more scope and opportunities for expansion of the water transport system in Assam being a land of rivers,
(b) Expenditure for fuel in water transport is less as compared to other modes of transport,
(c) Water transport is more useful in transporting heavy goods,
(d) The inland water transport has been serving for the transport of goods and passengers within the state,
(e) Like the road transport, the water transport has no such problem of air pollution,
(f) The water transport system has been extending help to the people of places backward in road communication for movement of goods and passengers,
(g) During natural disasters, especially flood in the state the water transport plays an important role,
(h) There are no problems like repairing, maintenance, road construction etc. in the case of water transport system, because the natural rivers and streams are used as waterways.
Q. What are the problems of transport system?
Ans: (a) It is really difficult to expand the transport system in Assam which is characterised by varied topographic features like hills, plateaus, plains, floodplains, wetlands etc.
(b) Assam is linked with the mainland of India through a narrow corridor on the west and this has caused difficulties in the expansion of transport network.
(c) In some areas the soil properties of Assam are not suitable for construction and maintenance of roads. Moreover, high rainfall during summer causes damage to the roads easily. Also, the roads get damaged within a short period as no suitable and modern technologies are applied in their construction.
(d) In the case of industrial development, Assam is still backward as compared to some other states of India. One of the major causes for this is the underdeveloped transport system of the state. But, the industrial development, on the other hand may encourage the development of the transport system.
(e).In spite of immense scope and potentiality for development of tourism industry in Assam, no proper measures are taken so far for its development. If due importance is given on the development of tourism industry of the state, it is sure that the transport sector will also flourish altogether.
(f) Due to lack of large market in the state the transport system has not developed. Assam has largely failed to be actively associated with the field of trade and commerce at inter-state as well as international level and consequently the intrastructure of transport system has not been developed.
(g) The national and foreign investment in the state shows a declining trend due to some social and political unrest arising out of ethnic, communal and insurgency problems emerging from time to time. As a result, the expansion of trade and commerce has become limited and the transport sector has suffered a lot.
(h) Although the transport system has developed quantitatively, its qualitative expansion is not upto the mark. Lack of operative and technical efficiency is usually noticed in the case of road, railway, water and air transport.
(i) In order to achieve overall development of the transport system, there is the utmost need for proper transport co-ordination among the road, railway, water and air transport. But, lack of such co-ordination is commonly observed in the state.
(j) Rapid development of transport sector has not become possible in the state, because the schemes undertaken by the governments for development and expansion of transport system are not executed in time and in proper way.
*Data of the Roads in Assam ( Length in km.)
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* The Industrial Parks and Centres Recently Set up in Assam.
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| Titabor | Jorhat |
| 11 | Integrated Infrastructure Development Centre ( IIDC) |
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Q. What are the Problems Agricultural Development of Assam?
Ans: The economy of Assam is mainly dependent on agriculture. Agriculture is the main occupation of about 75 per cent people of the state. But, it is important to note that its agricultural sector is not so developed till now. The reason is that there are some problems of agriculture of the state. The major problems are -
(a) Traditional agriculture in the plains and jhum cultivation in the hills are still practised through the age-old methods.
(b) The agricultural lands of the farmers are fragmented into small plots, where it is difficult to use the modern agricultural implements and techniques.
(c) Method of irrigation is not developed and irrigation facilities are not adequate.
(d) Rice is extensively cultivated in the state and it has its significant impact on agro-economy. But, no due importance is given on application of modern agricultural methods for development of rice cultivation..
(e) Agriculture of the state is badly affected by flood and bank erosion. Annually crops of more than 25 per cent croplands of the state are damaged by flood and large areas of fertile alluvial lands are also lost annually due to river bank erosion.
(f) In order to protect the agricultural activities as well as the farmers from severe drought, there is no proper agricultural planning.
(g) Crop protection and crop harvesting methods are not developed,
(h) Facilities for crop preservation, especially for the foodcrops are very limited.
(i) Farmers have become poor, because there is no provision that the farmers can directly get the reasonable price for the crops they produce.
(j) Farmers are in want of facilities for easily obtaining high quality seeds, necessary fertilizers, agricultural implements and loans at subsidised rates.
(k) There is lack of developed communication and transport system linking the interior agricultural regions with the markets of towns and cities.
(l) The agricultural sector and the agro-based industrial sectors are not progressing parallely.
(m) There is limited use of comparatively low cost electricity in mechanization of agriculture and
(n) The overall infrastructure actually lacks in the state for agricultural development of the state.
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