Jaisalmer district | |
|---|---|
     From top, left to right: Jaisalmer city fromJaisalmer Fort,Bada Bagh,Lodhruva Jain Temple, Watchtower inPokhran Fort, Sand dunes in the Thar Desert | |
.svg) Location of Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Rajasthan |
| Division | Jodhpur |
| Headquarters | Jaisalmer |
| Area | |
• Total | 38,401 km2 (14,827 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 669,919 |
| • Density | 17.445/km2 (45.183/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
Jaisalmer district is the largest district in the Indian state ofRajasthan, and the third largest district inIndia. Located inMarwar(Jodhpur Division),[3] the city ofJaisalmer is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is around 289 km (180 mi) from the city ofJodhpur, and around 559 km (347 mi) fromJaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. As of the 2011 population census, it is the least populous district out of all50 districts in Rajasthan.[2]
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With an area of 38,401 square kilometres or 14,827 square miles,[1] Jaisalmer is the largest district in Rajasthan, and the third-largest in the country by area.
The Jaisalmer district lies in theThar Desert, which straddles the border of India andPakistan. It is bound in the northeast byBikaner District, in the east byJodhpur District, in the south byBarmer District, and in the west and north byPakistan.
The district is located within a rectangle lying between 26°.4’ –28°.23' north parallel and 69°.20'-72°.42' east meridians.
The international border adjacent to the district is around 464 km (288 mi) long.
Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy landscape, forming a part of the great Indian desert. The general aspect of the area is that of an interminable sea of sandhills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a height of almost 150 ft (46 m). The hills in the west are covered with log bushes, while those in the east feature tufts of long grass. Water is scarce, and generallybrackish; the average depth of the wells is said to be about 250 ft (76 m). There are no perennial streams, and only one small river, the Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of 28 m (92 ft), spreads over a large surface of flat ground and forms a lake called the Bhuj-Jhil. The climate is hot and dry. Throughout Jaisalmer crops such asbajra,jowar, motif, andtil, are grown; spring crops of wheat andbarley are very rare. Owing to the scant rainfall,irrigation is almost unknown except for small areas irrigated by lift canals ofIndira Gandhi Canal Project.
The climate ishot arid (Köppen:BWh).
| Climate data for Jaisalmer | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.7 (74.7) | 27.2 (81.0) | 32.8 (91.0) | 38.4 (101.1) | 48.0 (118.4) | 48.0 (118.4) | 42.8 (109.0) | 36.0 (96.8) | 36.5 (97.7) | 36.1 (97.0) | 31.1 (88.0) | 25.4 (77.7) | 35.5 (95.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.9 (46.2) | 10.9 (51.6) | 16.8 (62.2) | 22.2 (72.0) | 25.7 (78.3) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.5 (79.7) | 25.4 (77.7) | 24.3 (75.7) | 20.5 (68.9) | 13.8 (56.8) | 8.9 (48.0) | 19.2 (66.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 1.3 (0.05) | 4.0 (0.16) | 3.2 (0.13) | 18.1 (0.71) | 9.2 (0.36) | 36.1 (1.42) | 86.1 (3.39) | 109.0 (4.29) | 36.2 (1.43) | 12.5 (0.49) | 1.3 (0.05) | 2.5 (0.10) | 319.5 (12.58) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 21.7 |
| Source:WMO | |||||||||||||
In 2021, a MiddleJurassichybodontStrophodus jaisalmerensis was named in a reference to this district and thegeologic formation of the same name where itsholotype was found.[4]
In 2006, theMinistry of Panchayati Raj named Jaisalmer one of the country's 250most backward districts (out of a total of640).[5] It is one of the twelve districts in Rajasthan currently receiving funds from theBackward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[5]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 75,551 | — |
| 1911 | 87,162 | +1.44% |
| 1921 | 69,224 | −2.28% |
| 1931 | 78,646 | +1.28% |
| 1941 | 96,958 | +2.12% |
| 1951 | 109,658 | +1.24% |
| 1961 | 141,242 | +2.56% |
| 1971 | 167,824 | +1.74% |
| 1981 | 243,082 | +3.77% |
| 1991 | 344,517 | +3.55% |
| 2001 | 508,247 | +3.96% |
| 2011 | 669,919 | +2.80% |
| source:[6] | ||
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 74.19% | |||
| Islam | 25.10% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.71% | |||
According to the2011 census, Jaisalmer district has apopulation of 669,919,[2] roughly equal to the nation ofEquatorial Guinea[8] or the US state ofNorth Dakota.[9] This gives it a ranking of 508th in India (out of a total of640).[2] The district has a population density of 17 inhabitants per square kilometre (44/sq mi).[2] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 32.22%.[2] Jaisalmer has asex ratio of 849females for every 1000 males,[2] and aliteracy rate of 58.04%. 13.29% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 14.80% and 6.33% of the population respectively.[2]
At the time of the 2011 census, 51.07% of the population spokeRajasthani, 40.95%Marwari, 2.80%Hindi, 2.56%Sindhi and 1.02%Urdu as their first language.[10] Marwari is the local language, whileDhatki and Sindhi is spoken in border areas and by Hindu refugees from nearby Thar regions of Sindh.
IAS Pratap Singh Nathawat is theDistrict Collector ofJaisalmer District. Jaisalmer district has four sub-divisions: Jaisalmer,Pokaran,Bhaniyana, and Fatehgarh. Jaisalmer and Pokaran are thenagar palikas, while 744 villages come under 140gram panchayats. District developmental activities are being looked after by threepanchayat samities, that is, Jaisalmer, Sam, and Sankra.
Jaisalmer is one of the largest tourism district inRajasthan.[11] About 276,887 tourists visit the district every year, out of which about 100,000 tourists are foreigners.[12] Some of the tourist attractions in Jaisalmer are:
Every year, Maru Mahotsav is celebrated for the tourists.Ramdevra is also a big attraction for theBaba Ramdevji's pilgrims.[13]
See page 24
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Equatorial Guinea 668,225 July 2011 est.
North Dakota 672,591
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26°54′48″N70°54′50″E / 26.91333°N 70.91389°E /26.91333; 70.91389
